Man, I’m so appreciative of the tools parents w/ kids on the spectrum have now, that they didn’t have back in the day. We’re all still learning & trying to be better, but I’m so thankful that we have the language to offset the status quo. ESPC for school.
And I’m not even saying most schools are even TRYING to be less ableist. But I think parents are being more protective, more aware and are FORCING these schools to ‘get with the program’. ESPC as the mom of a Black boy. Tyger doesn’t learn the way other kids might learn &...
...we’re combatting his ‘discouraged’ feelings with this specific language. ‘You learn differently & different doesn’t mean bad.’ As Scarlett is about to graduate middle school, I’m already thinking about how middle school will be for him. We’ve known all of the teachers...
...and staff at this elementary school because Scarlett went here. The idea of Tyger being at a new school with teachers we don’t know...is terrifying to me. But as the parent, I gotta make sure I’m doing my job to frontload him with the tools he needs & make sure we & the...
...school are on the same page. And even as hard as we try, our current school systems are still not set up for kids with *any* kind of disabilities. At the same time, I’ve seen what’s possible with teachers/staff/parents who are all on the same page. And it’s encouraging.
Me & my husband have learned so much from volunteering in classes all of these years. Even my husband (when everyone was in school at the same time) used to volunteer at recess. The boys LOVED him & were not used to seeing Black Men be there like that. It’s usually moms. So...
...they had whole basketball teams & used to call him Mr. T (having no idea who the orig Mr. T was😂). So, he started volunteering to be with Tyger, but *all* the boys loved him. Man, kids are pretty dope. Kids from all backgrounds. They just wanna be heard. They wanna know...
...that their feelings are valid. And they respond to teachers/councilors/proctors who look like them. SHOCKER. I’ve also seen the stigma. ESPC for Black boys who are (in many cases) assumed to be ‘less smart’. I hate it. Maybe this boy is tires of hearing your voice Miss Anne...
...because he’s picking up on your condescending tone. And maybe, just maybe other boys are seeing that & making their decision about you. There are great schools with amazing teachers/staff. But our school system is still overwhelming lead by WW. As we look at how schools...
...faired during the pandemic & to now, I seriously hope there’s a strong push to not just oay teachers better, but to also HIRE teachers of color & also teachers with different disabilities. We know *most* of the kids in public schools are kids of color. Teachers & staff ...
...should reflect that. Kids should not still be feeling “dumb” or “stupid” in 2021. Teachers/schools should know by now that kids learn differently & it’s up to THEM to be making sure EVERY kid gets what they need. Ofcourse funding & yadda yadda. But, thinking about...
...#DefundThePolice, this is exactly what ppl mean. In the same way we have to be brave & bold enough to re-imagine what policing COULD be, we should also be doing that for schools. What *could* schools be if EVERY public school had the resources they needed?
Thinking about my own schooling, there were so many undiagnosed kids who were mocked/disciplined bcuz the school & their parents did not have the language to support their kids. Ppl going thru life thinking they were ‘less than’ instead of the narrative being re-imagined...
...into, ‘you’re being forced to fit into an ableist box that you don’t belong in’. But we’re getting there. Happy & hopeful about that.
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