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School was never easy When I was in elementary school I was diagnosed with a learning disability and provided with an Individualized Education Plan designed by my teachers and parents. I was then given support through the school to help me learn. During high school I have worked very hard day in and day out. I have often felt like a draft horse constantly pulling a backhoe, or a llama that is being used to carry something very heavy back and forth, or a sled dog that was running the Iditarod Trail! School has never been easy. There was a time in my life when school was made much easier. In fifth and sixth grade I had a teacher, Mr. H, whose multi-sensory approach to learning was just right for me. He taught our class how to play the guitar and how to make bread, and he instilled in me a love of history. He had very high expectations, even of me, which helped me to realize my strengths and embrace my individuality for the first time. Mr. H gave everyone in his class a lot of homework, but he would stay after school every day to give us help if we needed it. In this way he helped us prepare for the heavier workload to come in middle school. If we didn’t need homework help we were still welcome to stay after school and play chess, play “freeze ball” outside, or just hang out. This provided me with a social environment that I liked and really needed. It has never been easy for me to make friends because I have always felt so different from other people. Mr. H.’s steadfast belief in my abilities has stayed with me throughout the years and still inspires me to do my best and challenge myself even today. Struggle with anxiety In eighth grade my family moved and I went to a new middle school. The kids seemed very insecure and were very unkind towards me. They called me cruel names like "science experiment" and in general weren't nice to me. I think that they might have been mean to me because they could not understand why I was the way I was. Coming into a new school in eighth grade is very difficult, particularly when it is a K-8 grade school. The kids have known each other for years and they have already formed all their own little cliques. Eighth grade was the beginning of my struggle with anxiety. In high school I have learned to advocate for myself. I often needed to push to be sure that my teachers had high expectations of me and didn't just give me a lot of accommodations. For example, I insisted on getting into a more difficult math class so I would qualify to get into college. Math is my biggest challenge so the school felt that maybe I should take an easier class. After some discussion at my IEP meeting, the school agreed to provide me with an online geometry class and an individual tutor. I am also taking two classes at CCV through the Linking Learning to Life program. This is helping me to understand what college will be like. Some of the people who have helped me through high school are my sister, my parents, certain teachers, and my special educator. My parents have helped me get through each day by giving me advice, helping with homework, and helping me make good choices. Exercising every day has helped me relax and manage my anxiety. My sister, Jill, has given me tons of helpful advice. She has already graduated from high school so it was helpful for me to see her go through the process before I had to. My special educator has helped me to organize my workload, sorting it out by importance, and also helps implement accommodations for me at school. He has been my "home base" at school, meaning that he is the guy that I go to when I need any kind of help or have a question. I look forward to college and getting my degree someday. Being able to make my own decisions will make me quite happy. I know I will need some advice and for that I will go to all of the people that have helped me previously like my parents, my sister, and my counselors. They will still be there for me if I need them. Shannon Kilpatrick is currently completing her senior year at CVU, her second year in Design & Illustration at BTC, and her first semester at CCV. |
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