“Single-Handed Cooking” by JJ Goode speaks about his disability and how although he acknowledges it as an obstacle it isn 't one they aren 't continuously ready to overcome. He uses the example of cooking. It 's a task that for most does not require the intense focus that he needs ,yet it doesn 't stop him from cooking dishes ranging in difficulty. With each dish he successfully creates its a way to prove himself, while the mistakes no matter the cause are a failure. Which is why he continues to tackle demanding recipes because each time he achieves a great end result its another accomplishment.
I was in a chess tournament about two years ago against many people in my school because I joined a chess club. Unfortunately, I didn 't get far in my last one and was hoping to be better this time. I was doing well until I saw a seventh grader paired with me in the semifinals. I was very nervous because last time I went against a seventh grader I lost and was knocked out from the tournament. But this time I was a lot better at chess than before so I had not a lot of doubts even though a lot of people thought that the grade seven was going to win.
People with disabilities usually find it more difficult to accomplish things than others. In the book Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes illustrates this. The main character Charlie is mentally retarded. His family gave him up and put him in the Warren home for people who are mentally ill. His uncle took him out of Warren, gave him a job at his bakery, and looked out for him.
While I do not have a disability, my brother does, and I will never understand what he has gone through. I will never have others underestimate or infantilize me, because they think that having a disability hinders people from being successful. Nevertheless, I am in a unique situation that allows me to see how the world cannot completely comprehend what it is like for those with disabilities. I straddle between never fully understanding and seeing more than what most non-disabled individuals can
Lots of people say that middle school is hard, has lots of responsibilities and you have to be on time for everything. Then I thought there weren 't serious till I actually went to middle school myself. Soon after elementary I went to a middle school that I went to was called Lincoln middle school, it wasn’t a big school, but it was a decent school. When I first went into that building I was excited to make new friends and meet my teacher, but then this lady that was the 6th grade dean(consular) gave me this piece of paper that had many classes on it and I ask her “why there are so many classes?”
When aids came into my classroom in elementary school to take the students with disabilities out directly after homeroom, I asked why they would these students with disabilities had to leave the classroom to learn while I did not. I knew I was different than them, but I was didn’t know the Scientifics behind it. Every encounter I had with a disabled individual was never a negative one. At times they were confusing, but never negative.
I’ve always wondered why people with a little or a lot of power tend to treat you unjustly. I’ve experienced many times when people with power treated me poorly. There were times in school with teachers, in school with principles and even out in public places. When I experienced these moments they made me feel like there were something wrong with me or I was different. Also, it made me feel like I was different from others… but not in a good way.
Laconia Middle School was the local school for those that lived in Laconia. Knowing most of my classmates and having many friends I felt as though I was at a very good place in life. Attending school everyday was fun for me. I got to be in classes with my best friends, had some of my favorite teachers, worked out a wonderful schedule and played the sports I loved, but if anything middle school was especially important to me was when I began to pick up a fascination for history and also began to realize how the Bosnian War had affected me as a person. Seventh grade was the year I was asked to write an essay about my biggest fear.
The Mora High School cafeteria is a very familiar place to me, with it’s columns in the middle of the room, the off-white paint, and white and blue tiled floor. The cafeteria is usually a place full of a lot of kids and incredible amounts of noise. It’s nearly empty except for the four tables placed in the formation of a square near the little nook where the lunch ladies serve us food, or at least what tries to pass as food. The seats around each table are occupied by the cast of Annie celebrating the completion of their second show. The cast of Annie doesn’t even come close to filling the cafeteria, but the noise level could nearly be the same as when it’s fully filled during lunch.
Helen Keller, for instance, overcame the adversity of being blind, deaf, and mute to become one of the twentieth century’s leading humanitarians, as well as co-founder of the ACLU. Two years after she was born, she lost her ability to see and converse with others. Her teacher helped her make tremendous progress with her ability to communicate and in 1904, Keller graduated college. Instead of allowing these disabilities to hold her back from achieving greatness in her life, she was able to push through the challenges and come out on top. Another excellent example is my cousin Kaylee.
In Grade Five, I was like the new student, just like every year, a short girl, Asian, with tan skin, long hair black as coal, and can 't seem to find her place and purpose. I looked so different, anyone can easily spot me if they look in a crowded classroom. I 'm from the tropics, where the sun’s rays always hit the top of the people 's head. The sun, that tans their flesh and made their skin dark in different shades, the crystal, clear, ocean, the white sands in their backyard, bamboos, mango trees, and waterfalls, called the Philippines. I never considered US as a home, I had many American friends, who I called my “ besties,” but eventually, they will stop being my friends and act like strangers the next year, and I was used to that.
Imagine receiving a task of writing simple alphabets with your toes, and being expected to complete it without any help rendered. Does it not seem like an impossible feat? This is exactly how it feels like for people who suffer from mental disabilities to write out letters A to Z using their hands. Just thinking about it, I can already imagine the frustration. Looking at the bigger picture, imagine the anxiety and anger that they face everyday, having to wake up daily to try and complete a series of tasks that society expects of you, although it is much harder for you to.
My struggles started in elementary school, so much so that my parents took me to have some testing done to try to find some answers. In between fifth and sixth grade I had a neuropsychological evaluation done and the results were not optimistic. The doctor informed me and my parents that I read well below my peers and that I would always struggle to keep up with them especially in high school. My parents took a wait and see approach. I went into sixth grade with an “I 'll show this doctor” attitude!
Have you ever worked so hard at something, gave it all you had, and then see everything you’ve done pay off in the end? It was the summer of 7th grade, I was only a few days away from beginning my eighth grade quest. This year, we were getting a different math teacher, Ms. Helkowski. I had always thought of myself as proficient in math, achieving high scores.
In the duration of my middle school years, I maintained excellent grades, except I had just one issue that held me back from a satisfying life. That issue was the fact that friends came very hard to me in my middle school years. Before my struggles at my middle school, Trafton, I had a very productive social life in the Elementary school I attended, Roberts Elementary. Here, it was very easy to make friends and have a great social life, since no hard work was required as a kid. Middle school, however, was a great challenge for me.
