Showing posts with label Activities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Activities. Show all posts

Friday, April 4, 2014

It Just Wasn't the Same for Beth

I'm working on Beth's scrapbook. It's one of her throughout school, a little late, I know. Eleven years late to be exact. But she'll definitely be surprised when she gets it! :) She was my first and I had no idea what pictures to take or mementos to save for a scrapbook but it's finally coming together.

As I'm doing it, I can't help but compare hers to Sharaya and Diana's books. (Those were done and given to them when they graduated.) Their books are filled with pictures from field trips and choir, basketball and yearbook staff.

Beth's is rather... boring. There were no field trips. No extra-curricular activities.

I'm realizing how much Beth actually missed out on at school. She was always in special ed classes, separated from the rest of the population (except for lunch) and I remember asking the teachers why the seniors in Beth's class never went to Senior Class assemblies. Or had their picture taken with the Senior class. Why they didn't take part in Spirit Week? I was never given a straight answer.

Now I realize the logistics of taking a group of high schoolers who have multiple special needs out to the zoo or a ball game can be overwhelming. Maybe they just didn't have the staff to do it, I get that, but why couldn't they have taken the 3 or 4 Seniors to the Senior Class photo? Or the special Senior Assemblies? Or taken the kids to their class events? I think that has all changed at the high school now but it kind of hurts when I think about the way it was for Beth and her friends.

I've always known Beth missed out on things in school but as I make her scrapbook, each page is a reminder of just how much she missed. And I'm sure it's bothering me more than it will ever bother Beth. She was very happy at school. One thing she did do was take her camera to school and I have lots of photos that she took of her friends and teachers. Lots of unfocused, uncentered pictures, but they're hers and I'm including every one!

Can I just say, keep fighting for your kids to have the same education as their peers. They will all experience it differently but I believe they should all have the experience.