Writing’s On The Wall For This School

(I am in fourth grade. I am retelling this from my parents’ accounts.)

Teacher #1: “We’ve noticed that [My Name] hasn’t been doing well in our writing camp.”

Teacher #2: “It’s our prep camp for the state writing test.”

Mom: “So, what’s her issue?”

Teacher #1: “[My Name] hasn’t been finishing her assignments on time, and she often misbehaves when we give directions.”

Principal: “She has been to my office an alarming number of times.”

Mom: “Well, how much do they have to write?”

Teacher #2: “Not much, just a paragraph a day. We give them about thirty minutes each day, and by the end of the week, they have a full composition.”

Dad: “I see. [My Name] is a rather slow writer. Is there a possibility that she could receive extra time?”

(Upon hearing this, the staff present laughed in my parents’ faces! Luckily, I was eventually able to leave that school, go to a better one where students receive more teacher focus, and receive some psychological help. It turned out that I have high-functioning autism, which contributes, in this case, to slow penmanship and sensitivity to time pressure. My new school was able to accommodate me as needed, and now I’ll be entering high school with great test scores –including an almost perfect score in math!)

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