Saying Goodbye to Overcrowded, Bug Infested, Noisy Public School

Finally!! No, I didn’t win the lottery or a vacation to an exotic paradise, although it feels a bit like that. The reason I am so excited is that I am now an official HOME-SCHOOLER!

For years, I have wanted to home school, but circumstances just didn’t allow for it. First of all, our state requires that in order to teach a high school student, you must have a teaching degree or college education with a Masters degree. My mom doesn’t have either. Secondly, I require Braille textbooks, special computer equipment that transfers files into print for my teachers, and a special note taker with a Braille display for writing my reports and taking notes in class. Most regular computer programs cost between $20 and $80, but the programs required for the visually impaired cost between $995 and $2,000. And a Braille note taker costs over $4,000. We could never afford all of the special equipment, so no matter how bad it was in public school, I was forced to stay.

Ironically, the very school system which made it practically impossible for me to home school before was the same system which forced me to leave! Let me explain.

The public school system sets up special programs for those of us with special needs. The educators and parents meet and concoct an educational plan specifically for the individual, insuring their special needs are addressed; in my case, Braille adaptation of books, as well as one-on-one instruction and assistance in certain classes (especially math). The public school system then gets money from the government and other agencies which allows them to purchase the special equipment for the student (home-schooled students are not eligible for the government funds).

But earlier this year, I began to get ill, and I missed more school than I was able to attend. I was at the doctor every week it seemed, and he could not figure out what was causing my illness. Simply put, I couldn’t breathe and my head was stuffy, I was running a fever, sick to my stomach and having migraine headaches.

Each time I missed school my mom always got a note from the doctor and turned it in to school.

Then one day she received a letter from the truancy officer which said that she would have to attend a hearing because of my excessive absenteeism. She attended and was informed that it didn’t matter that I had doctor’s notes for absences, if I missed more than five days of school, I was truant. My mom tried to explain to the officer that I was not just out running the highway in my wheelchair, skipping school, but was actually too sick to attend and had excuse notes from the doctor. The officer contended that the law is clear and that if I was absent again, the next step would be court, where the Judge could actually put mom in jail! While this sounds like an extreme, it’s one of their ways of punishing the parent for not being “responsible” or for not controlling their child.

While home schooling is a dream come true for me, I am sure it is very stressful for my mom; trying to get my lessons, accommodate them for me, and grade my work! I’m also sure this probably feels very confining to her, since the only time mom had completely to herself was while I was in school. Even though she drove me to and from school, she had several hours in between to do what she wanted. Now her day pretty much revolves around my schooling.

I have been back to the doctor since I left the school, but not for the same reasons. And my mom found out that the school has a terrible MOLD problem, as well as mice and cockroaches. The doctor believes there were so many allergens there that my body could not fight them off, even though I was taking an allergy medicine.

While I do miss a couple of my teachers, and especially my Vision teacher, I certainly do not miss the noise! I don’t know if it is the same at your school, but I believe the teacher would have had to use a bullhorn in order to be heard over the student chatter. And with the overcrowded classrooms, there is no way for the teachers to gain control. My mother says that when she was in school, they weren’t allowed to talk in class. She said that would show disrespect for the teacher and a willful lack of control. Back then, they paddled kids for talking in class, but today talking is just the norm.

When you lose one of your senses, your others seem to be heightened. This can be a good thing, or a bad thing. My hearing is exceptional, which is a good thing. But the bad thing is it allows me to hear things that I would much rather not, such as girls talking about having sex with their boyfriends in the bathrooms before school. Or maybe it’s just that the girls are talking louder so everyone can hear. It seems that being able to brag about having sex brings a form of acceptance or popularity. And it’s always possible that some of them really haven’t had sex, they just talk it up to look good to everyone around them.

My sense of smell is also keen, which is more apparent than ever when I enter the school bathroom. Perhaps it’s the mixture of the girls and their body chemistry, colognes, mix of body fluids, and the reason we all visit the bathroom. It sure sheds a whole new light on the reason our bathrooms smell so bad!

I believe the social interaction of getting out and having to be someplace, at a set time is a good thing. And having a schedule mandated by others forces us to be responsible and begin a foundation for our lives so we become dependable adults. It also gives us the opportunity to meet new people and start new adventures. But with the continued over-crowding, the school building disrepair, the mold and insect infestation, I just can’t see things getting any better. That is why I am overjoyed to have a nice, clean, quiet place to do my studies. And lunch is much better too!!

The only downside for me right now is that we still don’t have the equipment we need, but are making due with a computer and screen reading software that a wonderful person agreed to share until I could get my own. Since mom doesn’t have a degree, I am taking correspondence courses that mom has to pay for. I think that may actually be a relief for her as she doesn’t have to grade my papers. And since I began my classes so late in the year, I will have to work through the summer to complete them. It looks like neither mom or I will get a summer vacation this year!

Meanwhile, we are working on getting some equipment. We may try to have some yard sales this summer, or maybe we’ll win the lottery!! We are also looking for some social functions that I can attend at the local blind school, so that I don’t become a complete social recluse.