Finding Balance

I thought this week would be difficult for me, with a large portion of my friends returning to school, me being done, and feeling left behind in a way. I had several concerns about leaving school, which included the loss of a social life and also a routine. 

So far the concerns have all been for nothing. I've had something to do every day this week. I know it won't always be like this, but I've also gotten used to enjoying solitude. Sometimes, there's nothing better then curling up with my kitten to watch a movie, playing video games or just reading a book in my pajamas. I'm getting to enjoy things now, that school would've gotten in the way of before. I've started going swimming at the YMCA with a friend; and it has been really exhilarating because I've never really been able to get a lot of exercise in the typical sense. I'm even considering getting a membership, to stay relatively active.

The one frustrating thing about not being in school so far, is the job search. The biggest lie that universities tell you in the first year, is that their institution will be the best outlet for you to get the top job and the top dollar. I work with disability employment agency once a week to look for the best positions for my qualifications; and the truth is no matter how prestigious or acclaimed a university may be, if the  job market sucks, good luck…  So far, I'm having fun discovering that there are more things to balance than a school schedule and readings, and I look forward to ultimately finding balance within myself

Karli

The EA Effect

I've needed a lot of help in my life, for many different reasons. I've dealt with many doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and lastly workers, but I have never really written about my early schooling experience with EAs. It takes someone really special to be an EA, because sometimes they're like a mom, teacher, and best friend all in one. For as long as I can remember, I was even more happy to receive praise from my EA, rather than a teacher, because they knew me more intricately than my Teachers did. They knew when I was having a bad day, when I was having a good day, and they cared

 

Tasks like using my walker when I was younger were never as daunting as they could've been, because I knew that if I performed well, I would be rewarded with a Five Alive at the end. They were the kind of people that would be the first to the side of the hospital bed, when they heard I was sick. When I didn't have my homework finished, they knew that it was something deeper than my own laziness. They knew the person I crushed on, before I ever told them.  I was happy in day to miss 20 minutes of class go to the bathroom, because I knew that in that bathroom I was learning more than a teacher could ever teach. The lessons were never the same; ranging from singing, dancing and even teacher impersonations. They knew things that even my parents didn't; and the first and only time I ever got significantly in trouble in grade school, was witnessed by one of my favorites… I wouldn't have it any other way.

I've heard many reasons as to why they should not be a part of the school system. For example, there is the argument that they interrupt with the way the teacher runs the classroom. This is the biggest load of crap that I've ever heard; if anything they made my time in the classroom easier, because my earliest days of school were written off by teachers as if I was the Ritalin child. The second argument I've heard is that the teacher should be able to manage their own dwelling,which includes all the existing students. While the majority of my teachers were concerned and somewhat involved in regards to my success, I do not think that I could do succeeded half as well  as I did without the assistance of EAs. Since leaving the public school system, I have had teachers revisit me in the present, and tell me how much having me in their classroom has taught them in regards to being the best they can be. I am flattered by the sentiment, however I realized that I never really properly thanked the people that have ultimately played a very significant role in my success.

So now I do thank you; for the laughter, the support, the scoldings, and being there through the tears.Thank you for being yourselves, and I hope you continue to help people the way you have me.

Karli