Aly Jensen
English 101
Formal paper #1:
Education
1/29/2013
Instructor:
Sonia Begert
One reason I have my IEP, is it takes me longer to do work in class. I often have to re-read instructions multiple times to understand them. Even just with simple words, I misread them. One word can mess up the whole meaning of the sentence, which is very frustrating. I will ask a friend for help with the instructions. I will read the instructions to him or her aloud and sometimes he or she will laugh because I will replace a simple word with something else. Now and then, I will get a look as if I am stupid. Yes, it can hurt my feelings, but I also know that they have no idea what it is like to have to struggle everyday with simple things like instructions. I do not get angry with them because I know it is not their fault they don’t understand.
Another challenge I face with my IEP is occasionally I have to demand a teachers help or attention. Most teachers are very willing to help and are VERY patient with me. Nevertheless, there are those few teachers that get super frustrated when they have to explain a problem to me multiple times. For example, I am currently in a math class and I do not understand the teacher, because he does not write things down every time on the board. He will explain things verbally and very quickly. Most students in that class will understand him, but I am a visual person, especially when it comes to math. Therefore, if he instructs aloud, I have to ask him to write it down. He will then say, “Well, you can write it down.” I think to myself, not really, because you are talking so stinking fast I can’t even process what you are saying! This can be very frustrating for me and hard for teachers to be patient with me. They might even have to change their teaching style to help me understand what they are trying to convey to me. This “teacher problem” can be a pain and make school harder. I have learned that I am still the student and the teacher is supposed to teach and help me learn. If I have to demand their help or deal with their frustration, I will because I truly want to learn, I love to learn.
When I tell people I have an IEP,
I normally get two very different responses. If I tell someone, I have just met
or have not known for very long, they might look at me as if I am odd, as if, I
have three eyes. I find this somewhat funny because it is not like I have a
disease or anything. It is not contagious. On the other hand, some will
automatically start talking slower or start dumbing things down for me.
Sometimes I will tell them, “you know, I just have a hard time learning, I’m
NOT dumb.” Most of the time I do not tell someone I have an IEP unless I have
known them for a while and trust them.
Often, I get the opposite
reaction. People I have known for a long time are super surprised. They will
say, “I would have never guessed unless you told me,” or “really you don’t seem
like you have a learning disability.” I obviously like those responses better.
I just let them know that I really have to work hard for my grades like the
majority of other students. However, some things that might come a little
easier for some people are so much harder for me.
Life with an IEP, has taught me so
much. I have learned determination. During my sophomore year, it just clicked
and that is when I knew I wanted to get good grades no matter what I had to
overcome. In addition, I was honestly driven to prove people wrong. I want to
prove that no matter what hard experiences I have in my life, or what
challenges I might go through, I can overcome them, with hard work and willpower.
I have accomplished much in my
life thus far, and I hope to continue to succeed. Last year, my junior year, I
maintained a 4.0 during the course of the whole year. I sometimes had to go to
after school tutoring, and had to retake tests. I asked my teachers almost
daily if I was on top of my homework. During my junior year, I was also holding
down a job. Often times I had to debate whether or not I wanted to go home and
see my family or go to tutoring before my shift started at work.
Throughout high school, I have
received quite a few awards for my determination in class. I got two last year
for maintaining a 4.0. Currently I am rated in the top 10% of my senior class because
of academics and grades. When a student has an IEP, every four years or so that
student will meet with his or her school counselor and parents to discuss his
or her academic progress. When I had my meeting with the vice principal, the
teachers said they were very impressed with my grades and hard work. They were proud
of me for doing my best, even though I need an IEP. My teachers have often told
me that they are also impressed with how I use my time and how I work effectively.
I do not tell people these things
to brag, I honestly tell people these things to show that if a person really
puts his or her mind to something it can be accomplished. Yes, I am proud of
myself. I think it is a great thing to be proud of yourself if you know that
you have set your mind on a goal and have accomplished it.
Even though I have a learning
disability, and face these challenges daily, it has taught me so much. I have
learned to be determined, I can accomplish what I put my mind to, and once I accomplish
those things I get to be proud of myself for it. I know that while I live out
the rest of my life, it will be challenging and it will be a struggle every
day, but no matter what happens I can never give up. I have to keep working toward
my goals because they are not going to just fall in my lap. To prove to myself and others that I can do
it. That I really can accomplish anything I put my mind to. All these things
are the reason why my Individual Education Plan has been so significant in my
life. It has taught me so much and it is so worth it. It has been worth going
through the struggles and the fights daily!
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