I’m Not a Robin Anymore: The Importance of Good Teachers

This week’s post comes from my own personal experience. – Toni

As a child I was happy, confident and thought I was fairly intelligent. Nothing really bothered me and I thought everybody was as nice as the people around me. On my first day of kindergarten, my mother dropped me off at school, and I rode the bus home. I sat at a table with five other students. We learned important things any kindergartener should know. After just a few days into my educational career, my five-year-old mind realized I had been sheltered from the harshness of this world.

The next two years proved to be quite difficult for me. My teachers did not seem to understand my outgoing nature and I was often scolded for anything imaginable: talking, being happy, being a kid. I was also led to believe that I was not very smart. I used to sit in my reading group in both kindergarten and first grade being absolutely bored. Yet I was never allowed to be in the Bluebird group, the smart reading group. I had to be a Robin, but at least I was not in the Sparrows. By the end of first grade, the stress of the social difficulties and the feeling of intellectual defeat caused me to miss a lot of school and to even lose a lot of hair.

Through the summer I started feeling better and even started getting my hair back. When I registered for second grade I was told my teacher was new to the school. I was very excited about getting the new teacher, Mrs. Rita Peat, and on my first day I could tell we were going to get along. When it was time to divide up for reading groups, she told me I had been assigned to the middle reading group. I took a shot and told her that I had always been bored with the middle group. She immediately switched me. I was stunned. A teacher listened to me.

Mrs. Peat did not stop there. Since I had never been challenged, I was not trying in other subjects. One day she noticed I still used my fingers to do my math facts. She contacted my parents, told them she thought I could do better and sent me home with a stack of practice tests. Because she had confidence in me for reading I did not want to disappoint her with math. I worked very hard and before long there were only two students doing better than me.

At the end of the first semester, my parents had the chance to take a short trip to New York for my father’s work. They called Mrs. Peat to see if I could miss school and go with them. She said that I was such a good student, I could afford to miss school for this experience. I had the time of my life during that trip and constantly kept thinking about how I could go because I was smart.

Mrs. Peat changed my life. After that year I worked hard in school and knew I was a smart kid. I believe if she had not encouraged me, I would have just been an average student. I would have lacked the confidence to try new things. I would have settled for mediocrity.

I have thought of Mrs. Peat many times since the second grade and her confidence in me. It has inspired me to take on new challenges and not be influenced by the opinions of others. Any new endeavor I have tried, including this blog, have been inspired because of Mrs. Peat’s gift to me all those years ago.

Toni Deckers
Artist/Designer
Creator of the Amazing Love Necklace

A Cap on Crazy: Asperger’s Syndrome and The Sensory Center

All my life, I have been painfully shy and allowed it to stop me from doing a lot of things I wanted to do. I allowed myself to feel like a victim. When I had my son at age 26, I had such big plans for him. I wanted to be certain he never felt he did not belong and know he could accomplish anything.

At age 5, Zachary was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, one of many autism spectrum disorders. I was worried this diagnosis had destined him to the same fears and inadequacies I experienced as a child. I felt like I had some how failed him.

Having a child with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) is difficult, because they have no social skills. Most of us take for granted simple facial expressions, but these children have to be taught happy, sad, grateful, etc. Many times they are also bullied in school because they are different. As a parent of an AS child, it is important to be constantly aware of these situations and treat them as a potential learning experience. These things come naturally to most of us. However, it is easy to feel exhausted by the end of the day.

One day, when Zachary was 11, I was asking him about his day. He said, “Mom, it’s just Asperger’s. I’m fine. I have no big stories to tell you about my day. It was just another day. So I am a little weird. You have always said this family had the cap on that.” I laughed so hard it brought tears to my eyes.

That very moment changed my life. My son’s comments motivated me to pursue a business working with disabled children. Through my son’s disability I have found my life’s passion. I started working with The Sensory Center, a non-invasive therapy for Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, ADD, ADHD, Migraine, PDD, and brain trauma.

When the opportunity to buy The Sensory Center presented itself, I jumped at the chance. We treat children and adults with a 95% success rate. I see a lot of families at the center and many come for their first visit and just cry. I find that it is usually fear-based. They have to work through their fear just as I had to work through mine.

I was forced to face my own fears when I sought help for my son. I could not teach my son if I stayed in the place where I was afraid to try. Every day I think about how Zachary could use his disability as an excuse and every day I see him overcome obstacles in his way. God gave me Zachary to add beauty in my life and help me overcome my fears and be my best.

Leslie Greenwald
The Sensory Center
8509 Westfield Blvd
Indianapolis, IN 46240
317-202-0860

www.indysensorycenter.com

Hearts, Hopes, New Heights

I was volunteering at a transitional home for women. The lady I was working with was getting out of prison in a few weeks. Even though we had talked many times, I still felt we had not connected. It was as if there was a wall between us. I asked what her plan was upon re-entering society. She did not have one. She had no goals, no vision, and no inspiration.

To help her gain some clarity and sense of direction, I asked what she enjoyed doing while growing up. She couldn’t answer. I asked what she would do if she had unlimited financial resources and the freedom to do whatever she desired. We sat in silence. Finally she came up with an idea. And then another.

I asked her to put her thoughts into a story. She started slowly, but eventually the words flowed. It was obvious they were from her soul, and not her head. She was telling her story with so much detail, I could actually visualize it myself.

At first she tried to fight the tears, but realized it was useless. She cried, laughed, and simply connected with her soul. She said over and over it was the best feeling she had experienced and had never connected with herself in such a way. She said she actually had feelings of hope.

Her changed attitude was truly an inspiration and a gift for my soul.

(We often forget to really listen to the hopes and dreams of others, and even ourselves. Sometimes just listening to the heart of someone else can inspire them to achieve new heights. And it’s amazing what it can do in our own lives as well. — Toni)

Lisa Ralph
Chief Inspiration Officer, Empowerment Coach, Cheerleader for Change
Crimson Phoenix Coaching
http://www.rewriteyourstory.com

More Than Just Fresh Air

A few years ago, I was on a service trip to Kentucky with my youth group. We were working on a trailer-home where a single mother lived with her children. My father was one of the supervisors for the trip. He was teasing me saying that because I was a girl, I couldn’t do real work.

After I assisted my father and one other student in remodeling the bathroom, I decided to begin a job of my own. However, I was completely unaware of the impact I would have on this woman.

She only had a solid storm door for the front door of her trailer. This created two problems. She could not let in fresh air or watch her children play outside without letting bugs into her home. As it was summer, the trailer was quite stifling without the front door open. Not even giving it a second thought, I removed the old door and replaced it by hanging a new screen door and a storm door with windows.

As soon as I was finished, I walked away only to turn around and see the woman smiling from ear to ear as she opened and closed the door repeatedly. She would open the door and shut it without saying a word just doing it over and over. She turned around and said to me that she could actually keep her door closed but still watch her children play which meant more to her than a million dollars.

I was so proud of myself because the smile on that woman’s face made all the work and all the comments seem miniscule and I just enjoyed making her happy. I have carried that moment with me for many years. Every time I think about it, the pride of my accomplishment inspires me to take on new challenges.

– Kelly T, Indianapolis

About Amazing Love Stories

We all have stories of someone whose love became a changing point in our lives. Someone whose words or acts helped us to become the person we are today. This is a chance for women all over the world to share their stories for others to be inspired and moved, and to understand that God loves each one of us. We’re all children of God, and more special than even we realize.

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