Reading Aileen Hower’s blog this month has been a treat. She is writing slices through her son’s eyes. Jacob sees things differently. He has Asperger’s.
When I started reading it, I expected to see glimpses of my students in him. And I do. But I didn’t expect to I see myself in Jacob. Many of the things he thinks, are things I think. His worries are similar to mine. The more I read, the more I see him as a mirror, not a window.
I was thinking about this as I was running yesterday.
With each step, I bounced
from one idea
to the next.
It’s maddening
and exciting.
I look forward to running because of this.
The trouble is
I can’t
hold on to
my thoughts.
They are like
beautiful bubbles
that
pop in mid air.
All of a sudden it hits me.
My ADHD self has surfaced.
My unfocused and
hyperactive self.
I had never seen myself in this light. But for this brief moment, I realize it. I get a charge out of lots of ideas. I do best when I’m moving. I’m happiest in those moments.
Later that day when N bounced around the room, I connected. I felt his need for the next thing, the need to move. The inability to keep the next thought from jumping in and crowding out what was there. I saw in me what I saw in my student. I am (in some ways) this student.
Seeing our students in ourselves is fascinating, enlightening and essential. It’s more than walking in their shoes. It’s realizing your inherent similarities. On some level, they are you; you are them. The differences we see might be the ability to put on a mask of acceptability.
Thanks to Anna, Beth, Betsy, Dana, Stacey and Tara of Two Writing Teachers blog for hosting the Slice of Life March Story Challenge. Read other bloggers slices here.
To Read To Write To Be 