Category: Uncategorized
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From fun to fear
It’s been awhile. Longer than I’d like but as we await the birth of our twins, my time has been all over the place. As matter of fact, if I were to be hanging from the last fiber of a rope to survive, I’d wouldn’t be that far off. This is the story. I’m teaching…
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Dear 2nd grade,
Dear 2nd grade, We are only 4 days into the school year. However, you have been on my mind for many years. I looked up to you as Sawyer began preschool, traveled the halls of kindergarten, and progressed in 1st grade. Ironically, it was you that scared me all along. I knew there would be…
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You think you know me?
In 2011, Sawyer was born. I felt like I just wanted to rush him out of the hospital and get on with our family. I wanted no part of what I had already experienced with our two oldest children who were born in 2006 and 2008. That was my mindset. I was numb to the…
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Why am I autistic?
Why am I autistic? It’s a loaded question. It is not one I thought I would hear from Sawyer yet. Actually, I still haven’t heard it directly. It was directed to my wife, Kellie. She did respond. In her soft, direct, and in a nurturing way, she was able to share that he was born…
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Front of the line
Years ago we went to Disney. We watched Sawyer cry, scream, and shake at various points of our vacation. The magic of Disney may have been captured in pictures but there was nothing magical about our trip. It was a week long slugfest as the boy who loved Mickey couldn’t find joy in his park.…
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Do the numbers lie?
10 months. That’s a long time. A long time to be with 20 students. A long time to invest in each and everyone of them and their families. It’s a bond that will be with me forever. That’s a school year. That is teaching. That is my life for 10 months. When the final day…
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Holding on
The summer has arrived. The weather is warm. The pollen is a sea of yellow on my dash as my Jeep roof is open. The school year is at its conclusion. Our first grader is about to embark on another break, which historically has been a tidal wave of challenges. Sawyer needs routine. It’s not…
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What if
I don’t know what happened but I woke up one day as an adult. I had three children and twins on the way. I haven’t seen my brother in 8 years. My parents live in different states. I have no living grandparents. Years ago, a guy at my gym used to respond when I asked…
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Homework Hero
After dinner, as the table cleared, as the homework came out, as the pencil took to the page, I almost raced to my phone to take a picture. I didn’t. I sat. I watched. I just let my eyes track Sawyer’s every move. I observed his recognition of numbers. I watched him add incorrectly. I…
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The 10th hole
My grandfather was an avid golfer. Though he has been gone for nearly 20 years, I find pieces of his legacy in the most unexpected places. Sawyer’s middle name is Irvin after my grandfather. He was my hero. He was my everything. Life just loved him as much as he loved life. Like Sawyer, Irv…
autismdadinthe603 