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ADTo the little girl who at 8 years old didn’t want to live anymore after constant bullying from teachers at her school. The girl whose grade 4 teacher told her she’d end up in jail. The girl who nearly dropped out of high school for thinking she was “too stupid” to graduate. Who was suspended over and over again from elementary & high school for acting out. Who applied to ten universities because she thought she wouldn’t get accepted anywhere. Who was bullied by her classmates and peers for being “annoying,” “weird,” and “stupid.”
To the girl who, up until the age of 17, had truly given up on any hope of a future - we did it. In spite of literally every barrier, somehow, someway, we did it.
In the middle of all this excitement, my mind keeps circling back to one person: my grade 10 history teacher, Mr. Witmer - the first teacher to tell me that me I was capable of great things.
I remember having received a 50% on a test in his class at the beginning of the semester. After handing the tests back, Mr. Witmer asked me to step into the hallway. I walked into the hallway, prepared to get in trouble for something I’m sure I did. Instead, he held up the test, looked me in the eyes and firmly said, “I know you’re capable of more. You can do better than this.”
I will remember those words forever.
Mr. Witmer was the first teacher who looked past the disruptive behaviour and lack of effort and saw what was actually there. A kid who was told for so long that she was a failure that she eventually believed it. A kid who was overwhelmed. A kid with serious learning & developmental disabilities who was unsupported.
Sometimes the difference between a disabled kid who gives up and a disabled kid who gets into Harvard is an educator who sees them and refuses to let them give up.
I was accepted to Harvard - not because I overcame my disabilities. Not because I suddenly became easier to teach. But because someone finally gave me the tools, the belief, and the accommodations to succeed.
@advocacywithabbey
