Image Description: An Orange flower in the dirt.
This weekend, I am beginning to plant my flower garden. I enjoy potting colorful begonias, snap dragons, and pansies. I am also looking forward to planting sunflowers, cosmos, and other seeds. I love to plant them on my front and back porch. I will tend to each bloom with water, weeding, and ensuring they get the right amount of light. It is hard to believe when I hold a tiny seed that it will have much potential. However, with patience and tending, the seed will blossom into a flower! Much like the tiny seed, many people doubted my potential. Many thought that I could not learn, go to college, get my bachelor's degree, have the job I wanted or find someone. I was able to do all of these things, and more. A seed cannot bloom on it's own, neither could I. To grow and thrive, I need support from family, friends, and school staff. I also needed accommodations and strategies to help me grow.
Planning has been key in growing flowers, and also in having success in life. When I purchase flowers, I have a specific location, where I will place them based on their needs. Certain blossoms, such as daisies and geraniums, flourish by bathing in the sun. Other flowers such as begonias, thrive in the shade. Adjusting to their individual needs helps them to grow. The same has been with having a learning disability. I have required different types of instruction to be able to grow and thrive. I had to plan according to the disability. When I was in college, I needed to research programs that had the least amount of math and science possible. Engaging in a course of study that involved a great deal of math was setting myself up for failure, not success. I also needed to see what disability services were on campus. Not all universities offer the,m and programs vary from each school.
I also had to do with jobs and where I chose to live. If I take on a job that requires math, I will not bloom and will wilt. Planning also involved finding a house in a central location. I am not able to drive, and need to be able to take myself places when I cannot get a ride. Living out in the country would not be a workable option, transportation-wise. I am grateful when I get a ride from others, but I also love to have my independence.
Another important part of taking care of flowers is making sure that they are cared for. All living things need water, sunlight, air, and soil. I needed those things and extra nourishment. I had to have the accommodations of a note taker, extended test time, and the test read aloud to me. All of these services helped my brain to process information. I also needed explicit instructions on materials and expectations. Giving vague directions does not clarify what you would like me to do. Once I know what the expectations are, I can learn what to do. I may also take longer to learn new information and may not get it on the first try. It is not that I am not paying attention, it takes my mind needs repetition to learn.
When I plan and tend my seeds, the blooms that I plan will grow and flourish. Every flower is unique and needs to be cared for according to its needs. I have had to do the same for myself. Careful preparation and tending have helped me to blossom. I have had to find the places where I would thrive, and use the appropriate resources to make this happen. Today, I also work with students with disabilities. I love to help tend to them and help in their growth. It is my wish that they will find the seed of hope and grow to their fullest potential.
