My Son’s Disability Brought Out the Worst in Me
The worst was always there
People think I’m a good person but I’m not. There’s good and also a lot of bad in me. This story is about my worst self.
Selfish
When my son Diego was school age, he always qualified for what’s known as extended school year (ESY) -essentially, summer services for students with special education programs who regress measurably over school breaks or whose disabilities are profound. Diego, who’s autistic and intellectually disabled, met both criteria.
One time, I was in a school hallway at pickup waiting for Diego to be brought from wherever he was, and I began to make small talk with a staff who was watching a couple of kids.
Hi Evan,” I said to one of them.
“Evan goes to basketball with Diego,” I commented to the staff, a pretty young woman who looked to be in her late teens, 21 at the oldest.
“I can’t stand him,” she said by way of response.
Say what?
As a special education teacher myself, I’ll admit I’ve felt, rarely and for all of two seconds, like I can’t stand this or that kid. A few students have pushed my buttons, hard. So I understand that an educator could momentarily feel that way about a student. I even…
