This is a story I wrote for a contest with the theme "anything is possible" when I was in 9th Grade. (i won at the school level too! yay!)

Once upon a time there was a little girl in second grade who had trouble fitting in. She did not have any visible problems. She was very healthy and had as many friends (and enemies) as an eight year old should have. There was nothing dorky about her appearance. In fact, she had no idea that she wasn't like the rest of her classmates. She did not understand why she was so clumbsy, or why she couldn't seem to spell the easiest words on her spelling tests, or solve the simplest math problems. Not worried in the slightest, she was only frustrated with her inability to comprehend math and spelling, and to keep up with her classmates on the playground. Her teacher, however, sensed that her struggle in these areas were not caused by mere laziness or some other childish problem she would, in time, outgrow. This kind teacher asked the girl's parents to allow the child to be tested for some kind of learning problem. They agreed, and a problem was found.
The girl had a minor case of Attention Deficit Disorder, more commanly known as A.D.D. This problem caused her to spell the word "any" as "e-n-e-y" and hindered her from remembering her multiplication tables. Luckily, her case was not serious, she was still college bound. She could still be considered smart, but she did have to take Ritalin, a small pill that would supposidly help her concentrate better in math and spelling.
The girl's parents tryied to tell her about A.D.D., but being only eight, the girl couldn't grasp what it ment. All she could understand was that she was to take a small white pill in the morning and right before lunch every day, and that it would help her understand the confusing subjects of math and spelling. Her friends and peers couldn't care less either. This was elementary school, and you could show up there with purple wings and polka dots, and the students wouldn't care for more than five minutes unless the teacher drew attention to it. There were no questions asked and no answers given by the class or the girlconcerning why she left her classes lunch line to go to the clinic and dutifully swallow that little white pill daily.
As children grow older, they begin to notice more about their friends. The world no longer revolves around themselves, and they begin to be suspicious of differences. The sheild of naivete that had surrounded the little girl and her own differences for so long began to crumble, and the questions started with her best friend.
"How come you go to the office everyday before lunch?" was the question. The little girl would answer seriously, "I have to go to the clinic." That answer was never good enough. "Why?" was the next suspicious question, and the girl would finally have to say it. "I have to. I gotta take a pill. It helps me concentrate," was her irritated reply. Enough was said. Fourth graders, although old enough to comperhend certain differences, were still unable to understand what the pill was for and why she took it.
Unfortunatly, the girl had to answer other questions that seemed to have nothing to do with A.D.D. Her mother, in particular, grew increasingly concerned with her daughter's coordination problems. The girl would walk into walls, trip over thin air, and have difficulties in all sports. Somehow this had been overlooked in second grade, and now it semmed to be getting worse. Her parents, who had thought this problem would be remedied when she took the pill, had her tested again.
The cause for the girl's lack of grace turned out to be a mild form of cerebral palsy. In its own way, this problem was as minor as the A.D.D. Only this time, there was no little pill to help. Cerebral Palsy, (C.P.) is a muscle disorder thta, in its most serious occurance, could land a person in a wheelchair.
In the higher grades of elementary school, team sports becomes a more diminate part of the day. As this happebned, the girl's C.P. reared its ugly headto the rest of the class as if to say, "Look! This girl has problems. Laugh at her, taunt her, hate her." Confused and annoyed firends refused to take "I'm clumbsy. So what?" for an answer anymore. The girl, having become intelligent enough not to bnlurt out the truth, continued to give these roundabout answers.
If math, spelling, and pysical education were the only subjects taught in the school systems, this girl would have been a lost cuase, shunned by her firneds. But, the girl could read as well as she couldn't do long division. While she couldn't spell "amateur", she could remember historical dates and events. She shone in science, even though she couldn't kick a ball straight in gym. A.D.D> and C.P. couldn't hinder her in English, music, hisotry and science. This was why the girl was free from taunting on a regular basis, becuase, in all other areas she was indeed smart.
Elementary school passed by, and for the most part, it came and went smoothly.The girl had the usual amount of childhood squabbles and hardships. She overcame those difficulties and eagerly, though apprehensivly, anticipated the next phase of her life. It olooked like middle school, with its older wiser and hopefully more compassionate students would be a happy ending for this little girl.
It was not. The girl found that she had to become more and more secretive with her A.D.D. and C.P.. Unfortunatly, it had become harder and harder to do. P.E. became more and more involved. New, odd consepts were being introduced in math. Complex and challenging words crept into her spelling books.
It was then that the thrid and final problem arose. The girl was "blanking out" during math tests. She would understand the fractions, decimals, and graphs when she studied at home. She knew how to get the mean, medium, mode and range...and then, during a test, she would forget. When she began to bring home "F" after "F" on tests in math, she confessed her problems to her parents. The worriedly called to have her tested-for the third time.
This round of testing was the worst yet. It did not go as smoothly as the first two had. When the nasally voice on the intercom called her to come down to the office during irregular intervals during the day, suspicious and curiousity arose. This time it would take awhile to satify the classmates curiousity. When she came back to class, only to be recalled to the office ten minutes later, and then to reappear during band at the end of the day, her lame excuses did not work. Her best firend was convinced that it had something to do with her "hyper-pills", the Ritalin. Other acquaintances thought up other absurd ideas.
When the testing results came back, it was the first time the girl was ever shocked and dismayed with the results. Now, they knew, that along with the A.D.D. and C.P., she had yet another problem. She had a specific learning disability. She was L.D..
While barly anyone her age knew what A.D.D. and C.P. were, L.D. was the most known and despised problem ever. When you wanted to insult someone about their intelligence, you called them L.D.. Anyone with L.D. in middle is immedaitly assumed to be retarded. The girl knew this fatc well and wisly decided that this label was going to be the biggest secret of all.
This was going to be a great challenge, especially after all of her teachers were informed. Upon entering the seventh grade, the girl was mistakenly placed in a contained L.D. math class. The little girl was mortified. She was to take a math class in which her fellow students also would have severe emotional difficulties and extreme academic challenges? She was to be seem leaving a classroom with those "retarded freaks" as they were known as? No, this would do more harm to both her confidence and her academic skills than it would ever help her! Because, you see, in middle school, children are many times grouped by teams. If she was put in that self contained math group, she would be in their classes for all other subjects, including English and science.
This would never do. Her schedual was quickly changed by her parents and the girl was changed into a math class with a resurce teacher present. This change salvaged her schedual and allowed her to participate inother classes with children of her own intelligence. The girl, determined to prove a point, did not seek out the resource teacher's help for the entire year. For you see the girl felt her teachers treated her as if she had a two-year-old's mind in a twelve-year-old's body. They talked to her in a babyish manner, simply and slowly. This enraged the little girl. She decided to work furiously to get straight "A's". Although she did succeed in makeing the honor roll, for her classes were still quite simple, she continuously made a "B" in math.
It was much the same in eight grade, teachers who pitied her becuase of those two little words on her student record, "learning disabled". There was much concern about the girl taking Latin. The IEP team considered it much too difficult for her. Abnother major dissapointment of her eight grade year were her English and science classes. Many of the students in these classes were disinterested students, who were determined to learn as little as possible. Tracking again appeared to have placed the girl in classes that held her back, rather than providing a challenge in areas where she usually excelled. However, things seemed to begin to look up. In the end the girl took Latin One and finished the year with a solid "B" in the class. The girl enjoyed smug satisfaction with that accomplishment. In fact, this not-so-little-anymore girl thrived in Latin, history, and in band that year. Perhaps the greatest acheivement was the fact that she received the Principal's award in the eight grade assembly. The trophy still sits, though slightly coated in dust, in her room today. Finally the terrible struggle of middle school was over.
This stories ending is yet to be decided becuase this not-so-little-anymore girl with the learning disability is the author of this tale you are reading. Every struggle, every harsdship in these pages is true.
As young children, we are told that we are all special and unique. As we mature and become "speical" in other ways, those around us react badly. We need not be pitied, laughed at, or looked down upon. Our unique way of reacting to the world should be welcomed and accepted. Many of the celebrated artests and actors in life have overcome being different. They were able to use their uniqueness to become succesful individuals. Perhaps in ten or twenty years my uniqueness will be the reason behind my sucess in whatever career I chose, for anything is possible.

Click Me to Go Home!