Thirty Days of Autism

The break was laid out before me, pristine and full of possibilities, but time slipped so quickly through the  days.  A slowed pace, and time to connect, but I still did not get through my list of things to do…

I will never get my mind around the stretchiness of time…

Image Description: B&W photo of 7-year-old H wearing swimming shorts, high on a swing. There is a lake and mountains in the background. Text (a poem) Olden Days of Summer (as listed in post)

Olden days of summer

Olden Days of Summer
Signified in layers of memory
New shoes
Fitted to sticky-slug-feet
Calloused with such pride
Concealed and softened
By required dressings of a new regime
Blackberry fingers
Tree climbing scratches
Endless play-‘til-dark adventures
Reined in by bed-time
Traded in for crisp-spined notebooks
And a new teacher
I still feel the pang
Of that loss of freedom
And I can’t quite get my mind
Around
The stretchiness of time
L. Kelley

As I begin the new school year, and renew my work to support students and families and educators, I need to be mindful that there are often very mixed feelings at the start of something new…

…and that change can feel like loss.

I am excited by new beginnings, and too… I still feel a bit of trepidation.

Holding close this understanding, that this mix is similar for many of my students (and others) will help me extend understanding and empathy, and be more effective in supporting growth and development.

We are more alike than different…

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30 Days of Autism is a project designed to fight stigma, promote civil rights, and increase understanding and acceptance for those who process and experience the world differently.