For all you SPEDSTERS out there!

I wrote this poem while I was student teaching earlier this year. It explains a lot about why I chose Special Education and more importantly "inclusion". Hope you enjoy!

Time to write a poem
By Miesha Griffin 01/26/07

Okay.
School reminds me of a special time in my life.
I’m only observing but that’s basically what students do.
They are “observers”.
Anyway, during the “observations”…
when I was in school…
I did some of my best art.
Wrote some of my best poetry…
my best short stories.
Had some of my best daydreams.
Why is it that I am most creative when the background sound
playing is “Blah blah blah…”?

Well then, here I am.
Science.
I enjoy science.
I enjoy science but I “know” this.
I think I am ADD.
Definitely not ADHD, all that “moving around” makes me sleepier.
I can write, think, spell, doodle – all while listening to the
teacher.
I know it’s rude.
I know she doesn’t really understand that I “understand”.
“Go on!” I think to myself.
“Finish your soliloquy- I mean your sentence.”
“I’m wit’ cha!”

A.D.D.
Attention Deficit Disorder
Attention Dimension Dementia
It’s not a disorder if you can “control” the two universes.
The parallel planes of thought.
I flow between.
More like swim, coming up to catch a breath when the voice is
pointed in my direction.
If I concentrate “too” much on one plane of thought I become
exposed.
Too much to the teacher I zone out.
My eyes cross.
Froth forms at the corner of my mouth.
The daydream begins.
Too much “attention” to the aesthetic I fail.
Get caught.
Get lost.
Lose my sanity. (Teacher takes my paper for conference fodder.)

So what!
What happened? Outcome?
7 different schools before 12th grade.
5 Colleges.
8 majors later I found my “niche”.
Teacher.
Navigator.
Navigation expert for students like me.
Drowning and lost in the depths of “No child left behind”.
Floundering between dimensions, planes and universes.
Doodlers.
Daydreamers.
Do nothings.
Daredevils.
ADHD is really not my disability, but I’ll figure it out during
“Reading”.
In research I’m “gifted”. I believe we ALL are in our own way.

Welcome! - Stupid name huh?

Let me start by explaining the name of my blog. My name is "Miesha". People have ALWAYS mispronounced it. It is a lot more common now than it was in the 70's. It is pronounced "My-E-sha". Even though it looks like "Me-sha" or "Me-E-sha" - oh well you get the point. One teacher decided to help the class remember my name by saying "YOUR-esha, MY-esha, HIS-esha, HER-esha..." and so on. The guys thought this was really cute. Well, today I thought it would be funny to introduce myself this way. I have never gotten "snippy" when people mispronounced my name. Actually I joke "I will answer to anything with an -esha on the end" and I'm serious, people who know me usually correct strangers we meet. Well now I am a teacher and I thought it was funny the way that rhymed. LOL!