Kevin shared that people who didn’t understand him and his disabilities would try to belittle or make fun of his circumstances out of fear of him being different. But Kevin shared with the students that he respected himself and knew that he had a lot of valuable qualities to offer the world around him. This is the concept that Arlen clung to for his own life. Latter, we were discussing a novel we were reading in class which dealt with themes of racism and discrimination. The students were able to connect the idea of what Kevin was sharing about how people treat others as inferior because they fear something different to be the root of racism. It was in the context of this conversation that Arlen shared his breakthrough with the class.

He said, “I understand how Kevin feels when he said he was made fun of by people because he was different. I am different, and so is Andrew and people treat us differently. People make fun of me, and it hurts. It hurts when people make fun of you and laugh at you.” He said this as tears rolled down his face. It was a very bold and brave feeling for Arlen to vocalize in front of his peers; some of the very people who made him feel this way and it was a very sobering moment for the class. I broke this silence by complimenting Arlen for sharing with us so openly. I told him as well as the class it was very brave of him to tell us what he was feeling and I really respect and appreciate that he shared. I asked my class, “What did you think of Kevin?” The kids answered “He’s awesome!” “He’s cool! He does awesome stuff.”

Then, I asked the class, to raise their hands if they were intimidated or unsure of how to treat Kevin when he first walked into the classroom. Almost every hand went up. I said, “To begin with, you guys didn’t know how to act or what to say, you were intimidated by Kevin because you didn’t know anything about him except that he didn’t walk or move like you, but then he shared his life with you his experiences and accomplishments, you found that he was a cool guy. He did cool things. This is where we put what Kevin said into practice. Arlen feels hurt, he has been treated like he is different, but he is such a bright, intelligent person with so much to offer the world around him. Everyday, he contributes great thoughts to our class discussions.

Our class would not have near as interesting conversation without what Arlen contributes, but he feels hurt, he isn’t treated with the respect that he deserves, that everyone deserves. What are we going to do? We are a community; everyone has the ability to affect those around us in a positive or negative way. Someone has just shared that he is hurting; we all have a responsibility to encourage the people around us. What are you going to do? Just like in the battle of racism, we all have the ability to help stop it, but we have to do our part in not making someone feel insignificant because they are different. The next day, I asked Arlen how things were at school. He said, “Things are wonderful. I have had so many people come up to me and say ‘I’m sorry. I feel terrible for making fun of you. I guess I never really thought of how it would make you feel. You are important.’” It was the kind of moment you cherish in teaching. They got it; they did what needed to be done.

Jeanette Manwell