We remember mission STS-51-L, the last flight of Space Shuttle Challenger…

Where were you? Please share your memory…

I was 7-years-old, and likely in school that day. I remember the talk about the “Teacher in Space” and all the buzz that many of the nations schools had about this wonderful program. But at such a young age for the life of me I can’t recall if we actually watched the launch in school that day or not; or if we simply received word that something was wrong.

Share your thoughts, what do you remember, and how old where you?

Some Shuttle Facts:

• The Orbiter is 133-feet tall and it’s wingspan is 78-feet across.
• It has 2 solid rocket boosters, 3 main engines, 2 orbital thrusters.
• Each solid rocket boosters contain 1 million pounds of propellant and each provides 1,315 tons of thrust (at sea level)… They burn for a total of 2 minutes and 2 seconds.
• The Main engines utilize 603 tons of liquid oxygen and 101 tons of liquid hydrogen in the external tank. Each provides 170 tons of thrust (at sea level)… They burn for a total of 8 minutes. Maneuvering system engines provide 2.7 tons of thrust.
• Hottest skin temperature on re-entry 1,650 degrees Celsius, (thats 3000 degrees Fahrenheit)!!!
• Average shuttle speed to launch to orbit is 25,000 miles per-hour; Average shuttle speed in orbit is 17,000 miles per-hour.
• The shuttles nick-name on re-entry has been called “The Flying Brick“… Because the shuttle it self actually can not fly, it’s a glider.

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This term has come to mean a lot over the years to many people, since the start of the special education movement. There are many classifications of special education, and special needs classes today. Most notable are the two main classifications of Learning Support or Learning Disabled and Emotional Support… However, all are classed under the term of Special Education or as some seem to like the term “SpEd“.

I do not like the term SpEd… I find it very derogatory… I should know, I was one! I know what it means and the hurtful remarks that follow it… I know how I was treated because I was in the “Special” class and I know how other in my class where treated because of it.

From the Urban Dictionary:

1. One who attends special education classes. 
2. The special education program. 
3. An insult used when someone does something stupid.
4. A derogatory term meaning retard. 
5. May also be used as sped sled, meaning the short little school buses all the special ed kids ride on.
6. “Sped” is a second form of retard. It’s commonly used but it is also really offensive toward “special” people.
7. Often used in conjunction with retard.
8. A retard.

A nice term don’t you think? It can mean many things to many different people. I take offense when children use the term even in “play“, and I REALLY take offense when adults use the term to describe a child or the program.

I was in the Special Education Program: Learning Support class, only because of my eyesight, not because I could not learn. I was an honors student thorough out school, earning Honors and High Honors, and even perfect attendance in 3rd grade.

I was “Main Stream” (That means I attended a “Normal” classroom.) for all core subjects except Math and English, in my case. I took computer programming in high school, and was a student computer technician to the Junior and Senior High Schools. I even studied for my Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer certification.

Am I still a sped?

One of the greatest minds this world has ever known failed math, and could have been diagnosed as ADHD, if that term was around in his day… Do you know who it was? Albert Einstein.

So please… Don’t use the term SpEd. If you must, a term such as Special Education or Learning Support sounds much more professional. And teach your children it’s not all right to use such terms in a derogatory way.

Of note, I’d like to mention the blogs Ally in Wonderland. Ally is studying to become a Special Education teacher… And I’d also like to mention the blog Till the Short Bus, with her own play on words, who talks about her own struggles of raising a special needs child, and the trials of the special education program.

Leave your comments please… I do respond to all comments; and remember e-mail address are not visible to the public when you comment.

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While on my last mobility lesson with Elaine I ran into one of my judo student’s mothers, who said a quick hello in passing, as not to interrupt us. I was so fixated on what I was doing with Elaine I managed to forget her name to introduce her!

However, this brings another point. Though my judo students and parents know, I will now be using a white cane to travel. (We talked about it in class and what the white cane means.) I still have that uneasy feeling of “Now they know I can’t see well“. I’ve never really hid my disability from others; but now with the white cane in hand I can’t help but feel a little embarrassed.

I also feel a little sad for other friends and how they may feel around others in public, because they cannot hide their disabilities because they use wheelchairs or walkers to get around. Do we ever really get over what others think of us?

How should you feel?

The only way you would know I had bad eyesight was if I was reading something with the paper close to my nose. If I met you in passing on the street, unless I had my cane, you would never know.

I really do my best to educate my students about how some people are different, and how some children, and adults have disabilities, like bad eyesight, are blind, or can’t walk. I teach them to respect disabled people as equals, and that you should never make fun of some one because of their disability.

I also explain as much as I can, and as much as I think they will understand about the disability at hand, be it my own eyesight, or our pen pal friend Cole who has Cerebral Palsy; and because of Ilia, Cole’s service dog, we also get to talk about service animals, like assistance dogs, and guide dogs. – I do my best…

Well, at least explaining why I’m using the white cane is a little easier then explaining how I’m a photographer, with a white cane… But if you really want to know you can read my post, The Blind Photographer.

To my own amazement some of my students, some of the youngest already know more then you think. As J says “I know a boy in school who uses a stick like that.“ referring to my white cane. (I also know the boy he is talking about.) Or the some times off the wall questions I get, like from K who asked “Does Ilia carry Cole’s food tray in school?“…

So, what are some of the odd questions you get? Or how do you feel in public, when you wish every thing was just “normal“. Please, post your thoughts and comments!

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