My highschool was somewhat similar, in respect to how people treated those who were special. If they had some sort of affliction we wouldn't pretend they were the cool kids, they actually just were.
Everyone was nice, friendly, and accommodating, so they all felt comfortable and confident in themselves. Yes, some of them found it more difficult to be social, but eventually they all came out of their shell.
An example can be shown from my gym class back in senior year. In my class I had two special kids, one with down syndrome and another with something that made him incredibly anxious and awkward around people - I do not remember the name. The kid with down syndrome had already been in our school for three years and was comfortable with everyone - very comfortable, in fact, as he would, uhh, ask a lot of girls if he could take pictures of them while they pushed out their chest; I'm sure you can guess what he wanted those pictures for... (Everyone was still kind to him, and would just shrug it off and try to explain to him that he needs to have more tact in his attempts, as well as respect women for more than their bodies). Anyway, the more anxious kid was new to our school because had to move frequently, as he was bullied a lot - which I'm sure did not help his, already low, level of confidence. So, everyone would make it a point to get him involved in whatever sport we were playing, picking him first and moping when he wasn't on your team, and eventually having him be the team captain and whatnot.
It is truly something else to be able to see the transformation in someone, even if it takes an entire semester before they start to speak. By the second semester he was an advanced chatty Kathy, talking about his family and all the new clubs he is in, and how he doesn't want the school year to end.
All in all, everyone comes out better for being respectful to one another. You don't have to be buddy-buddy with every person you meet, but a little bit of kindness and patience can really go a long way. This little story may not be all that interesting, but it shows how if people try to fix the flaws they see, rather than attacking/exploiting them, both parties come out on top.
Thanks for reading.
Edit: Thank you for the gold! I did not think this post would get this much attention; I'm happy that I got so many of you to smile today!
This. I went from horribly strict private school to literally the gayest public school in the state at the time (highest percentage of LGBT students in the state) and when I showed up everyone welcomed me with open arms and introduced me to all their friends. It was downright life changing, I went from being picked on and thinking I was a loser who would never have friends to the outgoing positive person I am today!
LSxJimmy on September 8th, 2018 at 19:57 UTC »
Please let this be true
mjelinski on September 8th, 2018 at 20:26 UTC »
My highschool was somewhat similar, in respect to how people treated those who were special. If they had some sort of affliction we wouldn't pretend they were the cool kids, they actually just were.
Everyone was nice, friendly, and accommodating, so they all felt comfortable and confident in themselves. Yes, some of them found it more difficult to be social, but eventually they all came out of their shell.
An example can be shown from my gym class back in senior year. In my class I had two special kids, one with down syndrome and another with something that made him incredibly anxious and awkward around people - I do not remember the name. The kid with down syndrome had already been in our school for three years and was comfortable with everyone - very comfortable, in fact, as he would, uhh, ask a lot of girls if he could take pictures of them while they pushed out their chest; I'm sure you can guess what he wanted those pictures for... (Everyone was still kind to him, and would just shrug it off and try to explain to him that he needs to have more tact in his attempts, as well as respect women for more than their bodies). Anyway, the more anxious kid was new to our school because had to move frequently, as he was bullied a lot - which I'm sure did not help his, already low, level of confidence. So, everyone would make it a point to get him involved in whatever sport we were playing, picking him first and moping when he wasn't on your team, and eventually having him be the team captain and whatnot.
It is truly something else to be able to see the transformation in someone, even if it takes an entire semester before they start to speak. By the second semester he was an advanced chatty Kathy, talking about his family and all the new clubs he is in, and how he doesn't want the school year to end.
All in all, everyone comes out better for being respectful to one another. You don't have to be buddy-buddy with every person you meet, but a little bit of kindness and patience can really go a long way. This little story may not be all that interesting, but it shows how if people try to fix the flaws they see, rather than attacking/exploiting them, both parties come out on top.
Thanks for reading.
Edit: Thank you for the gold! I did not think this post would get this much attention; I'm happy that I got so many of you to smile today!
the_highest_elf on September 8th, 2018 at 22:14 UTC »
This. I went from horribly strict private school to literally the gayest public school in the state at the time (highest percentage of LGBT students in the state) and when I showed up everyone welcomed me with open arms and introduced me to all their friends. It was downright life changing, I went from being picked on and thinking I was a loser who would never have friends to the outgoing positive person I am today!
Thanks Hazen HS