Introducing Danny … And Me!
Today I wracked my brain: what to put in a first blog post?
What introduces me? What says something useful? What will teachers relate to? (Well, I think that chronic overthinking does a pretty good job of introducing me!)
In future posts, I’ll tell some stories and share insights into different topics, but introducing myself is probably a good idea. I’m Kara. I’m lucky enough to have my dream job working with autistic students and supporting them in creative ways. Ordinarily, I get to work with all of my students for 3 years – usually when they’re around Gr. 5-7 – which means I become very close with them, their families, and their classroom teachers. I teach different groups of students 3 days a week and plan, consult, deliver PD, and develop resources the other 2 days. I learn so much through collaboration with other educators – from heartfelt conversations, to seeing them in action, to perusing their bulletin boards and classroom design. This year looks a little different, but I’m still creatively supporting my students.
I didn’t always know I wanted to work in this field. It took me by surprise, even though I’ve always been very close with my brother, Danny, who is autistic – and who tops the list of my favourite human beings! (He’d be quick to point out I shouldn’t use “favourite” as a plural. He’d be right – as usual!)
I often call him D. If you met him, he’d avert his eyes and say very little. He’d probably rock back and forth, coping as best he could with an unfamiliar situation and a new face. He’d speak in a high-pitched voice, if he spoke at all, though his voice when he’s comfortable is fairly bassy. Stick around long enough and you’ll be rewarded with D’s quick wit and genuinely hilarious puns! He is an avid video gamer, partial to the Nintendo franchise. He also has the enviable ability to slip into his imagination where he creates and cultivates whole universes of planets, species, characters, and their mythologies. Although it would be amazing if someone could turn those ideas into a video game, it doesn’t really matter to D. His imagination is so vivid, it plays like one.
His teachers never got to see D’s talents at any point in his public education. He was in a near constant state of fear. Even after his diagnosis, autism was something rarely encountered in the general classroom setting at that time. It was tough for anyone to know what to do to connect with Danny.
I became very determined about helping Danny to feel successful at school. I always loved school (I’ve never left!) and it pained me that his experience was so different. So, we’d do homework side by side and whenever he was frustrated, I’d find a way to explain a concept. “If Mario and Luigi each have 5 apples, and Bowser eats 3, how many are left?” I’d slow down my speech. Give him processing time. Take breaks and come back fresh. Tell a joke. Some of the very first strategies I learned came from D. So although I didn’t see it then, Danny set me down this path. I’m so thankful that he did!
After my undergraduate degree in Drama and Anthropology, I volunteered to create a drama program for children with Asperger’s Syndrome (as it was known at the time). I loved every minute of teaching and acting with the students. It set me a little further down the path. I enrolled in a graduate level teacher education program, and began taking certification courses and sopping up as much knowledge as I could about autism. I began guest lecturing on supporting learners with autism while I was still in the program. After I graduated, my first long-term teaching position was in a specialized autism classroom. When I was hired permanently in 2012, it was the same position at another school. I’ve been teaching there ever since. Teaching gets more and more enjoyable the longer I do it. There’s rarely a day I don’t learn something new, laugh in delight, or reflect on my own practice. But it took me some time to find my groove … though I’ll leave that for another post!
Kara & Danny, 2010
Kara & Danny ca. late 1990s - awkward teen years for me. Danny was cute as could be!