Carol's Corner

Ralph Nichols said, “the most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and to be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.”

I have four children and the youngest has some special needs. I had shared parts of her story with teachers, friends and when I spoke to ladies groups or camps, as an illustration, a story of what God had and still is doing in her life but in mine as well.
We had moved to a new community where no one, including teachers, knew Amee’s story, her needs and her progress to date, other than what had been supplied in her file. With the approach of the new school year, her seizures were finally under control. Life began to settle into what I thought should be a positive atmosphere for learning. Amee looked forward to going back to school, hoping that grade five would be a great year. She had one relatively simple request.

“Mom, please talk to my new teacher. Help everyone at school to understand.”

She wanted not only her new teacher, but her fellow students to really get to know more about her and what she faced each day, so they could understand her better.

I had always believed that educating people provided the key to understanding but hearing the request come from Amee gave me a pleasant feeling. I presented her request to the teacher and offered to come talk to the class about her disabilities and her abilities. I wanted to give relevant information, at a level the class could understand, to take away the fear of the unknown.

I had the story to go with facts about cerebral palsy, epilepsy and learning disabilities. I had shared parts of it a number of times with a variety of age groups. The story could present the facts if the teacher and class were willing to listen. Amee did not have great communication skills and felt Mom needed to help others understand.

The disappointment grew as the teacher refused our request to talk to the class. She had no willingness to listen either and my daughter had a hard year. She continued to be convinced that if Mom could tell the story and people would listen, they would begin to understand. She got her wish in grade six when a new teacher allowed me to share part of Amee’s story with the class. I loved the “light bulb” moments the students experienced that day. They began to realize that what anyone needs is the same – the opportunity to be understood and accepted for who they are.

Do you have a story that needs to be told so others will understand the facts of a circumstance better? Maybe you live that story everyday or have already shared it. What were the results of sharing a personal story to help others understand?