just transferred to Springer

I'll start by saying a little about myself: I am autistic as a result of an oxygen deficiency at birth. Due to my learning disabilities, my parents had trouble finding a school for me when I was younger; every place I went to would kick me out after a few weeks. I was eventually taken in by a special education program called the Morgan Center. Because most of its curriculum was very basic, I had missed out on many learning opportunities during my six years there.

However, my parents were able to arrange for me to participate in a regular math class at Springer Elementary School starting in 5th grade. That went very well, so we did the same for this school year. It wasn't long before I was cleared to take additional classes at Springer. After numerous meetings with school officials, my parents finally managed to convince them that I could handle a normal learning environment. That was one of the most important milestones in my life.

So back on topic: I "graduated" from the Morgan Center yesterday afternoon, and this was my first day as a full-time student at Springer. It definitely feels great to be a normal kid again. I'm also extremely lucky to have a teacher as kind as Mrs. Carrie; she's very understanding of my situation and always gives me the help I need. The workload is indeed a lot heavier, but I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle.

From what I've heard, I was the only "student" of the Morgan Center to switch back to a regular school. You could say I'm a pioneer; this accomplishment is certainly one I'm proud of. On the other hand, I'm going to miss all of my friends, especially Brian, Drew and Chelsea, as well as all the teachers there. One thing I'll never forget is Cheryl's sense of humor; our head teacher always knew how to turn a bad day into a good one. It was also sad to say goodbye to the folks that work in Jim's afternoon program. The people of the Morgan Center will always hold a special place in my heart, and I hope to visit them sometime. :-)