To say that Texas is like its own country is not an overstatement. One of the things I really had to adjust to as a new Texan, having been raised in New York and having lived in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, is that Texas moves along in time at its own pace. And, sometimes, depending on the topic or cultural perspective, they are about 20 or more years behind.
For example, when I first became a teacher in Texas, I noticed that yes, the staff was multicultural, but they seated themselves in a segregated manner at staff meetings. The black folk sat with the black folk. The hispanic folk formed their own group. The white folks tended to be in their own space as well. There were no Asian folk at all. Having grown up as a minority that passes for white in a black neighborhood, this was WAY outside my comfort zone.
In New York, just from a practical standpoint, there is not enough space to do this. In a city of more than 8 million people on an island that is 13 miles by 2 miles, people get used to mixing. That’s not to say that it is always peaceful, but, mostly, it is.
We moved last year from Fort Worth to a tiny town in East Texas. In some ways, it was like moving even further back in time. The town is quaint, the folks know each other. There is a Main Street of businesses. The other day I went to the Wal-Mart in town and saw a couple decked out from head to toe in camo, and it was not just a fashion statement. They were getting ready to go hunting. Behind them, about 20 feet back, I saw a guy in a huge cowboy hat, Wrangler jeans and boots. This is every day life here. It is wildly different from New York.
It took a long time to get used to Texas.
What stands out to me, incredibly, is that there is one area in which my tiny town in East Texas exceeds my experiences. This is in the area of special needs acceptance. They not only exceed any other place that I have lived, they blow those places out of the water.
My son, who is special needs, goes to a completely special needs dedicated campus. While many students need and have inclusion in the general education setting, my son is low functioning and this is not and never will be appropriate for him. The campus does a stellar job, loves all of their special needs students and they are team players.
My neurotypical eight year-old daughter goes to regular public school. She is in her second year in a row sharing her class with an autistic kid. The school has created such an accepting and warm environment that it is a normal occurrence all day long to hear students from different grades greeting this child in the halls. His classmates accept him totally. Any behavior that might be deemed “strange,” is merely accepted as his normal. These children are 7-10 years old. And THIS IS THEIR NORMAL.
This same daughter is in a karate class in East Texas. This class accommodates students with a wide variety of special needs. My son does not attend because I don’t believe that he is developmentally ready but he could and might in the future. I recently participated in a Facebook discussion created by the sensei (teacher). He asked, “If you were to have a tournament and include a special needs division, what are some names that we could call that division?” No fewer than FIFTY people participated in the discussion! And, although there were some who obviously “didn’t get it,” when it came to being sensitive to what to call the division, everyone seemed to see the importance of having that division and honoring it.
Think back to the 1900’s (not so long ago). Special needs children were often institutionalized. They didn’t go to school. They were called names like “retard.” They were fringe people. They were picked on. And much, much worse. Take a look at this link for more information on the horrible treament that we have hopefully left behind for good:
You can say whatever you want about the current political climate. About the changes in our country in the last couple of years. But I will say this with absolute certainty. WHEN A KARATE DOJO IN RURAL AMERICA HAS A SPECIAL NEEDS DIVISION AND WANTS TO GIVE IT A SPECIAL NAME TO HONOR SPECIAL NEEDS FOLKS, OUR SOCIETY HAS ACHIEVED GREATNESS. At least, in this area.
I am comforted. For my son, and all our amazing special needs angels. This is the greatest time in history for them to be alive.
Wow! Beautiful perspective and beautifully written! Of course, you had me at the remarkable picture of the tree. Thank you, Mara!
Thank you so much for visiting and your kind comments!
Mara, you are such an advocate for humanity in general. The crew have been blessed to have such a loving, kind, and insightful mother and wife in their corner! I feel blessed to know you and I admire your GRIT!
Thank you so much! I feel blessed to know you as well! Consistence and persistence beat resistance!