Aimee Mullins Response

The Aimee Mullins talk was very profound.  She dared her audience to question the ideals of beauty, ability, and disability.  Her way with words and imagery awoke in me the desire to see life more seamlessly, to delve into the areas that make me uncomfortable and shed light on misconceptions and doubts that I carry with me.  I was astounded that ten minutes could be so moving.

That being said, I was especially drawn to Mullins’ story about the classroom she visited.  She wanted the class to be able to ask questions and question concepts.  Her comment about fear being born out of some idea handed down from adults to children made me consider practices I have seen in the school where I have student taught, observed, substituted, and taught/teach. I have seen children take flight in the realization that reading is fun and not scary, that they do know how to do a math problem, or that they can play an instrument.  I have also seen children who struggle with subjects because they have been told that they are not smart enough, fast enough, or good enough.  In the hands of a teacher each student has the potential to flourish; it is how we teach and how we choose to see our students that will lead them towards success or failure.

Does this mean that the sole responsibility is on the teachers?  Absolutely not.  The same standards are true for parents.  I have seen five year olds who use racial slurs, kindergarteners who make sexist comments to classmates, and third grader homophobes.  It seems obvious that they were not born with these attitudes of intolerance, but that they were learned from the environment in which they were raised.  Now, I cannot go into every home of every student to confront the family, nor do I think this would be a wise course of action even if I could.  What I can do is challenge these misconceptions in my teaching.  I can help students to see that the truth behind prejudice and stereotypes is fear, and I can never give up seeing each of my students as a valuable member of my class.

I cannot change what the world thinks about people with developmental or physical “disabilities.”  All I can do is appreciate the “heartbreaking strengths and those glorious disabilities that we all have…It is our humanity and all the potential within it that makes us beautiful” (Aimee Mullins).