When my son shared his excitement about taking a Computer Science AP course in high school, I couldn’t help but savor the moment. As a parent of a learning-disabled child, these sparks of enthusiasm are as rare and beautiful as rainbows. Recognizing his advanced technical skills, I thought, “Why not?” However, soon after, the school contacted me, expressing concerns about the course’s difficulty and his ability to keep up. Trusting that they had his best interests at heart, I reluctantly told my son that he couldn’t take the course. Despite his disappointment, he displayed his characteristic easy-going nature and quickly moved on without resentment.
Yet, a persistent feeling of unease started to gnaw at me, like the nagging thought of leaving the house without knowing if the oven was turned off. Something felt wrong, and self-disappointment burned within me. It eventually dawned on me that I had stopped my learning-disabled son from taking an academic risk. While his friends were taking advanced courses, how must he have felt in comparison?
As a natural risk-taker, I strongly believe in stepping outside one’s comfort zone. So, what kind of role model was I to discourage him from taking a chance? Why hadn’t I fought harder on his behalf?
It became clear that the answer was he needed to enroll in an advanced course for his growth and development. After all, the worst that could happen was that he might fail, but at least he would have dared to try. Determined, I decided to find an advanced course outside of high school that would be a good fit for him.