The R-Word

The R-Word is something that is very personal to me. For those of you that do not know, the R- Word (or retard-ed) is one of the worst words used today in my book. Tomorrow, is Spread the Word to End the Word: A National Campaign to help stop people from using the r-word.

Growing up, my best friend's house was a NO r-word zone. I never really understood why. All I remember was throwing the word around carelessly in middle school and having to pay 25 cents each time I did so. Throughout my life I have worked with individuals who were different than myself. From preschool on I was always paired up with the students who needed more help. I loved it! I love being able to help others and I never thought of them as any more different from a friend. When I was in Elementary School, in my gifted program we were asked to research a profession. I chose a Special Education teacher. My gifted teacher made me re-do my project because she told me "doing that would be a complete waste of your time and talent, you can do bigger things in life." So I changed my report to be a pediatrician.

When I got to college, I was all set to be an Elementary Education teacher. Little did I know a professor would bring my attention to the possibilities of working in Special Ed. I then pursued a Masters in Special Education and am currently working in the field. Not every day is easy. Not every day do I see tremendous gains in my students. But I do know I am using my time and talent to make a difference to those kids, and I cannot think of any better way to use them.

Today, when people ask me what I do, I proudly respond that I am a Special Ed teacher. The most common response "Oh that is so nice you work with retards." I kindly inform them that the r-word is no longer a commonly used or accepted term. I also tell them, no I work with amazing students who have tremendous potential and will one day change the world. This conversation always seems to get tougher each time I have it. But I know that the word and connotation of individuals with disabilities can be changed over time if people take a few minutes to become educated on the topic.

Enough about me though. This week/tomorrow/March 6 is a time to celebrate how important and valuable each and every person is. It is time to think about the language you use every day. How often have you referred to something as "gay" or "retarted". Maybe you should take a second to think about what those words mean. They are hurtful and create inequality in this world. I hope that one day we can all respect each other regardless of intellect, disability, skin color, sexual orientation, gender or any other thing that may make us different. We were all created differently on purpose!

Please take a minute and sign the PLEDGE to stop using the r-word at: www.r-word.org


This is an inspirational video that gets me choked up every time. Together we can End the Word!