I would go Out of My Mind, too!

Sharon Draper’s Out of My Mind was such an inspiring book to read. What an emotional story of a girl who cannot speak. I couldn’t even begin to imagine her frustrations in trying to express herself. I would have not even thought about her thoughts, as bad as that sounds. Perhaps I would have been the bad teacher in the book had I not read this. I would like to think not because of all the other classes I’ve taken on disabilities. However, all of those classes and titles and definitions are so… generic—there’s just no personalization or even humanization most of the time in examples used in class. They are figurative. Thank goodness that this child was able to get her computer to speak her thoughts. Thank goodness for the teacher who understood inclusion. The part that really affected me the most was when she got her computer and her parents came in filming like they did her sister for her first words. There was such joy and unbridled emotion flowing from the words, “I love you.” Using this book in a classroom is such a great idea. What a different perspective for the students to take. Even if it’s just for a little while, I hope whoever reads this book appreciates the small gifts we overlook every day. It’s an soft-spoken reminder that I am healthy and lucky to be so.