Best Kept Secret

I just finished watching a documentary called “Best Kept Secret”.  It was about a New Jersey high school teacher that dedicates herself to helping a group of autistic students overcome obstacles and plan for life after graduation.  Although there were parts that were very inspiring and uplifting, by the end of the film I had so many mixed emotions: sadness, bitterness, frustration, etc.  Let me explain why. 

The teacher that is portrayed in this has some very unique qualities.  She is the type of teacher that you wish all teachers could aspire to be like.  She proved she was not in this for the money, but because she genuinely cares about her students.  Most of the students in this film were teenagers or older and faced some real challenges such as the ability to communicate or to care for themselves.  She did not just stick them in a room and let them color, stare into space, etc., she actually worked one-on-one with them and tried to encourage them to communicate, to do things on their own, and to make the right choices.  This was all very uplifting and encouraging.

What I found to be very discouraging was the fact that she did not have more help.  It seems as though in a class of that size with so many needs they would have several teachers so all of the responsibility did not fall on one person.  Also, the Principal, to me was not very encouraging either.  She basically said, after they graduate from here you have to let go and not worry what happens to them.  I disagree!! 

The teacher did all she could to try and help the caregivers find the right place for them to go after graduation.  The choices were very limited and only one place offered transportation.  She could not help but notice that most of the places did not focus on the students one-on-one and none of them worked on continuing the hard work that teachers like her put into the students while they were in school.

One of her past students had actually regressed and you could tell that it really affected her, to know that she put so much work into teaching him communication skills, coping skills, independence, and to see him now being non-verbal, erratic, and unable to be independent.  She realized that most of the caregivers were going to choose the facility where her former student was at just because they offered transportation.

This infuriates me.  When I think of all the money that is being wasted in the government.  When I think of all the celebrities that spend more on a home than these schools could ever hope to get in a lifetime!!  I read where Katy Perry grossed something like $153 million dollars last year, and these students cannot even go to good day care centers because their families cannot afford transportation. 

One of the students was able to work at Burger King because his teacher advocated for him.  But in the credits afterwards, you see he lost his job because he could not find a sponsor to oversee him on a weekly basis.  These are forgotten human beings.  Once they are out of the school system they are just tossed aside.  Some of them have families to stay with, but what happens to those who have no one?  What happens to those whose mother dies or their caregivers cannot afford to take care of them any longer?  I guess they just get put in state institutions. 

How very sad and very frustrating it is that any human being, no matter what their disability cannot have a happy and productive life because there is not enough funding or because there are not enough good teachers to go around.  Just turn your TV on and watch how much wasteful spending goes on everyday. 

I know there are a lot of people who are not even going to give this writing a second thought, and some who probably won’t even read it.  Many people don’t care about special needs children unless it has directly affected their own family.  My son has Type 1 Diabetes, my grandson is autistic and I suppose that is why I am speaking about this.  Please don’t wait until something happens to someone you love before you do what you can to help those in need.  Look at your happy, healthy children and grandchildren and be thankful, but remember there are so many others out there who you could help, even in a small way.