My tongue is a bit too large for my mouth.
That means if I am not a bit careful, I spit when I talk, especially if I talk fast. I learned that from a speech therapist, in the third grade, in Fairfax County Public Schools.
It might seem a little thing. But, let’s look at it from the point of view of a second grader.
When I talk, everyone leans back away from me.
The teacher doesn’t call on me to read aloud in class very much.
Everyone laughs when I do read aloud.
Reading aloud is the only reading class we have. (This was in the Philadelphia Public Schools.)
Oh, I get it, I must be stupid.
The teacher agrees, and puts me into “Remedial Reading.” This is the famous special class for dumb kids.
Now I move to Alexandria. The reading class there is little paperback books that you get assigned by the teacher. You read your book, and then you take a test. Everyone else is using red, green or blue books. I get a brown book. Right. Remedial Reading again, I guess I really am dumb.
I go to speech therapy with a nice lady who makes me do most of the talking. She makes me take a sip of water before every answer. After a week, I don’t spit when I talk. She explains to me about clearing my mouth, and holding my tongue back. She never mentions that there is something unusual about me.
Back in reading class I get my new book, after finishing the brown books. A black book. Man, I must be really dumb; I ain’t got blue yet. But oddly enough the rest of the kids are not calling me dumb. I figure they just don’t know yet.
Couple of weeks later, I finish the black book. Teacher tells me I am finished with the colored books. I can go to the library, now, instead of reading class. Turns out I read on a seventh grade level.
Wow. And I don’t spit when I talk, either!
Speech therapy is a good thing.
Tris
