| Kellie |
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Making a difference that would affect many people is something I have thought would be exciting to do. I never dreamed I could make this happen as a 16 year old. It all started at my sophomore meeting when my high school counselor showed my mom and me a history of all my grades. It not only had the grades that would show on my report card, but also the grades I had received on semester finals. Everything appeared to be normal, but then we noticed something strange. I had gotten a "D" on my semester final, a fitness test, in Freshman Physical Education. Part of the test was a timed mile and a half run, and students were graded according to their time. The more time I took, the lower my grade would be.
I asked my current teacher many times what to expect for grading my fitness exam, but I never got a clear answer. She said I could just decide how I felt with each activity, but I wanted to know exactly how I would be graded. The last thing I wanted was another surprise "D." Concerned, I visited my counselor again. He then spoke to my teacher. Although the school had the Long QT Syndrome athletic guidelines from the SADS Foundation, we also asked Dr. Vincent's office to send a letter regarding my participation in timed p.e. activities. The situation grew more serious when my teacher punished the class because of a few students' misbehavior. She had us run a long distance when there were only a few minutes of class left. My safety was at stake, and I was upset that she had not taken that into consideration. My parents were infuriated when I told them about the incident, and we made another stressful trip to the counseling office. After this meeting, we had a few more unsuccessful meetings because my teacher acted like using the doctor's orders and making adjustments for my safety was a chore. Finally, my parents and I found ourselves calling the school for yet another meeting with my counselor. The athletic director was invited to this one, and I would let her and my parents handle it. After what seemed like a long time, my parents came out of the office and I felt relief as I heard the words, "Change has occurred." Because of my perseverance and the work of my parents, counselor, and the athletic director, the policy for students with health conditions has been changed at my school. Beginning with the 2004-2005 school year, these students will have two options. The first is to take Adaptive P.E.; in this class each student will have an individual plan for his or her specific condition. As part of this class, each student will research beneficial activities for his or her personal circumstance. If students do not want to take the adaptive class, they can choose to take the standard p.e. class. Both options will allow students to be graded with a Pass/Fail, which will have no effect, positive or negative, on their grade point averages. My grades in physical education have each been changed to a Pass, much to my satisfaction. Although making a difference in my school required a lot of work and was frustrating at times, it was worth it. I learned that, through being assertive and perseverant, change can be made for the better. Students of the future will be able to participate in p.e. classes without the challenge of balancing safety and grades. My hope is that what has occurred in my school will spread to other schools. I believe this can happen. |
As a teen with Long QT Syndrome, this
was a problem. I met with my teacher to discuss my grading and
to ask if adjustments could be made. The school was aware of
my having Long QT Syndrome, and my teacher assured me that my
grade would be fine. I had been so disappointed by the lower
grade on my report card because I strive to keep my grades high,
and I finally knew what had caused it. We asked my counselor
to talk to my teacher about the grade and decided that I should
talk to this year's teacher to be sure that the fitness test,
which was also part of this year's final exam, would not lower
my current grade.
