Was school the “best time of your life”?

By Rachel Creevey

Just last week, I was chatting with my nephew. He’s in secondary school now and he’s not the biggest fan of school! I think he’s taking after his Aunty Rachel. Anyway, he had a ton of homework waiting for him at home, but was sitting in my house playing on his phone!

I knew, from my own experience, avoiding it doesn’t make it go away but I didn’t want to be giving out to him so I instead I tried to chat to him about his school work. I asked him about a recent project he had been doing, what subjects he was taking, did he have a favourite subject etc. And then I uttered the one sentence that I swore I’d never say: I said “do you know, school is the best time of your life!”

It really is; I can say that now! Now that I’m older and can reflect on that time.

My nephew doesn’t believe me just yet, I got an eye roll and a muttered “yeah, whatever”. But I bet if I were to ask him about it 10 years time, he’d agree with me. I miss that time when life revolved around going to school, getting your work done and chatting with your school mates.

Don’t get me wrong my educational experience wasn’t without its bumps and complications; my disability made sure of that! I found myself in some unusual, funny and unique situations along the way but I got there in the end.

How about the rest of you? Were you like me and my nephew and had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the school gates?

Or were you the opposite, someone who loved being in school and gaining all that knowledge?

Do you feel your disability impacted on your education?

In your schools were you the only ones with a disability? When I started school, I started in the Central Remedial Clinic and I was there until I was 7, after which I moved into mainstream school.

I started in an all girls school, and as the only student in a wheelchair, the girls were fascinated by me. Well by my wheelchair anyway! My mam used to come up for break times and wheel me around the yard. The girls would all come up and ask her could they push me. They’d actually take it in turns to push me for a minute or so! They loved my chair and used to tell us how they wished they had one too. My mam always told them to ask Santa for one!

After primary school, I went to a mixed secondary school where I was still the only person with a visible disability anyway?

Was it a similar experience for all of you? Were you supported by your teachers to achieve all you wanted from your education?

Did you make friends easily in school?

Were you made to feel different in your schools or were just treated like one of the others?

Was school the “best time of your life”? I’ve load of other stories I can share but I’m looking forward to reading your ones aswell!

But guys just remember this is blog is going to available to the public, so maybe “think before you post and only share what you are comfortable sharing in public”