A First Look
A First Look
"You should never judge a book by its cover" echoed in my head the first time I saw her. With disheveled hair and eyes that I had thought could not grasp the meaning of even the simplest things one girl made this saying so true to me.
At the start of my senior year everyday for three weeks an announcement came on the P.A system calling students to come and join a new club called "Best Buddies". Almost every day for three weeks I wondered what this "club" was about. Coincidentally a good friend whom I had known since the sixth grade happened to be the secretary of the club. One afternoon as we rode the bus home, I questioned her about the Best Buddies. To my surprise, she said that the group was an assembly of students who paired up with the mentally handicapped students in our school and became a "Best Buddy" to the student. She also said the goal was to close the gap between ESE students and general ed. students and to help them become more sociable with other people. Seeing my interest she invited me to their social which was scheduled for the next day.
The next day as I walked into the room where the social was being held, I was bombarded with flashes of red, yellow and orange colored leaves which were strung from the ceiling. Obviously the theme was autumn and bright the colors gave the room a cheery feel. Quietly, I sat in the midst of the commotion and watched as the students chowed down on cookies and potato chips and talked to their Buddies. I couldn't help but smile when I saw a few pairs dancing to the tunes of the "Macarena" and "Funky Chicken", not exactly on beat but having fun nevertheless. As I sat and observed I thought, Could it be this easy just to be friends with a "retarded" student? It looked like a piece of cake. I decided to give it a try.
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