New school, New life

Hey guys,

Hope your week is going well. I apologise for the inconsistent posts; there’s been a lot going on in my life over the past few years, and I’m slowly getting back into the rhythm of things now.

At the end of last year, I left the only school I had been in since kindergarten and moved to a more inclusive environment that offers greater support. Earlier this year, I was assessed and found out that I am autistic and have ADHD (mentally hyperactive with slow processing), which was a huge relief. I always felt like I didn’t belong, as if there was a rule everyone knew but I didn’t. Sometimes I still feel this way, but now I understand why.

The school I was in before wasn’t the best at supporting me, and I always felt alone. I didn’t really have any true friends or much support from my peers. In fact, people were, in a way, bullying me because I was autistic, even though no one knew the diagnosis.

At my new school, they have a whole Learning Centre (LC) dedicated to supporting students, and it’s also where many neurodivergent students hang out for lunch and snacks. The teachers there are very nice and supportive. When I feel down, I know I can go to the LC and feel safe. I didn’t really have a place like this in my previous school.

In this school, I’ve got a group of friends in my year who accept me for who I am, and that’s all I ever really need. Of course, this school isn’t perfect—there are still pros and cons—but it’s good for me. Now, I actually look forward to school and feel happy, instead of feeling trapped and unsafe like I did before.

I still sometimes miss my old school because I did have some good times there, mainly in primary. However, as I got older, around year 6-7, I started feeling alone. It felt like I wasn’t good enough, since everyone seemed to learn things faster and understand social situations better than I could. Every time I tried to clarify something, it always came across the wrong way, and I thought there was something wrong with me. But then I found out I was autistic. I always knew there was something different about my brain, but just couldn’t put words to it, so it was a relief to finally understand.

But here, I’m thriving and getting back my desire to do my best because I know my teachers have my back. These blogs aren’t only going to be about my physical disability but also about my neurodivergence (Autism and ADHD), because it’s important to raise awareness about both topics.

I will try to post weekly; however, if I don’t manage to, please bear with me as I’m still figuring out how to manage this website consistently.

I also want to add: thank you for taking the time to read my blogs!