The Locker Helper

Middle School orientation found us abruptly this August. It was a face pace, whirl wind of a summer with a lot of experiences and changes. Middle School being the largest adjustment for "Frito," leaving a school of just over 200 students for one with well over 700. I hold out hope that with in a school of this size dyslexia will be more discussed and accommodated for.

On orientation night we split into two mass herds, one to fill the gym and one to fill the cafeteria. Administrators and teachers took turns introducing themselves and their programs. Pretty typical. With so many attending the orientation the school had developed an alternate idea to a tour....a walking video. "Frito" froze. The idea of learning where classes were was being delivered to her through the narrow eye of a badly shaking home movie, wasn't what she held in her non-linear mind. She much would have preferred a line of blue tape to follow from room to room. However, it was the next chapter in which the color drained from her face; "Opening a combination locker."

What dyslexic wouldn't prefer the key lock method (if it were not for the almost guaranteed fact that they would loose the key)? But these babies were built right into the lockers; two for each kid, one regular and one for gym. A daily sequence, number transposition, left and right direction trap! If I know my kid she has already decided she will be carrying everything with her in a book bag all year.

After the show, I mention the issue to a friend of "Frito's" mother, she's been through this school before and she might have a suggestion. "Frito's" friend hears the conversation and questions her mother and they have a discussion about dyslexia on their way home that evening. They ponder not only that it could be difficult to remember the numbers in the correct order but also how they can reverse when a person is dyslexic; throwing the right vs. left directional challenge in on top of the numbers got them thinking.

The next day at summer camp "Frito" received a gift, a homemade - straight from the heart gift. Her friend had designed "The Locker Helper." A thick piece of red construction paper that when folded in half was about the size of a business card, perfect for a pocket. Inside was a place to fill in her locker combination numbers, categorized in different colors with directional arrow stickers labeled with "left" and "right." And another advocate is found, in an 11-year old middle schooler with a huge heart!