5th Grade Yearbook
January 22, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
Charlie is in his last year of elementary school and will be moving onto middle school in a few months. A survey for the Fifth Grade Yearbook came home in his backpack with a list of questions and a request for a kindergarten photo. I’ve been looking through old computer files for a photo of 5 or 6 year old Charlie (who did not go to kindergarten; he was in an “elementary autistic” classroom). Yesterday, I read out the questions to Charlie—–favorite subject? favorite food? favorite singer? favorite band? favorite sport? favorite book? favorite thing to do?—-and he echoed back answers. So, keeping in mind Sunday’s discussion about yes and no, I offered choices and asked the questions a few times:
Do you like the Ramones or Jimi Hendrix? Jimi Hendrix or the Ramones?
Do you like basketball or swimming? Swimming or basketball?
Do you like Chinese food or Japanese food? Vietnamese food or Chinese? Chinese or Vietnamese?
Filling out the “Activities” section was easier: We put down piano, basketball, surfing. Then came the question “What would you like to be when you grow up?”
I think I will leave it blank: On the one hand, the possibilities for Charlie are much fewer than for many children. And on the other hand—since I know that Charlie constantly has a way of surprising me with what he can do—-the possibilities are yet unknown, and I’ll leave it to Charlie to fill in that blank in time to come.
In the words of the inimitable Frank Zappa, “The future is scary…”
My daughter is only three and a half, but I already wonder what she’ll be when she grows up. At this point I don’t know which throws a bigger monkey wrench in the works, her autism or her epilepsy… I know there’s no point in worrying since a lot can happen between now and when she grows up, but I still do.
I would let him answer. when my son graduated from kindergarten, they did a similar thing. The last question was the same and Pop answered, “a singing teacher”. I don’t even know what that is, a teacher that sings, or that teaches singing?
Charlie echoed “when you grow up” when I asked him “what do you want to be when you grow up?—-I decided to put in question marks; who know….
Kudos to Charlie’s teacher, or to your school’s PTA, for including Charlie’s class in this. This is something I am constantly faced with as the year goes on with the SDC that I teach — while our sixth grade teacher is very welcoming, our PTA ‘forgets’ us sometimes. So it’s awesome that Charlie — and any other fifth graders in his class, I assume — get to participate.
what a milestone for charlie! i like the idea of leaving it blank. charlie is so full of life and surprises, as you say. i like the mystery of who he is still becoming.
I bet Charlie will surprise you.
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We homeschool so we’re not doing the yearbook thing, but Eleanor and I have little chats over snack and I asked some of those “favorite” questions…the music question was kind of a slam-dunk–”Red Hot Chili Peppers”, but I had no clue what she wants to be when she grows up, although we have some idea of what she finds enjoyable.
Pose the question, and she shoots me a “surely you can’t be serious?” look…”Me”. Can’t do fairer than that.
So, inquiring minds want to know–does Charlie prefer Hendrix or the Ramones?
He only was introduced to the Ramones last summer; he got to know Hendrix the previous summer (”Little Wing”)—–but he’s more likely to hum “Do You Wanna Dance?” and a few others. Though the past few nights, Charlie’s been singing “A Love Supreme” to me, I kid you not.
I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up!!
Well, I think an answer Charlie might go along with would be something like,
“Hmm, let me think about that for a while. I’ll get back with you later…”
P.s. Brett, me, too, and I’ve been eligible to join AARP for several years.
I’m twelve and I have no idea where my life is going. Sixth grade graduation I didn’t know, but I had to answer, so I just wrote down what I used to want to be. If I sat and though about what I wanted to do the rest of my life,when I was 30 I would still be thinking about what I would like to do. Autistic or not, you should take one step at a time.