My thoughts on 2022. Part 1

My gedagtes oor 2022. Deel 1

This post was written in Afrikaans by Nicolaas and translated by Mum, with the help of Google translate, to reach more readers. Please scroll down for the English version.

My gedagtes oor 2022. Deel 1

My jaar was woes!

Dit was woes lekker, maar ook woes hard en woes swaar.

Alles was uiteindelik woes goed.

Ek maak dit in ‘n gewone skool.

My mooiste droom om na ’n skool toe te gaan, het waar geword. Al was dit “online”, dit was saam met gewone kinders, gewone skool werk en met gewone onderwysers.

Ek kan vir niemand beskryf hoe groot dit is vir my om dit te kan sê nie.  Ek sukkel soms nog om te glo dat dit nie nog steeds net ‘n droom is nie.

Dit is nie net vir myself wat ons so hard werk nie, dit is ook vir my vriende wat soos ek is (outisties en nie-pratend). Ek het goeie moed dat my jaar  vir ander soos ek, gaan help. My ervaring is ‘n beginpunt vir my, en vir  ander soos ek, om op te bou sodat ons in Suid Afrika uiteindelik vir almal ‘n kans kan gee om ook te leer.  Teen volgende jaar hierdie tyd hoop ek dat ons nog ‘n stem of meer gaan by kry wat kan vertel van hulle ervaring sodat ons almal saam kan werk om vir ons ‘n beter toekoms te skep.

Ons gaan altyd ‘n opdraende stryd hê om met gewone kinders se pas by te hou, maar ons kan op alle maniere ons breine inspan om planne te maak om by al die  werk  uit te kom sonder om uit te mis of af te skeep.

Dit was ‘n baie harde jaar vir my en my mamma. Ons moes vreeslik hard werk om alles gedoen te kry. Dit was soos om ‘n marathon te hardloop, die hele tyd. Ons moes bitter baie ure insit om gedoen te kry wat ons gedoen het. Ek kan wel met ‘n rein hart sê dat AL die werk wat ek in gegee het, my   EIE werk was. Al moes my mamma of my “scribes” dit vir my neerskryf of tik, ALLES WAT EK INGEGEE HET WAS MY EIE WERK.

Dit is iets waarop ek ongelooflik trots op is. My mamma het my mooi gehelp om inligting te Google as ek dit vir haar vra. Sy het gehelp om grafieke te teken soos wat ek haar beduie het om te doen. Sy het my gehelp om my Biologie eksperiment op te stel sodat my oë die resultate kon sien om dit neer te skryf. Oor sy my so mooi gehelp het met die goed wat my lyf nie kan doen nie, het my brein sy beste kans gekry om te wys waartoe hy in staat is.

My mamma is my grootste hulp in my poging om te kan skool loop. Sy help my onsettend baie, soveel so dat sy haarself afskeep om my te kan help. As iemand dink sy help my deur die take vír my te doen, of die antwoorde vir my te gee in die eksamen, maak hulle ‘n reuse fout. My mamma help my met my lyf, sodat my brein lekker kan werk, sodat my brein kan dink en die antwoorde gee wat sy dan weer moet neerskryf.

Sy doen dit met soveel respek vir my dat sy nooit oorvat of die goed self doen nie. Sy gee my dit wat ek nodig het om self die werk gedoen te kry.  Dit is die beste ding wat iemand vir my kan doen. Dit gee my kans om my ware potensiaal te bereik.

As iemand iets vir my doen, in plaas daarvan om my te help om dit self te doen, maak hulle my baie hartseer. Al bedoel hulle dit so goed, dit is nog steeds nie vir my lekker nie. My lyf leer niks as iemand iets vir my doen nie. My lyf sal altyd ‘n struikel blok vir my wees. Dit sal maar altyd vir my ‘n stryd wees om goed gedoen te kry op my eie stoom, maar om dinge vir my te doen, help my nie.

Ons is ook besig om vir ander mense te vertel hoe om kinders wat soos ek is, te help, om ook hulle potensiaal te bereik in die skool. Dit is daarom vir my belangrik om hierdie punt mooi te beklemtoon: Ons is nie hulpeloos nie, maar ons het baie hulp nodig om ons lywe uit te sorteer sodat ons mooi kan wys wat ons kan doen. Ons het baie potensiaal, maar ons lywe is nie ons beste hulp middel om te wys wat ons kan doen nie. Ons het mense met lywe wat reg werk nodig om ons te help. As ons net die hulp kry wat ons so nodig het, kan ons breine ons in staat stel om ‘n positiewe bydrae in die wêreld te maak. 

Ons deurbraak by die eksamenraad:

My mamma ken my lyf beter as enige iemand anders omdat ons so mooi saam werk. Omdat my lyf ‘n struikel blok is, het ek iemand nodig wat my lyf so goed ken anders kan hulle my nie behoorlik help om my volle potensiaal te bereik nie.

My lyf het baie streke wat my nie sal keer om met ‘n ander goeie CRP te werk nie, maar om my in die skool en eksamen te help, het ek iemand nodig wat my lyf baie goed ken. As dit nie so kan werk nie, gaan my lyf my in die steek laat Dit is ‘n moeilike ding om vir mense te verduidelik wat nie verstaan nie, maar dit is wat dit is.

Ek is baie bly dat die eksamen raad ons ‘n kans sal gee om al die hulp wat ek nodig het, te kan hê in die eksamens al is dit iets waarmee hulle sekerlik nog nie te vore te doen mee gehad het nie. Ons is so bly dat hulle ons ‘n kans gaan gee. Ons sal ons bes doen om hulle nie terleur te stel nie.

Ek het Graad 10 geslaag!

“Nicolaas has been promoted to Grade 11. Congratulations”

UCT online high school, 2022 Term 4 Report

Dit was ‘n stryd, maar ek kan sê dat UCT ohs ons net soveel gehelp het as wat hulle dit vir ons moeilik gemaak het. Ons kon uiteindelik die wa deur die drif kry, maar ons wa was maar gehawend teen die einde.  Ek is steeds baie dankbaar vir die kans wat hulle my gegee het. Die ondersteuning en respek wat ek van my “support coaches” en sommige onderwysers gekry het, sal my altyd by bly. Dit was die eerste keer in my lewe wat skoolpersoneel my so goed behandel het. Hulle het my raak gesien vir  my verstand en verby my lyf se streke gekyk.

My hoop is dat ons dit vir my vriende, wat soos ek is, ook moontlik sal kan maak as hulle sien dat ek dit reg kry.

My thoughts on 2022. Part 1

My year was hectic!

It was hectic exciting, but also hectic hard and hectic challenging.

Everything turned out hectic good.

I made it in a regular school.

My most beautiful dream of going to a school came true. Even though it was “online”, it was with ordinary children, regular school work and with ordinary teachers.

I can’t describe to anyone how big it is for me to be able to say that. I sometimes still have a hard time believing that it’s not still just a dream.

It’s not just for myself that we work so hard, it’s also for my friends who are like me (autistic and non-speaking). I have high hopes that my year is going to help others like me. My experience is a starting point for me, and for others like me, to build upon so that we in South Africa can finally give everyone a chance to learn as well. By next year, I hope we’ll get another voice, or even more, who can also tell about their experience. We can all work together to create a better future for us.

We’re always going to have an uphill battle to keep up with regular kids’ pace, but we can use our brains in many ways to make plans to get to all the tasks without missing out or neglecting anything.

It’s been a really hard year for me and my mum. We had to work terribly hard to get everything done. It was like running a marathon, all the time. We had to put in a lot of hours to get to where we got too. I can say with a pure heart that ALL the work I put in was my OWN work. Even if my mum or my scribes had to write it down or type it for me, EVERYTHING I HANDED IN, WAS MY OWN WORK. It’s something I’m incredibly proud of.

My mum helped me by Google-ing information when I asked her to do it. She helped by drawing graphs like I instructed her to do. She helped me by setting up my Biology experiment so that my eyes could see the results and to write it down. By helping me so beautifully with the stuff my body can’t do, my brain got its best chance to show what it’s capable of.

My mum is my biggest help in my endeavor to go to school. She helps me a lot, so much so that she neglects herself to be able to help me. If someone thinks she is helping me by doing the tasks for me, or giving me the answers in the exams, they are making a huge mistake. My mum helps me with my body, so my brain can work, allowing my brain to think and give the answers that she then has to write down again. She does it with such respect for me that she never takes over or does the stuff herself. She gives me what I need to get the job done myself. It’s the best thing anyone can do for me. It gives me a chance to reach my true potential.

When someone does something for me, instead of helping me do it myself, they make me very sad. Even though they mean it so well, I do not like it. My body learns nothing when someone does something for me. My body will always be a stumbling block for me. It will always be a struggle for me to get things done on my own steam, but doing things for me doesn’t help me.

We are also in the process of telling other people how to help children, who are like me, to reach their potential in school as well. It is therefore important for me to emphasize this point : We are not helpless, but we need a lot of help to sort out our bodies so that we can show what we can do. We have a lot of potential, but our bodies are not our best means of showing what we can do. We need people with bodies working correctly to help us. If we only get the help we so desperately need, our brains can enable us to make a positive contribution in the world.

Our breakthrough at the exam board:

My mum knows my body better than anyone else because we work so well together. Because my body is a stumbling block, I need someone who knows my body so well otherwise they can’t properly help me reach my full potential. My body has many challenges that won’t stop me from working with another good CRP. But to help me in school and exams, I need someone who knows my body very well. If it can’t work that way, my body is going to let me down. It’s a difficult thing to explain to people who don’t understand, but it is what it is.

I am very happy that the exam board will give us a chance to be able to have all the help I need in the exams, even though it is something they have certainly not dealt with before. We’re so happy that they’re going to give us a chance. We will do our best not to disappoint them.

I passed Grade 10!

“Nicolaas has been promoted to Grade 11. Congratulations”

UCT online high school, 2022 Term 4 Report

It was a struggle, but I can say that UCT ohs helped us just as much as they made it difficult for us. We were finally able to get the wagon through the drift, but our wagon was battered towards the end. I’m still very grateful for the chance they gave me. I shall always remember the support and respect I have received from my support coaches and some of the teachers. It was the first time in my life that school staff treated me so well. They respected me for my mind and looked past my body’s challenges.

My hope is that we will be able to show my friends, who are like me, that it is possible for them too when they see that it was possible for me to manage.