Christiana Soumakis in class Guest Speaker

        Christiana Soumakis discussed her childhood experiences with having an invisible disability which led her to struggle in school and her experiences with overcoming this and evolving into a more self-confident person who accomplished feats she never thought possible. Christiana as a grade schooler was in special ed classes, she struggles with things that are typically seen as easy, such as holding a pencil. She struggled with feelings of inadequacies at this time and struggled with the lack of understanding many of her educators had at this time. As she grew older however, she went from special education classes, to college prep, to honors, and finally to AP classes. She excelled in classes and is currently a special education teacher who is striving to support children who may have similar emotions as she once did and still do.

    Christiana discussed one tool she often uses in her class, a discussion on the differences between mazes and labyrinths. She says mazes are used to confuse people, to make them feel lost and unsure. Labyrinths are one path used as a meditation technique, they're used to help you move forward, be present in the now, the reflect on a question you may have. She uses this technique to help teach her students grounding techniques, to help them feel in control when they may feel hopeless. I think this is an amazing technique, it's simple but highly affective and is often taught to people with chronic anxiety or panic disorders. I think it is a highly useful technique for everyone to be aware of, especially if they struggle with feelings of uncertainty, confusion, or insecurity. 

    I greatly connected with her in several ways throughout her discussion. When she discussed her struggles as a kid, especially her physical struggles with cooperation and movement. I too struggled with this as a kid, and still now. I have an invisible disability that is both mental and physical, and because of this I need more support and patience in day to day life. I struggle to walk without pain and I can get overwhelmed and have panic attacks over things that may seem insignificant to others. This struggle paired with the fact that I don't "look disabled" causes me to feel highly self conscious about this. Invisible disabilities are brutal because often times people do not take them seriously. I have so so many limitations with day to day things, I can't run, it's hard for me to put on socks and shoes, it hurts to walk in most scenarios, yet I often feel like I need to tough things out because I don't look disabled enough to need accommodations. I feel like Christiana conveyed very similar feelings during her discussion, and the ways she talked about these struggles impacting her throughout her whole life were relatable to my own feelings. Of course they are not the exact same as no to people's experiences are alike, but I still can understand where she was coming from.

    It begs the question on why so many people are made to feel broken or different just because their bodies don't work in a way that is deemed 'normal'. The education system is tailored to a specific kind of learning style, the work force is tailored highly towards a specific kind of thought process. So many people do not align with this cookie cutter shape that society has created and this leads people who don't or can't fit this mold to suffer and struggle to keep up with everyone else. In a perfect world, I think their should be more diversity in teaching styles, more diverse questions asked in hiring processes. People should not be made to feel like they need to hide or change certain parts of themselves just to be acceptable.