The Climb

So the School Board calls us in about 3 weeks prior to the 1994-1995 school year.  They want to discuss my “options”.  We go in expecting them to try to bully my mother into sending me to Marysville High School.  We sit down, and in walks no other than the superintendent of schools.  He sits down and says, and I quote here…

“Ted, we believe that your best course of action is to attend Marysville High School, however you and your mother have made it very clear that this is not your intention.  While we are disappointed that you have made this rash and unfounded decision we have no choice but to respect it.

We do however have another suggestion that may be more appropriate for your education.  About 5 hours from here just outside of San Francisco there is a school. This school focuses on teaching young men and women with vision problems.  The school is called the California School for the Blind.  They specialize in teaching your kind.”

Now, I am not kidding, this is what he said.  And the way it was said came across extremely condescending, but then again I do make “rash” decisions. The guy was a major douche.  But I couldn’t concentrate on that at the time.  I was still trying to figure out what I had just heard.  A school…for the blind?  WHERE HAD THIS BEEN ALL THESE YEARS? WHY WAS I ONLY HEARING ABOUT IT NOW?  WHY HADN’T I BEEN GOING THERE FROM DAY ONE?  WHAT THE HELL WAS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?

I finally had enough.  I didn’t know what I was going to say but something had to be said.  I couldn’t just sit there and let this injustice go unanswered. I stood up, looked this man straight in the face and said,

“When do I start, cause the faster I get out of here the better.”

Yeah, I know that’s not a great comeback, but what do you want I was 16.

I was to start classes at the California School for the Blind on their first day of the new school year, August 22, 1994.  I was super excited; the prospect of being around my “kind” was almost too much to take.

The next section really goes into detail about the school and how it worked.  I loved every second of it and I don’t think I would trade the time I had there for anything in the world.  Check out the next chapter for more about CSB.

1. A Small History Lesson	2. Congratulations It’s A Freak
3. The First Five Years	4. It All Goes Up In Flames
5. School Daze	6. Say What?
7. A New Hope	8. Becoming A Sophisticated Redneck
9. A New Beginning – Literally	10. Back Into the Fray
11. They Like Me, They Really Like Me	12. 10011001
13. Let the Music Heal Your Soul	14. Taking My Sister to the Prom
15. My First Love, My First Broken Heart	16. From Zero to Hero
17. Livin’ On a Prayer	18. Moving On
19. Going Full Circle	20. The Rockford Files
21. Faith of the Heart	22. Partner, Friend, Lover, Wife
23. Turns Out She Was Right	24. A One-Legged Bear
25. Another Victim of the Game	26. Payin’ Bills with my Skills
27. A New Revell-ation	28. A New Page, A New Day
29. R We There Yet?