Individuals

   One time when Mom was still teaching special ed and I was back at home during a college break, I sat down next to her at the dining table while she was doing paperwork. It was her least favorite part of teaching — IEP time. Notebooks were piled around her. She was filling out an IEP for a child whose only documentable skill was sticking out his tongue. 

   An Individualized Education Program was a formal requirement for which only certain phrasing was acceptable. It was a proof in writing that the teacher had plans for the child that considered his needs and his potential. It required her to articulate her goals for him. 

   I was on a self-improvement kick, determined to become the sort of girl who takes an interest in others, and so I asked, "Mom, why are you bothering to keep up this charade that you can teach a child like that anything? What goal can you possibly set for a student whose skill is sticking out his tongue?" 

   She said, without looking up and while writing, “Retracting his tongue.”