Hello Roger, I think you could very well be right because I, too, don't think anyone has completely gotten it right yet. Hope your little granddaughter's doing OK. Please keep us informed about her health.

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Mike,

Yours is a great story.

My grandaughter suffered the same problem for her first two years at school.

When she was diagnosed she had grommits put into her ear and now she is fine.

Wow, I'm proud of you for standing up to be counted. There are so many things that are poorly taught or distort the truth.

Our history in the UK is slanted in favour of the OLD EDMPIRE whereas American geography is lacking in it's teaching about the real world outside of the USA. Yours is such a big country that there is a tendency to think that it's the world.

To find winter sun we HAVE to travel abroad so it encourages at least European travel.

None of has got it right though.

Roger

Thank you Helen, starting this forum was not something I just thought of out of the blue. I had been thinking about it for a while and then too I had friends that were also encouraging me. I look forward to seeing you here often and I welcome any contributions you may have.

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Hi Evelyn

This forum has been a great idea.

I appreciate the many contributions, those by Kathleen, Amanda, Peter, Roger, Mike, yourself and others. Time doesn't permit me to go into detail but it has been interesting and no doubt will continue to be.

God bless you

Helen

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Reading is an interesting topic. When I began school, I was seted at the back of the class. I did not know it at the time, but I had a hearing problem. I ultimately did not pass the first year. When I would have an earache, my mother would scrape the inside of my ear with a bobbie pin saying that it would hurt a little, but that's all right. I was also held back in the fourth grade. Sitting in the back of the class. I might as well have been sitting on the dock of the bay. I would read the book in front of me rather than listen to the teacher, because I couldn't hear her anyway. One quick example. In the fourth grade we were given a math assignment. We were to do all the problems on page seven. As I had at times an echo in my ear, I heard page seventy. Page seven was two column addition while page seventy was four column mathe. I struggled, but when I turned in my math assignment I got an A+. I had every answer correct. Under that I received a big red O for failing to listen. When I showed my mother the paper, she told me that I was stupid because I didn't listen. I had asked my teacher on several occasions if I could sit closer to the front and she said that I did not have special privileges. Eventually, I would take books out of the library and study. I did this for the remainder of time that I was in school. However, I noticed something odd about our History books. The Native Americans were savages and the pilgrims were the good guys. While we were studying Early American History, I decided to check out some books written by Native Americans. As our teacher was explaining that the pilgrims were having a terrible time with some of the savages(Whereupon I said, "Whoa. Who were the savages?") and she said, "Why the Indians of course. They were killing the settlers that were trying to set up their new home." I responded, "Yes, but they were doing that by driving the Indians out of their villages." and she responded, "But they didn't belong there. That was our land." I laughed and replied, "So, as our forefathers travelled from the East Coast all the way to California killing the Indians that would not give up their land, the Indians that fought back were savages. Is that correct?" She smiled and said, "Now you understand."I didn't. Later on that year we were reading about Ely Whitney and the Cotton Gin. I noticed that she had never made reference to his color, even though there was a picture of him in the book. Once again, I raised my hand. She rolled her eyes and said, "Yes Mister Caron, what is it?" I asked, "What color was Ely Whitney?" She droned out her answer, "Ely Whitney was white, which you would have know if you read the book."I laughed and said, "Evidently you didn't read the book or look at his picture. First, why would a white man invent a machine that would make things easier for the slaves to do their job?, and how many white men back then sported an Afro hair style. I don't believe they would have been liked very much by their peers." There were a couple of black students in the class who were the first to start laughing, and then everyone else chimed in. I got up, put my History book on her desk and said, "If you are not going to teach us the truth, I quit." I have always been very adamant on determining what is true and what is not. Sorry that O bored everyone.
GOD BLESS YOU
~Mike~

Hi Everyone,

My youngest son also had serious hearing impairment since he was a baby, and had 4 tube surgeries, one per year from age 3 thru 6...probably what Roger calls "grommits" in the UK. In preschool, the teacher treated him as if he was mentally retarded, but he was a brilliant kid, he had taught himself to count change by that time, he's always been great at math, and after his first tube surgery, the preschool teacher said he was a different student the very next day, of course! He could hear and participate without being frustrated, he really blossomed immediately. He still has slightly less hearing than everyone else, he's almost 20 now.

I was told in high school that I was getting hearing loss, and shortly after that, a doctor told me I'd lose my hearing within 10 years, well it's been over 25 years now and the past few years have become gradually much worse, I wonder if it's hereditary, lots of my relatives also had hearing loss at a young age or since childhood. People do treat hearing-impaired people differently, treated as if stupid or with lack of normal comprehension, when that's not true at all.

One of my uncles really didn't like having a hearing aid, and my father won't get one, and he told me I probably wouldn't want one either because of occasional static or other problems. I just don't want one. Maybe someday, because it can be frustrating for other people when I don't hear them and they need to repeat themselves louder, but in maintaining my sense of humor, I'd say...that's not my problem, I don't know who's problem it IS, I guess it's the problem of the people who need to constantly repeat what they said, several times!

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Reading is an interesting topic. When I began school, I was seted at the back of the class. I did not know it at the time, but I had a hearing problem. I ultimately did not pass the first year. When I would have an earache, my mother would scrape the inside of my ear with a bobbie pin saying that it would hurt a little, but that's all right. I was also held back in the fourth grade. Sitting in the back of the class. I might as well have been sitting on the dock of the bay. I would read the book in front of me rather than listen to the teacher, because I couldn't hear her anyway. One quick example. In the fourth grade we were given a math assignment. We were to do all the problems on page seven. As I had at times an echo in my ear, I heard page seventy. Page seven was two column addition while page seventy was four column mathe. I struggled, but when I turned in my math assignment I got an A+. I had every answer correct. Under that I received a big red O for failing to listen. When I showed my mother the paper, she told me that I was stupid because I didn't listen. I had asked my teacher on several occasions if I could sit closer to the front and she said that I did not have special privileges. Eventually, I would take books out of the library and study. I did this for the remainder of time that I was in school. However, I noticed something odd about our History books. The Native Americans were savages and the pilgrims were the good guys. While we were studying Early American History, I decided to check out some books written by Native Americans. As our teacher was explaining that the pilgrims were having a terrible time with some of the savages(Whereupon I said, "Whoa. Who were the savages?") and she said, "Why the Indians of course. They were killing the settlers that were trying to set up their new home." I responded, "Yes, but they were doing that by driving the Indians out of their villages." and she responded, "But they didn't belong there. That was our land." I laughed and replied, "So, as our forefathers travelled from the East Coast all the way to California killing the Indians that would not give up their land, the Indians that fought back were savages. Is that correct?" She smiled and said, "Now you understand."I didn't. Later on that year we were reading about Ely Whitney and the Cotton Gin. I noticed that she had never made reference to his color, even though there was a picture of him in the book. Once again, I raised my hand. She rolled her eyes and said, "Yes Mister Caron, what is it?" I asked, "What color was Ely Whitney?" She droned out her answer, "Ely Whitney was white, which you would have know if you read the book."I laughed and said, "Evidently you didn't read the book or look at his picture. First, why would a white man invent a machine that would make things easier for the slaves to do their job?, and how many white men back then sported an Afro hair style. I don't believe they would have been liked very much by their peers." There were a couple of black students in the class who were the first to start laughing, and then everyone else chimed in. I got up, put my History book on her desk and said, "If you are not going to teach us the truth, I quit." I have always been very adamant on determining what is true and what is not. Sorry that O bored everyone.
GOD BLESS YOU
~Mike~

Hi Mike

This is beautiful, sorry to hear of your hearing problem, but you have learned a lot more and better things in your own way. We have been taught in school, on TV, newspapers and etc, to hate other races. I am so sorry it has taken me so many moons to learn about our brothers and sister of all races. We are all one, we all hurt the same, we love the same, everything the same. I am so glad to be waking up to all these blessings that we have and have been hidden. Thank God for the truth.(and the truth is LOVE).