Personal Narrative: An Interview With Son Anthony

I interviewed Kelly Kersey who is a single mother and nurse at her home on Monday, October 5, 2015 about her son Anthony who has a disability. I have known Kelly and Anthony for almost four years now when they first moved onto the street that I live on. They have moved away since then but I still keep in touch with them. Kelly’s son Anthony has Williams syndrome and autism. Williams syndrome is a genetic condition and characterized by medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, developmental delays, and learning disabilities. Anthony has high verbal abilities, low social fear and anxiety, a highly sociable personality and a large interest for music which are all common for people with Williams syndrome. When Anthony was about 6 …show more content…
Anthony was then a part of an inclusionary classroom in the same school district up until second grade. Kelly was very frustrated and with some of Anthony’s first teachers that he had. She felt that they were poorly and inadequately trained to have and help in Anthony in their classrooms. The teachers would call Kelly at work almost three to four times per day saying that they were having problems with Anthony and he was getting into trouble and they didn’t know what to do with him or how to help him. Kelly explains that she was very closed to quitting or being fired as a nurse at Oakwood Hospital because she would constantly have to leave work or not go in at all so that she can go to the school and try to help and fix whatever problems Anthony’s teachers were having with him. Kelly says the most frustrating part of this whole experience was that many and almost all of the problems and incidents the teachers were having with Anthony were very minor and exaggerated. She says that she would arrive to the school and Anthony would be fine and that nothing was a matter with him. Eventually, Anthony would leave that school and attend a center based program in Garden City,MI called Burger School for Students with Autism. Anthony loves Burger and immediately a lot of the problems she and Anthony were having at the other school stopped. Kelly is happy and …show more content…
Going into this interview and knowing Kelly for almost four years and I thought I had known almost her whole story about her and Anthony. I couldn’t imagine having a child and for almost six months thinking that nothing was a matter with them and then finally two years later finally getting a diagnosis. It has been hard thinking about how finding out your child has a disability can throw a wrench into all your plans and dreams. It can also take a toll on families and relationships. As a future educator it is important to learn about and know what parents of children with disabilities go through. As teachers we only spend about eight hours a day, and five days a week with their children and they have to worry about them and have them for twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. It can be very stressful and exhausting for parents. I am very aware now of what parents go through knowing some of their stories and experiences will help me in the future to communicate more efficiently with them and to take a better approach to communicating with them. As a teacher I want to help parents reduce some of that stress, worry, and anxiety that they have when their child is at school. Talking to Kelly given a better and large perspective into what it is like to have child with a disability. I will use this perspective to become a better teacher to help my students more efficiently and also to help and support their parents and