Such a simple act of a swat that would not of affected an average child. But I had encountered a new world and I had to learn what it was about and how to interact with it. For quit awhile after the incidence the teacher would take me up to a back room in the library and lecture me. I remember siting there, he was bombarding me with probably good advice, but I was not following much. No one had ever singled me out to lecture me and it was overwhelming. I looked at everything in the room as if I was an alien trying to figure out what it was. It was a silly little game to occupy my time and shield me from the onslaught of words.
A dark cloud followed me. Partly because I was again lost in a new world, partly because this teacher had been kind after that and in many ways, like my father, was telling me I could do anything if I tried. I started a new thing for me, I started to take notes in class. My own writing had been mine only, I had never used it at school. This was a first and although it was awkward it was the first attempt at picking up the pieces. The big words I heard and concepts I tried to spell and store but it was hit and miss. I would get so lost that I began to doodle. This was a big step, instead of pushing a chair around I could push my pencil around and draw things and not get into trouble.
A second thing happened. He wanted to keep a better eye on me so he moved me almost to the front of the room. Wow, I should follow him better. He was not lecturing me but everyone so I did not feel attacked. Yet I could hear better, esp. when he placed me on the right side of the room. The ears were the same but the brain processing was different. My left ear fed the right brain and it was better at listening. I had found three new tools that would follow me that helped me learn, front and to the right and doodling. I began to dig through the destruction left after the explosion and start organizing it. It was a meek and mild start but a start.
Another huge innovation was about to occur. This one would also follow me most of my days, off and on. It would show me the world.
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