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Asperger's Is Making Math a Challenge for This Furry
I'm currently a 5th year senior in High School.
There is this test that me and the other students must pass in order to receive a High School diploma and graduate.
At first I failed all of it, but luckily, scores from an end of course test for the first two sections (English and Social Studies) replaced the exit exam scores. That left me with two more tests that I failed, Math and science.
Before I go any further I would like to say that I have Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, I'm great with some subjects in School, but my main weakness in school is MATH.
I've failed the math portion of the exit exam, five times! Every time they mention this exam, I get very, very angry about it.
I'm getting more and more discouraged every time they bring up the test! As a matter of fact, they say that I have to take it again in two weeks, unless, I can get my mom to email them saying that I don't have to take it, but my mom doesn't know that I failed and I really don't want to take the blasted test again!
What should I do?
--Jacob Munk
* * *
Dear Jacob,
Thank you for writing. This is an important subject, and writing about it might help other “Ask Papabear” readers, as well as, hopefully, you. Papabear has run into quite a few furries who have Asperger’s, which can be an extremely frustrating ailment to deal with. Usually, Papabear hears about the social difficulties of Asperger’s sufferers, but it obviously makes schoolwork more difficult as well.
I think we can immediately rule out your failure, in math especially, to lack of trying, as it looks to me as if you have really been trying. This already puts you ahead of about 20% of Americans who drop out of high school each year, so kudos to you for getting this far.
You say nothing in your letter, however, about seeking outside help—other than yours truly. You haven’t told your mother that you didn’t pass the last test, and you say nothing of looking for a tutor or other assistance.
We all can get a little stubborn about not asking for help. It hurts our pride when we feel we can’t accomplish something by ourselves, and we can feel embarrassed or ashamed.
But there really is nothing wrong with asking for help. You just did, actually, by writing to Papabear. So, if you haven’t done so already, see what you can do about getting a tutor. Talk to a counselor at high school about getting a free tutor, and you might also check out online services such as Alleyoop (http://www.alleyoop.com/). In your case, too, you might consider doing your studies online instead of in a brick-and-mortar class. The free accredited online high school Connections Academy (http://info.connectionsacademy.com/) might be worth checking out.
And, by the way, if you haven’t talked to your high school counselor, you should. They will be able to make suggestions on getting assistance for your math studies. (I’m assuming you talked to your teacher, but if you haven’t, then there’s another resource).
Furthermore, you need to tell your mom. Ask for her help, as well. If you haven’t done so, too, you should find some help and support for your Asperger’s. Organizations like the Autism Support Network (http://www.autismsupportnetwork.com/) offer assistance in a wide array of issues related to those with various forms of autism, including Asperger’s.
In short, Jacob, there is no reason for you to suffer alone with this problem, or to become frustrated by your attempts to pass math. You’ve got the will and determination, and now you just need a bit of a boost and support from your family, tutors, counselors, and online help that is out there for you!
I hope this helps! Big Bear Hugs!
Papabear
FOLLOW UP
Papabear has a bear friend in Texas who is a brilliant mathematician and teacher. So, I asked him if he had advice and he added the following:
There are a number of such organizations but they usually act locally or at least at the state blevel. Your friend needs to contact the local school system and find a program that can take him. Some charter schools deal with cases like his but a lot of them are really bad. Not all though. His best bet is to look for a local program. There should be some. Some of these are allied with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and he might check out their web site to see if they have anything in Georgia. If this guy is still in school he has every right to expect them to give him extra help. If they dont do this, he can sue them under the Americans With Disabilities act, He may need to remind the administration at his school of this. No Federal judge will accept the "we don't have any money for this excuse". The law requires them to have resources available and make providing them a priority! If he is willing to go on Second Life and has a reasonably good enough computer to handle it, then I would be willing to help him at Math Bear's school on Second Life. tell him there is no way to fake the test, he has to learn the basic mathematical concepts to succeed. He can do himself a great favor if he makes sure he knows the multiplication table well, backwords and forwards and by heart, This is absolutely if he want to succeed. He must also be able to handle all 4 fundamental operations of arithmetic with pencil and paper without using a calculator and on as non-trivial level! Single digit problems don't count. He should also know how to factor whole numbers. Finally, he needs to aware of all the numbers he runs into in real life and what they ,mean. Does the number count something? Does it measure something? Does it indicate a place in some sort of ordered list? is it just a label? (i.e. think "Chanel No. 5"). He needs to develop number sense if he wants to be able to handle math. Tell him not to be tempted to use his condition as an excuse. I once had a student in one of my Algebra2 cl;asees who had Down's Syndrome. He was determined to graduate honestly. He listened to everything I said, asked questions and took consistent notes. He did all classwork and homework. He came in after schhool everyday for me to help him. i made a few accomodations for tests but he took the same tests as the other students. He ended up getting an A- which i thought was really outstanding considering his situation.
Secret of the Stone Frog
David Nytra is a relative newcomer to the world of fantasy graphic novels. Still The Secret of the Stone Frog, his first work as a writer and illustrator, is drawing a lot of interest from fantasy collectors just prior to its release. “When Leah and Alan awaken in an enchanted forest, they have only each other and their wits to guide them. In a world of pet bees and giant rabbits, they befriend foppish lions and stone frogs, learning to confront danger as they find both their own independence and the way home. Newcomer David Nytra’s breathtaking pictures break the boundaries of imagination, sending the reader on a wild flight of fantasy while experiencing the most universal of stories: Growing up.” According to the pre-order site at Amazon, Toon Books will publish this hardcover black & white graphic novel in early September.
image c. 2012 Toon Books
Episode 32a – Buck Hopper’s 3-Peat!
Looking into commissioning a ref sheet.
So, as the title explains I'm looking for someone who can draw a ref sheet.
My previous attempt at this resulted into me not hearing any relevant info for weeks for a so said 2 day job.
I have PayPal.
Thanks in advance.
submitted by NoctisIgnem[link] [5 comments]
Irish survey seeks to discover ‘who are the furries?’
We Need Your Input: Video Games with Furry Characters
MFF Dilemma..help?
Hey guys? The people I was originally supposed to go with to MFF bailed. I can't afford to go on my own, and missing out on my first furry convention will really, really depress me. I made a promise I'd try to go, and not give up on this.
I have a room at the Con Hotel itself, and I've had it reserved for months. Is there anyone who wants a very nice, very clean, very quiet roomie for your time there?
submitted by liused[link] [1 comment]
Furries Are Awesome
First of all, I’d like to apologize for the dearth of articles, recently. It really weighs on me, and I feel that I’ve been neglecting one of my favorite things ever: writing too-long articles about animal people. Not all of my time was just sitting, twiddling my thumbs, though. I did wind up with a cool new job, and that panel for RMFC took up quite a bit of my time, actually. Most of what has been going on, though, at least in my spare time over the last few weeks, has been dealing with a few health problems that had me a little down.
My general solution to the anxiety and emotional weirdness involved with those sorts of things, when they get bad, is to seek out as many positive (pawsitive, if you will) things. The usual method is to ask on Twitter “what’s awesome right now?” I love getting the responses, hearing what people think is neat and cool, hearing all the wonderful things that are happening to people. ”Exciting new development at work for me!” ”Free bagels.” ”My coffee.” As I poke my way through the replies, though, favoriting most of them, I notice that just about every icon has a muzzle and ears. So you know what’s totally awesome to me? Furries.
A lot of what this site focuses on is not really all that negative. Zik is exploring the world of furry, JM is peeking into specific aspects of our subculture, and Klisoura is being wonderful by pulling specific data for us. (Kyell is automatically awesome, because fox; and guest authors get a free in, here.) However, the topics tend to be obviously interesting, and I’ve noticed that we do tend to approach issues from both sides, even if we wind up more firmly on one side than the other. JM’s articles on Zoophilia and cub porn both take this tack: they start with an exposition of both sides, even though they tend to come down on the positive side. It’s definitely a successful method, and it seems that a lot of our readership does appreciate the more exploratory style articles.
I’m going to take a step back, though, and just spend a few words on some blatant positivity. I really like furries. I really like being a furry. I think we are, all around, a great group of people focused on a few great core ideas, but with plenty of diversity thrown in to make sure that we lead interesting lives. We are awesome.
There’s a rhetorical technique known as hendiatris, which is one of those things which you will spot everywhere once you know about it. It means making one point through three statements. I know that it figures prominently in my own writing, but I see it everywhere. Especially in this most political of (US) seasons, the hendiatris makes a comeback. I’m going to use that here, and the reason I’m even bothering to preface that is that I want to note that I try to fit all of my articles into three categories: participation mystique (how we base a portion of our identity off our membership with the fandom), character versus self (the concept of creating and interacting via an avatar), and interaction (what we gain by being a subculture, rather than being solipsistic).
Participation MystiqueParticipation mystique is basing a portion of your identity off of membership to a group or participation in some sort of idea. I’ve written about it before, but it’s worth bringing up again specifically for the benefits that it offers within the furry community. The idea that we can structure a portion of what we consider ourselves around our membership to this sometimes quite odd subculture is quite impressive. I know that, for myself. I feel that I would be a less complete individual without the fandom.
That’s part of the issue with anything that uses the words identity, though. By their very nature, they are things that, without which, we would find it nearly impossible to picture ourselves. If I try to picture myself without furry, for instance, I come up with a blank for several parts of my day – checking Twitter, relaxing online with friends during some downtime, planning for a convention panel, or even right now, sitting and writing a meta-furry article for a blog with a giant wolf on the banner. Without furry, would I substitute that portion of my identity with something else? Would I have taken part in some other participation mystique that would have filled out the same spaces in the topology of my soul? I’m sure it’s possible. There are a lot of things that I’m interested in besides furry, to be truthful. Would I be the same person, though? Of course not.
There are, as someone mentioned to me on Twitter, inherent ties between the fandom and identity. It’s not just that I am experiencing this sort of participation mystique, many of us are. There is a certain sort of subconscious, unvoiced togetherness that we gain from sharing this mystical participation, this joining of ourselves with a group. It sounds a little cultish, when I write it out like that, but I do think it’s true. I’ve noticed that, if you run into a furry that you have never met before, there’s always at least one thing you can talk about: the ways in which you base a portion of your Self on your being a part of this larger group of animal people.
Character Versus SelfCharacter versus self is another theme that I’ve written on before. There are several ways in which we interact with the world around us, and one of the most important for us within the fandom is through our own characters, those avatars which stand for the core of our being tied with our interest in anthropomorphics, as well as our identity in the fandom. It came up during the RMFC panel that many furries can even have several different characters, as opposed to just one avatar that they keep. That we can hold that in our minds, that we can wear a mask to fit our moods and our desires, to be the type of individual we want to be, that is quite amazing, I think.
To paraphrase a friend, we put so much work and creativity into creating something that represents our most intimate of aspects, and then we wear it openly, making that the type of person with whom others should interact. You all know that I write and care about gender and all of the complexities involved with it (I can think of at least two articles that have surrounded it that I’ve written, after all), and I think that this idea of taking a personal aspect, much more personal than might be normally shared outside of the fandom, and making it a core part of the character that we create is definitely useful. Gender can often be one of those things, where one can play a character of whatever biological sex, or even gender identity, that they want here in the fandom, and have it be just fine.
Another example, and a good way to tie into the next section, is the ways in which we benefit from having an avatar through which we interact. There are, of course, varying degrees of introvert and extrovert, and beyond that, varying degrees of social anxiety. These are things that just about everyone experiences, even if it’s on the extreme far end. I can say for myself that, although I like to think of myself as reasonably extroverted, I have quite a bit of social anxiety, and it takes a lot of effort for me to have successful interactions in the world. If I’m pretending to be a fox or whatever, though, I can hide behind the fact that I’m doing just that, and the interactions go a lot smoother. Perhaps it’s just the fact that I’m interacting with other furries, but I do feel that having that layer of Who I Really Feel I Am between me and my interlocutor does provide an additional level of comfort.
InteractionThe idea of a chosen family is not a new one. I know that, at the very least, it ties into the idea of being kicked out of one’s home, and adopting a chosen family of sorts to help be the surrogates for those whom are no longer in ones lives. Even beyond that, however, I think that the idea holds true within furry. There is no one in my family with whom I am closer than some of my friends in the fandom. The fact that my chosen family here, outside of my normal family whom I still love, can continue to grow and change just tickles me pink, too. I can honestly say that, within the last two weeks, at least one additional member has been added to this family, someone with whom I am more comfortable talking to than most members of my blood-related family. This always amazes me: the mutability of who we consider family is odd enough, but within the fandom, just how quickly those relationships can grow.
I’m not alone in this at all, either. I asked on Twitter, before I started this article, what the most positive thing was that my followers could think of the fandom, and the majority of the answers revolved around the interconnectedness and relationships that spring from it. ”Made so many good friends,” “Given me [...] a husband,” “that I am not being judged or ridiculed for who I am.” These are all, to me, true signs of affection for the other members in our subculture. That we have not found, but created an area where all of these things can be the case is quite singular, to me. Of all the other subcultures to which I’d consider myself a member – programmers, musicians, awkward people – I don’t think that it’s likely that I would be able to build a friendship quite as quickly. Sure, in programming, we can debate the (de)merits of PHP, or in music we can talk about preferences for music to perform versus music to listen to. Neither of those things (thankfully) take up much of my identity, however.
See, here in our subculture, we combine all three of these levels of participation. There’s the utmost personal level of creating a part of our identity around it, there’s the level wherein we create a front-stage mask that may, in some cases, more closely relate our back-stage personas, and there’s the level where we actively participate in the little micro-world around us. So many of us have bought into the fandom (many in more ways than one) that it’s become something greater than the sum of its parts. I challenge you all to do the same and imagine where you’d be without the fandom, try and figure out what theme, idea, culture, or group, or combination thereof, could take its place, and define the borders of furry in your own lives. We really are pretty awesome.
I really am sorry for ducking out for so long, and I hope to be back soon for more posts-with-too-many-words. You all are quite amazing in your own right, but by all means, feel free to say in the comments just how the furry fandom has been awesome to you, personally! We’d love to hear some pawsitive* stories.
* HOLY MACKEREL check out THESE PAWS.
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