A hole in school reunions

[@M]

Do the students that were in Special Ed ever attend your high school reunions? That question was part of the Pastor's sermon I livestreamed/recorded at work yesterday morning (in the context of Luke 14:1, 7-14, inviting the poor/crippled/blind/lame to the banquet table). I'd never really considered that before, but, it's true that those people tend to mostly vanish from our lives after high school, unless they happen to also be family, friends, etc. Kind of sad really.

And yes, M was in Special Ed and resents not being invited to the reunions, har-de-har-har.

 

[StevenK]

I don't know why anyone would attend a high school reunion

 

[@M]

To reminisce, see old friends/enemies and how they made out in life, who's still alive and who died, etc.

 

[BeefJerky]

To reminisce, see old friends/enemies and how they made out in life, who's still alive and who died, etc.

You can't do that via Facebook?

 

[norton9478]

Went to my 10 year. Pretty sure that some of the people there got thier IEP rather than a State or Local diploma.

 

[sirlynxalot]

I guess this depends on why someone is special ed, but as for the kids who have severe developmental disabilities, do they actually "graduate"? There were kids with severe developmental disabilities at my highschool, some of who could not talk or who could only talk and understand conversations at a very elementary level. These people didn't really attend classes and receive grades. I don't remember if any of them were part of my class graduation celebration. I got the idea this was a temporary daycare kind of thing for them until the state starts picking up the tab when they turn 18 and can be considered emancipated from their parents for financial matters.

 

[StevenK]

I guess this depends on why someone is special ed, but as for the kids who have severe developmental disabilities, do they actually "graduate"? There were kids with severe developmental disabilities at my highschool, some of who could not talk or who could only talk and understand conversations at a very elementary level. These people didn't really attend classes and receive grades. I don't remember if any of them were part of my class graduation celebration. I got the idea this was a temporary daycare kind of thing for them until the state starts picking up the tab when they turn 18 and can be considered emancipated from their parents for financial matters.

They hoard protos now

 

[@M]

I guess this depends on why someone is special ed, but as for the kids who have severe developmental disabilities, do they actually "graduate"? There were kids with severe developmental disabilities at my highschool, some of who could not talk or who could only talk and understand conversations at a very elementary level. These people didn't really attend classes and receive grades. I don't remember if any of them were part of my class graduation celebration. I got the idea this was a temporary daycare kind of thing for them until the state starts picking up the tab when they turn 18 and can be considered emancipated from their parents for financial matters.

Some good points. I'm not certain if they're all given diplomas or not, but, I know that some of the less impaired ones do graduate. I used to work tutoring adults with mental/physical disabilities (one of which I later found out was the Mother of a woman I dated--awkward!), and many of them were quite advanced in age and just perpetually went to school forever until they died or were no longer physically capable of doing so, I'm guessing as a condition of getting Social Security/disability maybe? Or perhaps just for the socialization aspect.

 

[100proof]

You can't do that via Facebook?

Yeah, Facebook made reunions irrelevant. Curious if your high school girlfriend is still hot or became a fat slob? That information's a click away.

 

[Heinz]

I'd be lucky to even remember their names at this point.

 

[Arcademan]

Didn't care much for the folks 40 years ago...why care about them now

 

[StevenK]

I'd be lucky to even remember their names at this point.

Dazza, Wazza, Tezza, Bazza, Gazza, Sheila?

 

[Neo Alec]

Sounds very condescending in the context of Luke 14:1, 7-14. I have to assume your pastor doesn't know anyone from special ed if he had to ask the question at all.

 

[@M]

He recently went to his 50th reunion, and thinking about the subject of the sermon, on the drive back, before he wrote it, he suddenly realized that none of those Special Ed kids were ever there, throughout his life, nor invited.

 

[wyo]

I don't know why anyone would attend a high school reunion

For a chance to bang the slags

 

[LoneSage]

Yeah, Facebook made reunions irrelevant. Curious if your high school girlfriend is still hot or became a fat slob? That information's a click away.

[REDACTED]

 

[@M]

That part of the Bible is about where one sits at a banquet, hubris and humility, and whom one should invite to your table and motivations for doing so. The larger theme he was addressing was that we are all figuratively lame/crippled/blind in mortal life, yet God still invites us to his eternal table, despite our failings, and that we should emulate him in our dealings with each other.

I'm not a Christian, and I'm not trying to preach anything here, just explaining where the Pastor said he was coming from. I thought it was a pretty good sermon and it really made me think about how we often completely forget about the disabled people we've known in our lives unless we're dealing with them directly.

 

[100proof]

If you're not a Christian, why are you wasting time listening to sermons? You'd get better life advice from a fortune cookie (particularly if you add "in bed" to the end).

 

[@M]

Reread my first post: I was working. I operate the digital camcorder, laptop, and projector during sermons, filming/livestreaming them.

 

[terry.330]

I'd be lucky to even remember their names at this point.

Yup. My graduating class was like 350 kids, maybe 10% of that are people I actually knew. Of that 10% there are maybe 5 people I'd actually still care to talk to, which I can and sometimes do on FB.

I've bumped into tons of people from HS that still live around here and never recognized a single one but they all seem to remember me. I don't need those people in my life and I don't give a shit about what they're doing now. No way would I voluntarily spend time with them just to make idle chit-chat and look at pictures of their stupid kids.

As for SE kids I doubt they'd even want to see all the regular students that probably treated them like shit 20+ years ago.

I think M lives in some sort of alternate reality.

 

[Lastblade]

Most of the guys from my high school now look like Santa Claus, so unless the reunion is scheduled in December, I am not going.

 

[LoneSage]

If you're not a Christian, why are you wasting time listening to sermons? You'd get better life advice from a fortune cookie (particularly if you add

[REDACTED]

 

[NeoSneth]

I went to a small town HS that was about 50% military kids and 50% farm kids. The smaller group made reunions interesting at first. Our special ed people were pretty chill, and they were invited and respected.
The 5 year was everyone getting way too drunk and smashing.
10 yr was pretty similar.
Then i stopped going.

 

[100proof]

Reread my first post: I was working. I operate the digital camcorder, laptop, and projector during sermons, filming/livestreaming them.

I read it. You could be doing literally anything else while the guy blathers on.

Congrats on no longer having to stare death in the face all day at the old folks home. I guess.

 

[SignOfGoob]

High School absolutely sucks therefore I never went to an reunion. All I ever wanted was out. I applaud the special ed kids for not being there, regardless of the reason.