For my first blog post, I wanted to detail a few aspects of my life, but first, here is a disclaimer:

My name is not McKenna.

Yes, I know, this blog is about my life, but, for personal reasons, I want to keep this blog anonymous. Also, I think it is better for you, the reader, to envision who I am yourself. Keeps this blog exciting, in a way.

I am a young female, who goes to a large high school in central New Jersey. I am part of a family, which consists of my mom, Susan; my dad, Steven; and, most importantly, my sister, Malika.

And yes, all of their names are fake as well.

My family is middle class; we live in a nice neighborhood. In our town, half the population is Asian and there is a good amount of Caucasians, Latinos, and African Americans, with a sprinkle of other races and ethnicities. Our community is very diverse and accepting, but the main issue is its large size. It is almost impossible for your voice to be heard in my town unless you constantly scream.

Malika goes to one of two middle schools my town has and is in a class of around 10 children, with one main teacher and two paraprofessionals. Her main issue is that she is unable to focus or grasp concepts; she has a learning disability, which is not that bad considering that I have seen children who are worse off and need more help. But still, there are many students who function better than her.

The thing about being on the spectrum is that every student is different and has different issues. It is almost impossible for each and every one of them to get a high quality education that is tutored for their needs in a large public school district, which is the main problem. There has to be changes made, either within the school district, or with the way my family approaches her learning.

My parents, especially my father, Steven, do not want me to be concerned about my sister’s education; my father wants me to go to college and live my life for myself.

But, how can I not be concerned? It’s my sister’s education that we are talking about. It is my sister’s problems and issues. And it is incredibly hard for me to ignore this. Which is why I am writing this blog, discussing the issues with my sister and her education, my school district, and myself. Trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle.