A Big Fish in a Puddle

Summary

• Like many kids, Brian does not look forward to the start of the school year. 
• However, he relishes the first few days because it gives him a chance to be a slacker with no repercussions. 

• The start of this year has a unique twist. A project turns from a waste of time to a valuable opportunity for Brian to change his outlook for this year and many other years to come. 

I can never decide how I felt about the first couple of weeks of school. On one hand, you basically just had to show up. On the other hand, I missed out on videogames, TV, and the closest thing I will ever have to complete freedom. 

Yeah, it was hard to say goodbye to watching Jerry Springer all afternoon as South Park all night. But this year, I got the chance. The chance I was looking for. I would be able to show off the fish I caught over the summer. 

Even without my grandpa, I definitely kicked but when it came to fishing this summer. 

Once the other kids saw how awesome I was at fishing, it would give me a chance to shine. I would finally have the path I needed to fit in. 

I wasted no time. I was going to crush this project and start the school year off right. Our class went down to the computer lab. I guess the teacher was trying to kill two birds with one stone. Keep us busy and help us build our computer skills. 

When I wasn't watching TV in the summer I was reading about fishing on the Internet. I printed off pictures of fish that were almost as big as the ones I caught. Then typed up the short summary to go with each picture. 

In 15 minutes, I was done. Then something great happened. The other kids could tell that my catches were pretty impressive. My pictures began to catch their attention and a few guys gathered around wanting to hear how I caught so many big fish. 

This may be the chance I've been waiting for. This little project could change the trajectory of my school year. Would this be the best fish story of my life?  

Real World Impact 

• Finding your path toward fitting in can be a struggle whether you do or don’t have a disability, yet without a disability, it is easier. 
• Like so many Brian doesn’t think about how seamless and effortless it is to access technology.  In doing so how much easier it is for him to fit in as well