A warm welcome for Lucy
Posted on 01/15/2003 1:16:05 AM PST by MeekOneGOP
A warm welcome for Lucy
'Just because she's not average doesn't mean she's not normal'
01/15/2003
It's never easy being the new kid in school.
But for Lu Chiu-Ting, whose English is limited to a few phrases, including "OK, bye-bye," "potty" and "telephone," school is particularly challenging.
At 29 inches tall, the 9-year-old is about half the size of her classmates and can barely see over the top of the school desks.
But to third-grade students at Southlake's Florence Elementary School, Chiu-Ting, or Lucy, as she is now called, is a hero who towers over adversity.
Lucy is a dwarf. Born in Taiwan, she was abandoned by her parents and had been raised by nuns in an orphanage. Her adoption by a rural Southlake couple was approved in Taiwan last month, and she arrived in Texas just before Christmas.
When Florence Elementary's newest student arrived for class last week, it was natural for the kids to be curious, principal Mark Martin said.
"And that's OK," he said. "But then we asked the kids, 'Wouldn't it be nicer if we smiled and waved at Lucy rather than stared at her?' That way she'd feel welcomed."
So, on her first day, Lucy was greeted by friendly smiles and a few shouts of "Hey, Lucy!" and "How's it going?" The kids reached down to give her an occasional high five.
They take turns being her "buddy" and walking her to and from the cafeteria. One student carries a mini stepladder so she can sit at the lunch table with them.
Still, there are some things she must do alone - such as climbing the short flight of stairs to class. She struggles with each step, dragging behind a backpack almost as tall as she is. Halfway up, she must stop to rest.
"Lucy is very brave," classmate Emily Waldron said after she helped Lucy through the lunch line. "She is in a new country, and she doesn't know the language. I can't imagine what that would be like. It must be very, very hard."
At recess, a group of girls formed a circle around Lucy to play catch. When Lucy got tired, she dropped to her knees and rolled the ball instead. Without a word, her classmates squatted on the ground and followed suit.
"It's too hard for Lucy to throw the ball up to us. This is easier for her," one student explained.
Like many third-grade girls, Lucy loves playing computer games, watching DVDs and painting her fingernails. A reserved child who rarely speaks above a whisper, Lucy burst into laughter when an interpreter slipped up.
A better life
Her parents, Wes and Sandy Rapp, are also dwarfs. They said they adopted Lucy because they wanted to give her a better life. They know firsthand what it's like to be a little person in a big person's world.
That's why Mrs. Rapp met with school officials before Lucy arrived.
"They needed to know what Lucy was capable of, not her limitations," said the 49-year-old, who works for a flight simulation company in Arlington. "Lucy may be small, but she's not a baby. And she shouldn't be treated like one. She's smart, and we didn't want a teacher who would go easy on her."
Robin Harrison agreed. The teacher said Lucy's biggest challenge would be learning English. She will take English-as-a-second-language classes in the morning and spend the afternoon in Mrs. Harrison's third-grade class.
Mrs. Rapp also explained dwarfism to Lucy's classmates.
"I told them there is something wrong with our bones that keep them from growing to an average height," Mrs. Rapp said. "But I also explained that there is a difference between average and normal. Lucy is not average height, but she is a normal person."
Then the class talked about ways to help. Students are visiting other classes to talk about Lucy. They are also labeling objects throughout the campus in English at Lucy's eye level to help her develop her vocabulary.
"They came up with the idea of building a platform for Lucy's small desk," Mrs. Harrison said. "They want to raise her desk to their level so she would not have to sit by herself. They also suggested building steps leading up to the chalkboard so Lucy could reach it without having to stand on a chair."
Other obstacles
But taking care of Lucy's physical needs is only half the battle.
Mrs. Rapp knows that no matter how hard she and her husband work to protect their daughter, there are always those who will tease or taunt her.
In the lunchroom on Lucy's first day, for example, two boys from another class laughed when they saw her.
Jonathan Hardner ran to tell Mrs. Harrison, who reminded him of Mrs. Rapp's explanation. The 9-year-old said he took a deep breath and walked over to the older boys.
"I told them it wasn't nice to laugh at Lucy," Jonathan said. "I told them they wouldn't like it if anyone were to laugh at them. Lucy's just like us.
"Just because she's not average doesn't mean she's not normal."
It's a lesson that is likely to be repeated throughout the year.
And it's one that doesn't go unnoticed. The community is doing its part to help. Parents have dropped off meals for the Rapps. The owners of a neighborhood Chinese restaurant have invited the family over for dishes from Lucy's homeland.
And the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of Dallas/Fort Worth has invited Lucy to be a special guest at its Lunar New Year celebration on Feb. 1, when it will present her with a $500 scholarship.
Lucy is indeed a special girl, the school's principal said.
"And we're happy to have her," Mr. Martin said. "But we have 610 very special students, and they are all heroes."
This story also appears in the Northeast Tarrant Morning News.
E-mail ewu@dallasnews.com
Is that one of those self-esteem building statements? :-)
Not only do I now have Randy Newman's song stuck in my head, I also have an urge to watch re-runs of Taxi. LOL
Fantastic. She'll add an undeniably heroic quality to the Southlake education experience. Now, is that phrase actually "OK, bye-bye," or is it "OK" and "bye-bye?" One interpretation is much more heroic than the other.
LOL ! Are you talkin' 'bout THIS song?
(links to website with the theme)...
http://timstvshowcase.com/
Short People got no reason
Short People got no reason
Short People got no reason
To live
They got little hands
And little eyes
And they walk around
Tellin' great big lies
They got little noses
And tiny little teeth
They wear platform shoes
On their nasty little feet
Well, I don't want no Short People
Round here ...
They got little baby legs
And they stand so low
You got to pick 'em up
Just to say hello
They got little cars
That go beep, beep, beep
They got little voices
Goin' peep, peep, peep
They got grubby little fingers
And dirty little minds
They're gonna get you every time
Source.
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