A Letter About the Time My Kindergarten Teacher Asked If I was Retarded

Dear Friend,

I want to tell you a story. One of those quiet, formative ones. The kind you don’t realize shaped you until you’re staring down the barrel of another hard day, wondering why your chest feels like it’s bracing for impact.

When I started kindergarten, I was afraid to say “Here” during roll call. Not because I didn’t know the word. But because s…