Aspen

let’s go home.

redraw from 2020, original under the cut

I cannot express how rigid this expectation was. First of all, with my condition, I wouldn’t have enough warning about my sickness to go to the doctor and request a note. For many people, this is exceptionally difficult, especially with the current shortage of medical professionals. Next, it ignores the fact that my schedule may not line with theirs because of my medical needs. Once, I had to visit a hospital a province away (which I was on the waiting list of for over a year) on the same day as an exam. I begged my mother not to take me because I was so nervous that I would be marked as an automatic fail. I was lucky enough to make it work, but that’s only because of my spectacular support system consisting of family members and wonderful doctors.

i got covid recently and it killed my immune system for like a month and a half. i kept getting sick back to back or every other week, and not only was i sick, but i also have a close friend who is immunocompromised so i really couldn't go to school. and yet they didn't count some of my excused absence notes from doctors. so now i am pushing 10 absences. and this is coming from someone who has urgent care covered by medicaid! im fortunate enough to be able to get a drs note when needed and im still on the edge of failing my classes, as when you get 11 absences in a course, you fail it. and if you don't want that, you have to do community service.

and then suddenly my calf decided not to want to fucking work (i believe it was an overuse injury?) and so i could not really walk for a day, and when i got to school the next day walking was so damn painful. but i had to suck it up cause i have 10 absences!

this is not even considering the fact i had to get checked out the first day of my period every period and potentially miss school the second day due to just how fucking painful it is. but nope! not excused. it only took until the fourth time this happened for me to get on bc. so this whole compulsory attendance thing is fucked.

and this is coming from someone who is able to go to the dr because of medicaid. this isnt even the worst of the worst. this shit is rigged and people with perfect attendance scare me actually

another thing with schools is that teachers are all-too-willing to completely spray the whole room down (or get a student to) with very strong smelling perfume/cologne/other smell sprays when it smells mildly unpleasant (such as if someone farts). and they NEVER have asked at all if anyone in the class has asthma or another breathing issue. so im like getting hotboxed in a classroom and it actually makes it 20x harder to breathe than whatever fart there was on the other side of the room. they really need to make asking this kind of thing mandatory