Dear John: Letters from Angela—ToC

Might this be a useful guide for readers...and maybe a place to drop comments about the entire series of posts?

Jan 19

In December of 2021 I began a month-long series of posts about correspondence with a former student named Angela. I worked as an assistant teacher for Angela in the mid-late 1960s. The correspondence comes from the early 1990s.

This is a chronological catalog of the SET posts. Most of them are typed copies of Angela’s actual, handwritten letters. I hope that they provide readers a a first-person glimpse into the life of an individaul with disabilities.

—JohnL 19 January 2022

Special Education Today

Dear John: Letters from Angela—1

[This is the first in an extended series of posts that, I hope, illuminate the life of an individual with disabilities. The content is actual letters that a former student sent me; as I’ll explain in the next entry, they are literal transcriptions. Rather than tell you my story, let Angela tell you her own story. I’ll provide context in subsequent posts…

8 months ago · 4 likes · John Wills Lloyd

Special Education Today

Dear John: Letters from Angela—2

[I posted a note that was essentially the content of a letter I received from a student whom I knew in the mid 1960s. In this post, I give a bit of context. After this message, I’ll return to letting Angela tell her own story.—JohnL] Angela was a child I first met when she was about seven years old and I was volunteering in a primary age classroom for ch…

8 months ago · 2 likes · John Wills Lloyd

Special Education Today

Dear John: Letters from Angela—3

[This is the third in a series of posts recollecting a student, Angela, whom I knew when I was first working in special education. Most of the posts are literal copies of letters Angela sent me, but this one is my recolletions that I hope provide context. The posts are numbered sequentially, so readers can recognize them by their titles. —JohnL…

8 months ago · 3 likes · John Wills Lloyd

Special Education Today

Dear John: Letters from Angela—4

[This is the fourth installment of the series featuring correspondence with a former student, Angela. In this one Angela introduces and fellow student, Patsy, with whom she became great pals. I redacted some identifying language. Please note that in this letter, Angela gave me permission to share her letters. I’ll recount more about this permission in a…

8 months ago · 2 likes · John Wills Lloyd

Special Education Today

Dear John—Letters from Angela—5

May 21, 1990 Dear John, How are you doing? I did not mean to complain about the job. It was just stress. Things are a lot better. Part of the problem was that I’ve had not been feeling well in the last few months. I was really moddy, and cranky and had abdominal pains until the last straw fell. I’ve had to go into the Emergency Room…

8 months ago · 1 like · John Wills Lloyd

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Dear John: Letters from Angela—6

December 26, 1990 Dear John: How are you doing? It was good talking to you on the phone a week and a half ago, and I just want to thank you for sending the article on learning disability and adults. It did not bring me down, but in fact I feel a lot better after reading it because I do not feel that I am the only one struggling with this. I woul…

8 months ago · 4 likes · 1 comment · John Wills Lloyd

Special Education Today

Dear John—Letters from Angela—7

November 7, 1991 Dear John, I am very sorry that I've lost touch with you because I've been through a lot in the past year since January 1991. How are you doing? Well I'm doing better, but this past Janauary I've had another major depressive episode with agitation and hyperactivity, but I've been stablized now for 3 months which is great. After I rec…

8 months ago · 2 likes · John Wills Lloyd

Special Education Today

Dear John: Letters from Angela—8

Jan 22, 1992 Dear John, How are you doing? Well it's going to be three weeks tomorrow being back in Southern California. I did had a nice time in New York, but it would of been better because number one I've gotten hurt emotionally by my Aunt [redacted]. Aunt [redacted] was very drunk at the time when she said some very hurtful things to me. It took …

8 months ago · 1 like · John Wills Lloyd

Special Education Today

Dear John: Letters from Angela—9

Feb 10, 1992 Dear John, It was good talking to you the phone two weeks ago. How are you? I’m sorry to complain too much in the last letter about my hurt in New York and about my Depression. I am doing a lot better now. I am more stablize. Well I made it through the first three weeks of my evaluation. I’ve did food service for the three weeks. I …

7 months ago · 1 like · 1 comment · John Wills Lloyd

Special Education Today

Dear John: Letters from Angela—10

When I first met Angela, I was an 18-year-old who knew about 2 on a scale of 100 about kids with disabilities. I’d volunteered to work as a helper in swimming instruction for kids with visual disabilities when I was about 14 years old; that was it! I was naive. But I learned a lot quickly thanks to new friends. Here’s a quick recap…

7 months ago · 2 likes · John Wills Lloyd

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Special Education Today

Dear John: Letters from Angela—ToC

Might this be a useful guide for readers...and maybe a place to drop comments about the entire series of posts?

Ready for more?