Algebra 2 was so boring for Rainbow Dash. She stared out the classroom window as Ms. Harshwhinney went on about something called “imaginary numbers.” Rainbow didn’t pay attention to what she was saying. Imaginary numbers were too absurd. Rainbow couldn’t fathom why she had to learn about something that didn’t exist. This wasn’t mythology class.
She imagined flying in the clouds with the wind on her face. She was among the birds. She loved the sky and everything it had to offer. She couldn’t always go there, but sometimes, she grew wings as she ponied up. The world above the clouds had to be better than Canterlot High. The sky had no boring classes or teachers who put their students to sleep.
“Miss Dash!” Ms. Harshwhinney called, snapping Rainbow from her daydream.
“Yes, teacher?” Rainbow replied, confused.
“Do you know the square root of negative nine?” Ms. Harshwhinny asked.”
Rainbow chuckled and explained, “I’m not stupid! You can’t find the square root of negative nine because squares are always positive.”
Ms. Harshwhinney glared at Rainbow Dash. She had enough of her lack of attention. “First, Miss Dash, if you were paying attention, imaginary numbers are numbers, when squared, that have negative answers!”
“No wonder they’re called imaginary!” Rainbow said, laughing more. Algebra wasn’t just boring. It was ridiculous.
“That is enough!” Ms. Harshwhinney shouted. She took a deep breath and told Rainbow, “The answer to the question is 3i. Go to the principal’s office, now.”
Rainbow got up and walked to Principal Celestia’s office. She didn’t need algebra. She wanted to be an athlete. What kind of athlete has to know imaginary numbers or parabolas or whatever? It was all a waste of time. She knew she needed to pass the class to stay on the sports teams, but it was too hard for her. She couldn’t pay attention to anything that didn’t interest her.
She walked into the office where Principal Celestia waited. She sat down and stared at the ground. She knew she was in trouble. This wasn’t the first time she was sent here, and she knew it wasn’t going to be the last.
Principal Celestia finished typing an email before beginning. “Rainbow Dash, as I understand, you are struggling with paying attention in Algebra 2.”
Rainbow shrugged, “I guess. It’s a boring and pointless class.”
“Your grades are low to the point where you are barely passing,” Principal Celestia explained. “This isn’t the first time we had this problem. Several teachers have noticed that you struggle with sitting still and paying attention in class. Also, your English teacher is concerned about your poor spelling. High school students don’t typically misspell simple words, and they most certainly don’t misspell their name.”
“I get it! I’m stupid!” Rainbow shouted, angrily. She got up and stormed towards the door.
Principal Celestia stopped her before she left, “Rainbow, sit back down.” Rainbow did as she was told, but she supported her head with her arm. “You are not stupid. Have you ever been tested for ADHD or dyslexia?”
Rainbow shook her head. “I never told my parents I struggled with reading, and they just thought I was just a naturally active kid.”
Principal Celestia looked through the student information sheets until she found Rainbow’s. “I’m going to call your father and see if he could meet with us on a future date.”
Rainbow nodded, but she didn’t say a word. She rocked back and forth in her chair as she looked around the room. She slightly smiled as she saw Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna together with the words “best sisters” written underneath. She was an only child. She never knew what it was like to have a sibling. She imagined what it would be like to have a sister she could care for.
“We’re going to have a meeting tomorrow in the morning,” Principal Celestia announced, bringing Rainbow back to reality. “Go to the counseling office instead of your first class. I will tell the teacher just in case you forget.”
“Alright,” Rainbow replied. She had nothing else to say.
“Go back to class,” Principal Celestia instructed.
Rainbow left the office, but she took her time getting back to class. She was worried about the meeting tomorrow. She knew it was an IEP meeting. She heard that students who struggled with normal classes had IEP meetings before being placed in special ed. If she did have ADHD and dyslexia, there would be no doubt that she would be placed there. She would at least have accommodations to help her. As long as she could pass her classes, she was willing to do almost anything.
Individualized Education Program
The next morning, Spectrum Winds, Rainbow’s father, drove her to school. Rainbow often took the bus, but her father offered to give her a ride since he would need to be at the school as well. Her mother, Firefly, had to work and couldn’t make it to the meeting.
During the car ride, Rainbow stared out the window for most of the car ride. Her eyes moved up to the skies which were full of birds soaring freely. Rainbow imagined the feeling of soaring and being free from all the worries of life.
The car entered the parking lot of Canterlot High, and the school obstructed Rainbow’s view of the sky. She snapped out of her daydream and followed her father into the school. She waited outside the principal’s office as her father got a visitor’s badge. As she waited, she twiddled her thumbs and looked around at everything. There was nothing big coming up, so the halls lacked decoration. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop her from being distracted.
She was so fixated on the walls that she didn’t notice her father calling her name. He had to go up to her and slightly shake her shoulder to get her attention. Then, they both walked to the counseling office without saying a word.
“Hello, Spectrum Winds, Rainbow Dash,” Principal Celestia greeted. “Please take a seat.”
There were several empty seats, but they sat next to the staff. Principal Celestia, Vice Principal Luna, Miss Cheerilee, and Mr. Donkey were all there. Principal Celestia gave Rainbow and her father packets of paper. Spectrum skimmed over his packet, but Rainbow didn’t touch hers.
“Before we begin, I have to say that Rainbow Dash is a great student,” Vice Principal Luna complimented. “She is the team captain in every sport and the leader of the Rainbooms, the band that won the Battle of the Bands. She was also the student who motivated us before the Friendship Games.”
“She is very loyal to her friends and her school,” Principal Celestia added.
Rainbow grinned as she listened to how great she was.
Principal Celestia cleared her throat. “The reason we’re here is not about how great Rainbow is. We’re here to discuss educational goals with her. She is struggling with the academic areas. Her teachers have said that she often sleeps, stares out the window, or taps her pencil on her desk. Her grades are suffering due to her lack of attention.”
“Rainbow also struggles with reading,” Miss Cheerilee added. “When she reads in class, she has trouble with making out what the words say.”
Principal Celestia nodded, “That’s another thing we need to go over. Rainbow shows to have Dyslexia, as well as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, or ADHD for short. Without a proper diagnosis, we can’t say for sure. Nevertheless, we will use the educational plan for students with ADHD and Dyslexia and change things if needed.”
“Rainbow is an active girl by nature,” Spectrum stated. He looked over at Principal Celestia. “Last time I was here, you also mentioned how she ran in the halls and moved her legs under her desk as if she was running during class.”
“That is why I made a suggestion for her to run laps before class started,” Mr. Donkey added. “She is very energetic, and using a lot of energy before class may help.”
Vice Principal Luna agreed, “That was a great suggestion.” She picked up her packet. “Rainbow Dash will need to sit away from the window and in the front row. We can’t get rid of all distractions, but we can make it easier for her to focus.”
“We will also let her use an audio recorder to record the lessons during class,” Principal Celestia added. “We will also make sure Rainbow is more involved in class so she is less likely to be bored.”
“What are you planning on doing about her Dyslexia?” Spectrum asked.
“What can they do?” Rainbow muttered.
Principal Celestia looked over at Rainbow. “What we can do is give you access to the audio versions of textbooks. During assignments, you can also have the option of picking a word from the word bank rather than filling in the blanks. For those times where written response is required, you will be given more space, and your spelling will not affect your grade. The assignments and tests will have larger print to help as well.”
Miss Cheerilee explained, “I don’t usually like to put friends together, but seating Rainbow Dash next to Applejack may also help her. Applejack is a great role model, and she will help Rainbow pay attention.”
“Yes!” Rainbow cheered.
Miss Cheerilee gave Rainbow a serious look. “You know she isn’t going to let you fall asleep, right?”
Rainbow chuckled slightly. “You got a point there.”
“Rainbow Dash qualifies for special education,” Mr. Donkey stated. “If the parent and student agree, she will go to my class during homeroom from now on. If you believe this will be beneficial, please sign this paper.” He handed Spectrum the paper.
Spectrum signed the paper and handed it to Rainbow, who hesitated to sign it. She needed help, and she knew it. She also heard a lot of bad stuff about special ed students. She decided to sign it anyways. She figured that someone as awesome as herself needing extra help may help other students ask for help themselves.
The signing concluded the first IEP meeting. Spectrum Winds returned home, and Rainbow Dash went to her second class. For the rest of the day, nothing extraordinary happened. None of her teachers were notified of her IEP. The only change was in Miss Cheerilee’s class, where she moved Rainbow to the front row next to Applejack.
When it was time to go to her home room, she went to the special ed class. Snips and Snails were coloring pictures of snails, Derpy was watching TV, and Trixie sat alone in the kitchen. To her surprise, she also saw Rarity, who was reading a Shadow Spade book. She decided to sit next to her. No matter what anyone thought of her, she didn’t have to face this alone. Even the best struggle at times.
Author's Note
I am not saying Rainbow Dash is lame because she is in special ed. I was in special ed when I was in high school.
I don't now the official name of Rainbow's father, if he has one.
In this story, Trixie is schizophrenic, and Rarity has OCD. (It's not stated in the story, but that was what I had in mind wrote this.)
