Wendy Madnick:
CLASS OF 1981
El Camino Real High SchoolClass of 1981
Woodland hills, CA
Wilmot Junior High SchoolClass of 1977
Deerfield, IL
Wendy's Story
Life
Life's been very interesting, I must say. In the past five years I've gone from being a local journalist in Los Angeles (see my old stuff at the Los Angeles Jewish Journal website) to a brief stint as a communications manager for Cure Autism Now to returning to school for a whole new career. Yes, for my midlife crisis I decided to pursue a lifelong dream and now I am...teaching! At our rival high school! And it only cost slightly more than a new convertible. :D
In between it all I got divorced and remarried; I fought a battle with cancer and won, and now I am continuing my quest to help other parents of children with special needs. I have two amazing sons: Ben, 11, and Alexander, 7. Ben was diagnosed with high functioning autism when he was 2.5 and also has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease. Don't feel sad for him though -- he doesn't let it get him down. (Which is why he is amazing). His little brother, Alexander, walks that thin line between Asperger's and ADHD which so many parents have come to know, but he reads at two years above grade level and is, in his words, one of the "funnest" kids around.
For those just learning, in the time between Ben's diagnosis in 1998 and today, the number of ...Expand for more
kids being diagnosed with autism jumped from 1 in 500 to 1 in 150. No one knows why, although the fact that so many kids with autism, like Ben, also have one or more autoimmunie disorders points to an environmental cause, either chemical or viral. What it all translates to is that more and more people know someone who has a child with autism. Since I can't address the cause, my aim is to build compassion and awareness. Autism does not mean a child is dangerous, mentally retarded or does not desire friends. On the contrary, these kids can make wonderful, loyal friends and contribute to their families and communities, if given the chance.
As for the rest of my story, well, I'm sure there are even more adventures to come. Stay tuned!
School
Biggest crush: Not at ECR.
Teachers who inspired me: Ms. Cuppari, it is all your fault that I am now teaching high school English. (Although I also place some of the blame on Ms. Berkowitz and Mr. Shapiro).
And while it was often fun, no, I would not want to do high school again. College -- in a heartbeat. But high school? I see what my students go through and am thankful that I was in school at the time we were, with only the vague threat of the Soviet Union over our heads.
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