Students stampede out of classrooms. Halls fill with thecommotion of students rushing to their next class, catching up on the latestgossip with their friends. I don't join in, not because I don't care, but becauseI can't hear their words, only sounds.

I am deaf and attend a regularschool. It's not easy to be a minority of one - I am the only person with ahearing loss. I am near the bottom of the social ladder; how many popular peopledo you know who would befriend someone so different? People don't realizehow hard it is to participate in a simple conservation.

I sit in the frontrow and an interpreter sits near me. I feel self-conscious as I give anotherstudent carbon paper and two sheets of lined paper. I try not to feel like alleyes are on me as my interpreter begins to sign what the teacher is saying. Allmy attention is on the teacher.

In class, I have to concentrate 100% justto get all the information, while most of my peers give much less of theirattention. My sign language interpreter helps me tremendously, but I still needto devote all my focus. I also have a note-taker in every class. Many studentsmight say, "Wow! You're lucky! You don't have to do anything!" but it'sjust the opposite. I really dislike having a note-taker because it makes me feelbeholden. I can't be as independent as I would like to be.

At lunch thecafeteria is busy with students buying lunch and shouting to friends. I make abeeline toward the crowd I know best and start eating. I usually don't socializetoo much, but I can comfortably talk one-on-one with my friends. In order tocommunicate, I read their lips, which allows me some freedom. My best friend alsoknows quite a bit of sign language and helps me socialize. She's the person I cantalk to easiest. I am so lucky to have a friend like her.

If I couldexchange my hearing aids for 24 glorious hours of perfect hearing, I would gladlydo it. I wish everyone in my school could experience just one day of being deaf.After that day, they would be more compassionate and open to others, particularlythose who are different. But this is impossible, and I can only hope that now youknow hard it is to go to a regular school with a disability.