Megan: I am 3 ft 3.
I'm the size of a four year old.
People look at me and they see,
somebody that is small and disabled.
They don't give me a chance.
Morning, how are you?
My passion is teaching.
Being in the classroom, my kids are taller than me.
So it's kind of hard for them to realize,
that I'm older than them.
Kelly: Look what I found?
Was going through some old pictures here.
Megan: Wow.
Isn’t that one of our many trips on Disney.
Kelly: Yeah, dressing like a princess.
Megan: Yes, my condition is Metatropic dysplasia.
It's a very rare form of dwarfism
and in Greek it means your body's always changing,
so you don't know what's coming next.
There's only about 100 people in the world.
which is crazy to me.
I am three ft 3.
I am one of the smallest ones.
I am the size of a four year old.
Kelly: At birth we knew there was something wrong
with her just by her physical characteristics.
But it wasn't until we met with a genetic Dr. Scott,
that we were told that she had Metatropic dysplasia
a rare form of dwarfism,
just couldn't believe it. Thomas: It was a shock.
Kelly: You know, she was she was a baby.
So I went to a medical journal,
and looked up Megan's diagnosis,
and it wasn't good.
It said that she wouldn't live
through her first year of life
which was very upsetting.
Here come the tissues.
So, but we just took it a day at a time.
Thomas: We made it through the first year.
We also had really good doctors and her orthopedic surgeon at the time.
He always said that no she can do,
she can do whatever she wants. Megan: Just no contact sports.
Kelly: No contact sports. Thomas: Yeah.
Kelly: Here you are. Megan: First dance recital.
Kelly: First dance recital. Thomas: That was important that
she got out and did try to do things that
other kids were doing at the same time.
Kelly: Ice skating Megan: That was the best first place.
Kelly: First place medal.
Megan: I have to make adaptations a lot, to live in our society.
I need help physically, because it can't reach
my, my arms are restricted.
So I need help with my hair.
And don’t like to admit that stuff, but it's part of my life.
So this is a directing stick that I also use as
to open things, to get things off counters anything I need.
Kelly: On a daily basis, Megan struggles with physical care.
That's her biggest challenge throughout the day.
She needs assistance dressing and her bathing,
just because she can't extend her arms to reach her head.
Megan: I think the hardest part is the judgment that I get from people.
People don't know who I am.
They look at me and they see somebody that is small and disabled,
and they don't see the true person behind it.
They don't give me a chance.
In Middle School, the kids said I had AIDS
and nobody should sit next to me.
I wasn't great in high school. I was not the best student.
I didn't care. So I took the SATs
and I didn't do well obviously.
And my mum said well you’re going to County College and that's it.
When I met with the head of teaching at County
I knew that was the right thing and
my passion is teaching.
Kelly: We were happy Megan wanted to become a teacher.
We thought it was a profession that would suit her.
[Doorbell]
Megan: My friend Alex is coming over
and we are going to catch up since he's a teacher as well.
Alex: Hi. Megan: Hi.
Alex: How are you? Megan: Pretty good how are you?
Alex: Great, it’s been so long. Megan: I know I miss you so much.
Alex: Graduation was great getting to see you walk in front of me
to get your diploma.
Megan: Yeah, the first one and nobody knew.
Alex: It’s like any day I have, you know, bad situation in the classroom
I think how would Megan handle this?
think of how persistent you are with everything.
And always, you know, boosts my spirits.
Well, you know, when something goes wrong,
you're the first person, Megan: Yeah.
I pick up the phone and call.
Megan: With teaching the hard part is,
that some districts don't give me a chance.
They look at me and say, oh, and it's five minutes for the interview
and I'm done. I know I'm not getting that job.
I was very lucky to find a district that welcomed me.
Fist bump, fist bump. Morning,
Good morning. They're very supportive of me,
if I need something, they're right there.
It's a great positive environment where I work.
Hey, Good Morning, Eric. High five, high five thanks.
So it's kind of crazy,
being in the classroom, they
obviously my kids are taller than me.
So it's kind of hard for them to get realize
that I'm older than them and that they have to listen to me.
So I always do in the beginning of the year,
talk to them and say who I am and that
I'm just small and I am a teacher.
And we do a lesson about differences and they know who I am.
All right. Do we have a guess? One more guess.
No. What do you think? Close you ready?
Greg breaks his leg he says,
Oh, snap.
Oh snap.
Joseph: Meg’s very positive. She exemplifies never giving up.
Having a strong will. Having a grit
and not feeling sorry for herself.
She hasn't doesn't have an easy road in life, but
she doesn't ever feel sorry for herself
and always has a smile on her face.
Megan: Aaron, do you have your glasses? All right.
Can you put them on please bud?
Yeah, what did you do this weekend?
Student: We made a like a lego gingerbread house.
Megan: A Lego gingerbread house?
Student: A big version of it. Megan: No way,
there is a baby gingerbread?
Joseph: She uplifts people by her positive spirit.
She's like an inspiration to the students and staff.
Megan: I have to say I don't give myself enough credit for what I do.
Everybody says how proud are you?
I say I guess I'm proud but I am very proud of where I've gotten in life,
and where I'm going and hope to go even further
and prove everybody wrong.
Aaron you’re with Andrew.
Just never give up on yourself and be positive and keep going.
You will achieve your dreams.