Posts Tagged ‘public education’
The School is on Lockdown
My son’s teacher sent me a beautiful picture of my son with his classmates outside and enjoying the day a few minutes before I headed to pick him up. They had an egg hunt today at school and colored Easter eggs. Upon arrival, I was greeted by a police officer telling me that my son could not leave the building. (Special Needs pick up is 30 minutes prior to school letting out) I was hysterical. He said I could sit in the lobby or wait in my car and explained…
Read MoreA Letter to “Those Special Education Parents”
Dear “Those Special Education Parents”, You may know who you are and you may not. You’re the parents that previous teachers warn the following teacher about before transition IEP meetings or in emails about an upcoming move to a different school. Administrators are aware of you too and they attend meetings that you’ll be at, even if their attendance is not required. And why have you received the label of “those Special Education Parents?” Because you advocate for the services your child deserves. Earlier this year, I had an IEP…
Read MoreThank You Autism
Ever since the age of 7, when I got the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” my response has always been “A teacher!”. I was one of the lucky ones who never had a single doubt about what I wanted to be, I went to college with a plan, in four years I would be in a classroom full of 20 or so little smiling faces that I would get to call my class! It only took me one semester to figure out that being…
Read MoreA Teacher’s Message to Parent’s of Autistic Children
Often I read real life stories of what life is like for parents of children with Autism. As a teacher who works with children with AU, I would like to say I am here for them too. To the parents that trust me with their most prized possession for 6-8 hours a day I am grateful to you. I am grateful that you trust me, that you support me, that you can see when progress is made (and when it is not, because that is even more important). I wake…
Read MoreSometimes it Really Hits Me
Autism has been a part of my life for 20 years. I have 2 sons with Autism. I feel like I know it well. I’m comfortable now. I’m in a groove. There were hard, hard days for many years. Sleepless nights (literally); stress, grief, and confusion as to how to navigate this new life. I remember one day in particular during Spring Break….my kids were home from school, and I was literally loosing my mind. My son was in rare form. I couldn’t leave him alone for 2 seconds. After…
Read MoreTo my Son’s School District
I registered my son for school today. I drove five minutes from my house on this cold winter morning and walked into the office with all of our forms: his birth certificate, our utility bills, his physical. This school is a large part of our community. It’s the only school in town, and it’s a one school district. It’s where I always envisioned my son starting school. But today, when I walked into that office, I knew I wouldn’t be coming back and that my son will probably never even…
Read MoreA Parent’s Worst Nightmare
Lately, there have been an alarming number of stories in the news about special needs children being physically and verbally abused at school. I read them daily. I see them because I have a child with special needs and I follow people and pages that share these stories. Many times, they don’t make the front page paper. They aren’t featured on the news. I don’t know why either. Just another reason why our kids feel like second rate citizens. Everyone needs to be outraged about child abuse. Not just the…
Read MoreMy Kid is Not a Monster
This piece was shared with me by Danielle of Story of Noahism. I read an awful story this morning and I’m sure some of you in this community have too. The one about a young boy with autism that was dragged through the hallways of his school by a teacher/para. Another one these stories that we seem to be hearing more and more of lately. As a parent to a child on the spectrum, these things are terrifying and heartbreaking. And I made the mistake of reading the comments on…
Read MoreThe Woman Who Makes my Son Successful
I’m writing to honor our son Kash’s school paraprofessional, Susan Reed. We are so very thankful for the long hours and hard work Susan puts in to make Kash successful. We are a family of five. My husband Kyle and I are the parents to three incredible little boys. Our oldest, Kash is severely autistic and nonverbal. We reside in a small Texas community where I was raised. When Kash was diagnosed, we decided to move here because we knew our little town would love Kash unconditionally and embrace him.…
Read MoreI Never Knew that IEPs Would be so Hard
Autism is a journey. It is a journey in a foreign land. When you arrive there is no map, no travel guide, and no book of language translation. You start to wander aimlessly looking for anything or anyone that looks familiar. Someone or something that can point you in the right direction. You stumble and fall. You cry, kick the ground, and sit there determined that you can’t do this. You are overwhelmed, disappointed, and discouraged. You don’t want to be here you want to go home. Home is a…
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