Posts Tagged ‘Special Education’
I 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…
Read MoreI’m Thankful for My Son’s Para
My name is Corinne and I am the proud mom of an 11 year old boy named Dante, AKA…Mini. He was diagnosed low functioning and non verbal at the age of three. We have had many paras over the years but none who compare to our Ms. Jennifer. Ms. Jennifer came to us when mini was seven and the immediate bond between them was amazing! She was able to get him to do things we were told he would never be able to do. She is the most kind and…
Read MoreIncluding the ‘Different’ Kids
Below is a snippet of a recent conversation with Bubba Man on the way home from picking him up from a class trip to an amusement park: “Hey, Buddy. Did you have fun today?” “Yep.” “What rides did you go on?” (he literally told me all 11 rides, in order, and spared no detail). “That’s awesome! Who did you ride with?” “Oh, I rode by myself.” “Really? Well, who did you eat lunch with?” “I ate alone.” “Hmm. Well, who did you sit with on the bus?” “I sat alone.”…
Read MoreThankful for my Son’s Second Family
Have you ever prayed so hard for something and when God answers your prayer it is the opposite of what you expected. Then when you look back it was the biggest blessing that you ever experienced? I remember the day so clearly. It was a beautiful Friday in August. We were on our way to Green Bay to celebrate Chad’s nephew’s birthday. As our car was pulling out of the driveway, my phone rang. It was Katie, one of the supervisors at WEAP. She was calling to say that they…
Read MoreThankful to the Aide that Made a Difference
This November I am thankful for the aide that made a difference in my son’s life. The aides that work with our kiddos definitely don’t get the thanks they deserve. A little bit about our family…My husband Gary and I have been married for 12 years. We met working as Firefighters. I am now a stay at home mom and advocate for our son Andrew. Gary is a full time firefighter/paramedic along with a councilperson for the Village we reside in. We have twins who recently turned 9 years old.…
Read MoreYou are More Than Just Teachers; You are Family
When I was 18 weeks pregnant with my oldest child I started researching daycare centers. I visited a few and while they were all beautiful, in new buildings with state of the art facilities and big corporate names attached, I always felt like I was being sold something, and not like they genuinely cared about being with my child for so many hours each week. Then I visited Little Hands Academy (LHA), which didn’t even come up on my GPS as I was trying to visit it for the first…
Read MoreAdvocating for my Child Doesn’t Mean I am Trying to Cure Him
The small room is kept cold and quite. It only has one long rectangular table with 12 black cushioned chairs that have wheels at the bottom of them. The walls are painted light tan, with no pictures hanging from it, and the carpet is dark brown. You can not hear the sound of my heels walking to one of the chairs where I will sit for the next hour. It’s August and every room at the board of education is full and humming with excitement and nervousness for the upcoming…
Read MoreThank You Influential Teacher
Dear Influential Teacher, I know what it’s like to live in a bubble of the typical. A typical day, a typical child, a typical life. I know what it’s like to go through the year, losing the will to invest in the kids we have trouble connecting with…those who aren’t self-motivated, involved, and actively engaged in the lesson…those who don’t see us giving our all, lesson after lesson, paper cuts, ink stains, broken copy machines, fire drills, back talk, and all. I know what it’s like to overlook those who…
Read MoreFriend, I Understand You May be Scared
It’s the end of the school year and administrators are sitting with teachers working to create the best classes for the coming year. I understand it’s not an easy task. This year, I sit on the other side of the table as the parent who understands that my autistic child may be placed in your class. I have even heard that a few of my ‘friends’ have requested that their children not be in my child’s class. I want you to know, I understand. Really. I do. Friend, I remember…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: My Teaching Mentor
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Alayna Ferrell and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This December I want to honor and thank Emily Sirico, a Special Education Teacher. Emily Sirico is not just a teacher to her students, she is their friend. My senior year of high school (2016-2017), I had the opportunity to job shadow a teacher. Since I was little I always knew that is what I wanted to be. The school guidance counselor sent me to Ms. Sirico’s special needs class for…
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