Life's changes seem to come at you so fast. Suddenly we lost a very important family member. David's father ,who was my employer, had lost his life to CJ. This brought our lives to a new level and we made some drastic changes. The decision was made to move to the place that both David and I had wanted to retire, Florida! So the search was on. After several trips to Florida, both sides of the coast, we decided on a small town with lots of promise. The move was on. Steph had only a few years left of school and knowing that the community had special needs programs set up for placement after graduation, we set our stakes on a new home and moved to our little piece of paradise. The hardest part was leaving my daughter Rachel and my grandchildren behind in GA. but I knew they would enjoy visiting Grammy in Florida. Steph decided to be an escape artist, so the behavior specialists papers were brought out once again. It didn't take long for her new teacher to figure out her mistakes and things quieted down for awhile. The summer proved to be a happy one as her three favorite teachers from GA. came to visit us in sunny Florida. Soon it was back to school and another new teacher. Enter Ms. Kim.!
Steph has an attraction to pretty teachers and aides so she attached herself to Ms. Kim immediately. We awaited for the day to come when we would receive the phone call saying she tried to escape the class but it never came. She enjoyed every day in school and became that little Ms. Independent. Everyday it was Ms. Kim this and Ms. Kim that.
I won't tell you that life in this school was a bowl of cherries because as you know Downs Syndrome seems to bring out a few unpleasant traits.
So until tomorrow, enjoy the holiday .
Hugs.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Middle School to High School
The move to a new home and new school brought many surprises. Steph settled in well and adapted to her new classroom and teacher. AS the days went by and she became more familiar with the surroundings she started to test the waters. Her teacher and the aides had read about her being an escape artist so they had been prepared. I can remember notes being sent home saying that Steph had a good day and only tried to escape once or twice. She decided that a certain aide in the classroom was her favorite and soon afterwards became the apple of her eye. They developed a relationship that lasted on through high school and into her families hearts.
The aide, who we know her as, MS. Diane, found the key to Steph's happiness. She got her involved with singing and dancing, putting on shows for the class along with doing her class work. Steph enjoyed going to school and being a part of this whole new world.
When middle school ended for the summer Ms. Diane stayed in contact with us and would take Steph for an afternoon or evening. She and her husband had two older daughters and a younger son. Steph would tag along to cheer leading activities or volleyball practice and even football practice. By the time summer ended and it was time for school to begin Steph was well known by most of the students. Her transition into high school was a snap. She became the girls volleyball manager and even worked with the cheer coach,who happened to be her teacher in high school. They even had fitted her for uniforms in both volleyball and cheer! If you ever want to experience pure joy, just look at a face of a child with special needs that is part of a team with regular students. When Steph received an award for being the volleyball manager at the awards diner their wasn't a dry eye in the bunch. Even the team was crying. I would just like to add that there has not been a school that could come close to what this school and it's staff have done for Steph. She could walk down the halls with her head held up and high five most every student that walked by. This was true inclusion as far as I am concerned.
Thank You Ms. Diane!
The aide, who we know her as, MS. Diane, found the key to Steph's happiness. She got her involved with singing and dancing, putting on shows for the class along with doing her class work. Steph enjoyed going to school and being a part of this whole new world.
When middle school ended for the summer Ms. Diane stayed in contact with us and would take Steph for an afternoon or evening. She and her husband had two older daughters and a younger son. Steph would tag along to cheer leading activities or volleyball practice and even football practice. By the time summer ended and it was time for school to begin Steph was well known by most of the students. Her transition into high school was a snap. She became the girls volleyball manager and even worked with the cheer coach,who happened to be her teacher in high school. They even had fitted her for uniforms in both volleyball and cheer! If you ever want to experience pure joy, just look at a face of a child with special needs that is part of a team with regular students. When Steph received an award for being the volleyball manager at the awards diner their wasn't a dry eye in the bunch. Even the team was crying. I would just like to add that there has not been a school that could come close to what this school and it's staff have done for Steph. She could walk down the halls with her head held up and high five most every student that walked by. This was true inclusion as far as I am concerned.
Thank You Ms. Diane!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)