SPELLING CITY .com ~ Unscramble the Sentence Vocabulary Game

OMG!! 

This is so awesome for helping with learning 
how to put sentences together! 

Mariah and I ~ BOTH LOVE "playing" this one! 

SpellingCity is such a perfect home ~ school teaching tool 
~ SO MUCH help & FUN! ~

http://www.spellingcity.com/unscramble-the-sentence-vocabulary-game.html?listId=6396929#.Tul8ahyA_Ws.facebook
Click above link to: 

~  "JUST TRY IT!" ~

Sign up for a yearly membership to Spelling City.com 

~ This is simply theee BEST and AFFORDABLE! ~ 

SpellingCity.com is really helping so many learn to:

Read ~ Write & Spell!

EASY & FUN all while learning!

LIFE SKILLS = Spelling ~ READING ~ Writing

For my brother and sister, and anyone who has ever experienced the beauty of Down Syndrome.

Uploaded by torihoo on Nov 17, 2011

For my brother and sister, and anyone who has ever experienced the beauty of Down Syndrome.

Entry for +15 Campaign's "One of Them is My Sib" contest.

This little video is so sweet for a sister to do for her 'sibs'!
Just had to post it here for everyone to see! Thanks Torihoo!

Writing an Inclusive Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

Writing an Inclusive Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
IEP goals should allow for participation in and access to the general education curriculum while focusing on the student’s individual needs. All students can be educated within the context of the general education setting with appropriate supports. As educators and families recognize the benefits of inclusive schooling, they can begin to work together to make inclusive placements a reality. Where a child is educated is one of the most important educational decisions a team can make. It is essential that teams work together to purposefully create successful IEPs so that students with disabilities have full access to general education curriculum alongside their peers without disabilities.

1. While participating in 12th grade biology, Sophie will be able to name and describe four big ideas from each unit of study, with 80% accuracy for each unit.
2. While working in cooperative groups with 2-4 peers without disabilities, Noah will successfully take turns 4 out of 5 times.
3. When signing up for centers, signing out to use the restroom, and writing her name on her paper, Jamie will legibly write her name 4 out of every 5 opportunities.

PEAK’s Parent Advisors are available to help families, teachers, and other professionals brainstorm creative ideas and strategies to help develop IEPs that will support students to be successful in inclusive educational placements. 


Contact a PEAK Parent Advisor by email at 
parentadvisor@peakparent.org 
or by phone 719.531.9400 or 800.284.0251.


Read this entire AWESOME article!! Click here ~ http://speakout.peakparent.org/index.php/current-newsletter/writing-an-inclusive-iep

Inclusive Schools Week Dec.5-9, 2011

11th Annual Inclusive Schools Week Dec.5-9, 201

http://inclusiveschools.org/files/116/

11th annual Inclusive Schools Week is Dec. 5-9, 2011!

Inclusive Schools Week is an annual international event celebrated the first week in December. It is a time when schools and communities can begin or continue the journey toward providing a quality education to all children regardless of differences in ability, gender, ethnicity, language and health status. The Inclusive Schools Network offers Activities and Resources for Schools, Classrooms, and Families. Get your kit today!

Letter #7 ....from Ana

What I learned from having Mariah in my class. 


I've learned that just because someone has a disability that doesn't mean that you have to be mean to them. "Treat people how you want to be treated." 


Mariah you are a super friend and fun to hang out with. Even though you have Down syndrome you are still normal and you are a go-getter! 


You have an amazing personality so don't let anyone change that! You are always vibrant and I Love your sense of style!


Best of Wishes: Ana M.

She LIKES doing Math!

This is Mariah doing her 5th Grade Level Math the other day.....she enjoys doing Math today more than ever before!


Now that she is bringing home her 5th Grade Level "Go Math" textbook everyday in her backpack - I am now able to see what she does in Math with her General Ed classmates without Down syndrome.... actual work done while in Math class today. Mariah is now coming home with Math classwork completed! Her classmates are more involved with being positive peer role models helping her do just what they are doing. This is progress in the right direction......finally!! It had been such a struggle to see what she was actually "doing in class". I wanted to see the same as her classmates classwork being done, group presentation work. Her teacher communicates in emails back & forth alot with me, he gives me little updates or snippets of her day, which makes it easy for Mariah & I to have conversations about her day easier. It's a new school year with newly updated IEP goals written in to help support her IEP goals that are now to be INFUSED & INCLUDED INTO HER GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM CLASSWORK.


My daughter is EXCITED to do some of her Math Homework now! This is her 2nd year in the 5th Grade and it is proving to be one of her BEST ACADEMIC YEARS so far!


Mariah is a student with Down syndrome (13 years old) and her desire to do well in school is motivating to her this year, because she knows she needs to well in Math if she wants to one day have a job as a Vet Tech and go to college.


Mariah loves school and all her teachers this year! Her mom is loving all the nice academic progress she sees Mariah doing so far this year!


This little video clip was taken at first without Mariah knowing I was recording her doing her homework, until I asked her if she liked Math...and she said, "yes" ..and it's the way she says yes that is so cute. I asked her if Math was hard for her...she says, "No, it's easy!"  ~ Oh my I love this girl!! ~


It's BASICALLY SIMPLE ~ or as Mariah will say.... "SEE, IT'S EASY!" If you had a whole Apple Pie sitting on the table in front of you, you wouldn't have to eat the entire pie to know that you LIKED Apple Pie and wanted to have more of it! You would know you LIKED it just by eating a slice of that Apple Pie! You would  know you LIKED it and WANTED MORE even with just a BITE of the PIE...even a TINY BITE OF THE PIE! It doesn't take eating the WHOLE PIE to know you LIKE IT & WANT MORE OF IT! ~   Point being, Inclusion is that same way.....providing a SLICE or a TINY BITE OF THE PIE (lessons) is what should be practiced in ALL our Classrooms today. That is what ACCOMODATIONS are all about....it LEVELS THE PLAYING FIELD for ALL Students. 


Mariah has Accomodations, she doesn't have to do pages and pages of Math that some of the other students may have to do....she just needs to do a PORTION....a small portion even. On some days depending the assignment she will do more or less depending on the new concept being taught. 


Today....she LIKES Math!


My daughter is now being provided more of that  Apple Pie (Grade Level Math) which is about her being provided a PORTION of the Pie (Math Lesson). Small bites of (Lesson) what she CAN DO! Let's give students what THEY NEED...in small portions and build from there. 


Mariah ROCKS in doing her Math this year and is actually doing 5th Grade Level Basic ALGEBRA!!


I am soooo PROUD of her!!

Being thoughtfully Included into all Gen. Ed Classes

Having my daughter Included thoughtfully in all General Education Classrooms with a Gen.Ed Teacher teaching her, has not always been easy for everyone to understand what it really 'looks like' or how it is done. 


For me it is about teaching one teacher at a time, one principal at a time. Having my daughter included in a general education classroom has always been important to me since before she was even of age to attend Kindergarten! When it was time for her to attend a "regular classroom" which seems to be the terminology most people use...."a regular class". Yeah...for "regular kids!" My daughter is a regular kiddo and is entitled to be in any class anyone else is allowed. It's basically simple like that! 


Mariah has been attending the same school for over 9 years now! Many of the same teachers are still at this campus, which is a good thing! That means all the teachers are aware of Mariah being a student with Down syndrome on their campus and each year they knew she could possibly be one of the students on their list of students for the year. I know some teachers hold their breath and had their fingers crossed that my daughter would NOT be on their class list. There have also been some really wonderful teachers that have actually asked and wanted to have my daughter in their class. It's those teachers that volunteer and request to have those extra special students included in their General Education Classrooms that I want to praise and THANK~!


Mr. Allagood is one of those teachers that actually had Mariah in his Math Special class a few years ago. I did an observation of him teaching Math Special (which at our school it was an extra dose of Math for all students) with Mariah in his class. The way he teaches and the way he talks to parents is what makes him a great teacher.


I just saw it listed on the outside school sign that Mr. Allagood is our TEACHER OF THE YEAR at Stephen Foster Elementary! I knew he was all along for several years! He is that kind of teacher that really takes an interest in all his students and will freely talk to the parents. He even talks to the parents whose children are not even in his class! That is a sign of teacher that just practices good communication no matter who you are!


Mariah has had some really lovely teachers that have taken on the task of working with Mariah over the years and helping Mariah reach her IEP goals and more. Some teachers had no problem communicating to me in her planner or on her school papers. Then there of course have been some teachers that always seemed to just give the most minimal of communication or actually none and actually seemed too busy to bother with Mariah's mom, and sometimes with Mariah too! Those are the teachers that still need help with the whole inclusion thing and believing in all their students they are given each school year. 


Some of Mariah's teachers that seemed to do inclusion  the best were the ones that were open with me as a partner in my daughters learning and education. These are the teachers that welcomed me to come into their classrooms as a volunteer. These are the teachers that wrote in her planner or emailed me to keep me up-to-date on what she did that day. Having a teacher you can talk with and ask questions to, so you both can help your child is so important to making inclusion work best. It's also what makes education better for all students and parents! 


Mr. Allagood and others have made Mariah's Inclusion in all general education classes what it is today because of the communication & collaboration that has to take place to make it work right. If this piece is missing, then it leaves the parent partner out of the process. If the parent isn't part of the process on a regular basis and is left out, the parent doesn't get the whole picture of how a day of learning or a week of learning or even an entire month's worth of learning went or how they can help on the other end, which is at home. The homework piece struggles and what the child is actually learning while in school the  parent is left to just trust that things are going OK without really knowing what is going on in class each day. 


When classwork isn't brought home or their isn't any homework given...that is a clear indication that not much is happening at school everyday. If my daughter didn't have homework sent home, she still had HOME Schoolwork to do! I created my own for her to do, daily! I became a part-time home school mom...because I had to and because Mariah needed so much help!


My being able to have good communication on a daily, weekly and monthly basis is what has helped me the most in being a full partner in my daugher's inclusive education. I'm sure the teachers and the principal have had their talks about 'this mom's emails & written communication' over the years as there have been many notes & emails back and forth! Thank goodness for being able to BLOG my thoughts now! Now I can share with others what has helped or not helped me with having Mariah thoughtfully included in all General Education classes at her school. 


Mariah is part of the general ed curriculum and is exposed to grade level academics. Is she on grade level work and can she pass the grade level State exams? The answer is yes and no....yes she is able to do some of the grade level work if presented to her in small bites with audio, visual, manipulatives and alternate ways of presenting to her the content. She cognitively is behind what her same age classmates are so easily able to do, but she absolutely does understand if presented to her in a different way or even repeated and worded differently. She gets all the extra supports and accommodations she needs so that it levels the playing field for her. She is ABLE and very much CAPABLE of learning grade level academics...is small bits & pieces. 


Inclusion is not so easy for those teachers that have an outdated mind-set about it, or an attitude that they didn't become a teacher to teacher 'those kinds of students'. It's those teachers that have the most difficult time with Inclusion.....mainly because they don't believe in the Child first of all (because they have a certain type of disability) and they don't believe in Inclusion or know what Inclusion is! It's those teachers that absolutely should have training on how to create an inclusive classroom for all students. Today we have Differential Instruction and the classrooms are now being set up to provide learning for all sorts of 'learners'. Classrooms are now being set up so teachers are able to teach ALL students.


Mariah has made wonderful gains in her education because of being Included into the LRE~Least Restrictive Environment which is a regular classroom. She has made some really nice friends over the years because of being Included in Gen.Ed classes.


I support Inclusion for all students into the General Education classrooms. But it is a learning process to make it happen the right way for our little ones. It's one person at a time you have to help along the way in how to make it work and how to do it right. It includes good communication & collaboration on a regular basis.


Mr. Allagood started out as Mariah's Math Special teacher a few years ago and then last year he was just her Science teacher. Nine weeks into the school year last year, Mariah was switched to be in his class as her full homeroom teacher. She had another teacher that refused to provide any type of communication with me as a partner in my daughters education, no that wasn't good, or fun to deal with at all for me. This is now Mariah's 2nd year with Mr. Allagood being her main homeroom & Science teacher. He is the best at daily communication and letting me know how her day went. He emails me everyday and gives me just a little snippet of what she did in school that day and any accommodations to the lessons. Because of his daily little snippet emails of what she did in school that day...at home I am then able to have conversations with my daughter about school and carry her classroom lessons over at home. Knowing what goes on at school, helps parents at home and gives us peace of mind that our children are being taught and included in the lessons and learning wonderful things everyday! Thank you Mr. Allagood for not being afraid to email me and communicate with me on a daily basis! It has been a dream come true for this mom!


This blog was created with Mr. Allagood in mind and in honor of him as an awesome, fantastic, wonderful, understanding, easy to talk to, flexible, caring and involved teacher that wants and allows parents to be involved partners in education. Mr. Allagood is Teacher of the Year at her school this year for a reason! He is doing something right and other teachers would benefit if they took notes on how he works with his students and their parents! 


THANK YOU Mr. Allagood for being such a great teacher and making Mariah's 5th grade school years the most packed with learning! You will be a hard act to follow for sure!


This BLOG is for you!

Letter #6 ....from Alanah

Dear Mariah, 
What I learned from having you in my class is that just because you're a little bit different doesn't mean you should be treated differently. Even though you have down syndrome you're just like everyone else inside no matter what anyone says or thinks. 


In the beginning of the year I was trying to avoid you but I was wrong and rude and now I realize what a good person you are. 


I wish I could see you next year.


Your Friend,
Alanah G.


Stephen Foster Elementary
Mr. Jeffrery Allagood's 5th Grade Class 2010-2011

Aniah ~ Breaking down STEREOTYPES 4 Kids w/Down syndrome!!! YEAH ANIAH!!!

Aniah ~ Breaking down STEREOTYPES 4 Kids w/Down syndrome!!! YEAH ANIAH!!!

http://childrensdiagnostic.org/2011/10/4-year-old-breaks-down-stereotypes-for-kids-with-down-syndrome/


Aniah is Mariah's 'little sister'!!! 


You go Little Princess....you let the whole world know how it really is today!!


Congratulations Jeannette...it's a beautiful story as you both are!

Letter #5 ....from Patrick

Dear Mariah,
I learned that people with Down syndrome aren't different from us. Don't judge people by what they look like. Also you need to treat people with disabilities nice! I also learned that you need to be friendly to people with Down syndrome. You need to help them with things.


Your friend,
Patrick


5th Grade 2010-2011
Stephen Foster Elementary
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Letter #4 ....from Todd S.

Dear Mariah,  
I learned from you that you're a friend but you're more than that. You are a Special Friend! You're fun, nice and full of energy. You are the best friend a person can ever have!


You make me feel like I can accomplish any goal because you inspire me. 


You are the most improved in this class. You can make a difference. So keep on trying your best and you will have a great year. 


You can do so many things like play soccer, kickball and basketball. 


You're the Best Friend ever!


From,
Todd S.


June 9th, 2011

Letter #3 ....from Devin

Dear Mariah,
With you in my class I have learned a lot like not to be mean to people with disabilities. Over the years, I have seen people get made fun of because they have disabilities and it even hurts me. 


So bye Mariah, I will miss you. 
I also learned to help people with disabilities. 
I will never forget you.
Nobody else will either.


From, 
Devin


June 9th, 2011
Mr. Jeffrey Allagood's 5th Grade Homeroom Class

Letter #2 ....from Edward

Dear Mariah,


What I learned from having Mariah in my class is that she is creative. She is very smart and intelligent. 


She taught me how to be helpful. She taught me that I can help anyone.


I learned from Mariah that anyone can do the same thing as others as long as you try!

Time 4 Learning = Compass Learning Odyssey SAME SAME!!

Compass Learning Odyssey Program is simply thee BEST for home academic learning & education! The way I learned about this wonderful computer program was when Mariah was first introduced to it at Stephen Foster Elementary school years ago. Both Time4Learning & Compass Learning Odyssey are exactly the same program! Same Same! http://compasslearningodyssey.broward.k12.fl.us/childu/index.html
http://www.time4learning.com/


Parents can pay a SMALL...very SMALL INVESTMENT of just $20 per month to have the complete use of the exact same Compass Learning Odyssey program many of our Children are using in their schools. Many times if your Child is using it at school, the school can help you access it for home use just by using their school student ID number! Really...try it!! 


Mariah LOVES this program and has always liked this program as her Homework supplement over the years. The same at school, she loves using the Odyssey program at school as well. Some people call it at school the Compass Learning program. No matter what name...they are all the same program.


I especially like the record keeping and the DATA it provides, because it tracks all the actual academic work she has been doing all along.


Please take the time to look at this and if your Child isn't bringing home any classwork or isn't being given any homework....this is your answer for providing them a wonderful program for learning!


Post me some feedback if you are already a Time4Learning FAN!
GREAT GREAT GREAT PROGRAM FOR LEARNING!!

CLICK HERE --> www.time4learning.com

Letter #1 from Lissette M.

What I learned from having Mariah in my class was that even though someone is different you treat them the way you want to be treated. 


At first I couldn't quite understand what Mariah was going through. 


Mariah has been such an inspiration to me. I hope in the future I'll see her again. Till then good luck Mariah!


Your Friend,


Lissette M.
June 1st, 2011

Sisters serve as Home Coming Queens

http://desne.ws/qsWKQA

Understanding the Differences Between IDEA and Section 504 | LD Topics | LD OnLine

Understanding the Differences Between IDEA and Section 504 | LD Topics | LD OnLine

GREAT READING!! 


Enjoy!

Crews Lake Middle's initiatives in special education working - St. Petersburg Times

Crews Lake Middle's initiatives in special education working - St. Petersburg Times ~ direct link

Crews Lake Middle's initiatives in special education working

By Jeffrey S. Solochek, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, September 8, 2011

*click highlighted link above for complete article 


This looks like something we all should keep an eye on how 'they are doing it'....looks good!!

More than "High-5 Friendships" all the way to College!

....."developing friendships is important for her students. She thinks young people with disabilities often make "high-five friends" with traditional students. That is, friends who might greet them enthusiastically in a hallway but not invite them to a movie on a Friday night."......

Developing Friendships beyond the High-5 Friends in the Hallways of our schools....developing REAL Friendships that go outside of the School Classrooms...that's what REAL Inclusion is all about. How can we help with this? How can we as teachers, administrators and parents help true friendships go beyond the school building? After-school clubs and activities. Making sure all students are included by inviting students with Unique Learning Challenges to the FUN stuff everyone does after school and over the weekends. This is what fosters life long friendships and allows everyone to benefit from being around those that are a little different than you. 

College Campuses today should be an extension of what all students going to College should be used to doing because more and more students with Disabilities were sitting in the same classrooms all throughout Elementary, Middle and High School....hopefully. College should not be the first time students are sitting in the same classrooms as a student receiving Special Ed Supports & Services. By College age...it shouldn't be such a big deal to see a student with Down syndrome, Autism or any other one of a kazillion syndromes out there to be sitting beside you in a classroom at college. 

Come on everyone.....let's change our attitudes about INCLUSION NOW! Everyone wants to have friends, everyone wants to be accepted and asked out to be part of any of the  group activities going on. Everyone should be allowed to attend college of their choice and be provided every opportunity to LIVE THEIR DREAMS of going to college to land that DREAM JOB! That includes being able to obtain any of the funding sources available to anyone else too! To not always have access to receiving the same grants, loans and other means of being able to finance a college education. Families need to have the same options open to them as the next person. No discrimination attached to those with 'learning challenges' to apply for grants and loans! 


My daughter already knows she wants to work at a Vet's office or in and around the Medical Field. As her parent it is my job to help make sure she gets there! It is up to "her community" to do their part as well...to accept & fully include her every step of the way. She needs her teachers and 'friends' of today to help and encourage her along the way. 


Won't you be a more than a "High-5 Friend" in the hallway this year and maybe one day even have someone like her as your college roommate? Wow....now that would be a REAL FRIEND!!! It's about making a friend and being a friend.....and some friends we have are for a lifetime! 

For me to imagine a Roommate for my daughter who has Down syndrome all the way into the future is hard to imagine today, she is only 12 years old. To know for a fact that she will go on after High School to attend College is absolutely a Dream we have for her and she has for herself! To have hopes and dreams of her getting a GOOD JOB of working alongside other co-workers at a Vet's office is her Dream job. It will take more than her mom & dad wanting this for her, it will take MANY helping her along the way.....starting with friends, teachers, administrators in how they thoughtfully include students with disabilities today. The saying, "It takes a Village to raise a Child" is so true!!

Included below is a nice news article about more students with intellectual disabilities, such as Down syndrome, Asperger's and Autism attending College.....because of the REACH PROGRAM. There are more and more Colleges creating similar type programs today for students with disabilities. 

To read more about the REACH Program...click on the link below to the original news article.  http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/aug/21/disabled-reach-college-dreams/

Disabled reach college dreams Charleston Post Courier When Sam Hazeltine was born, nobody thought a child with Down syndrome would  ever be able to attend college. But the 21-year-old sat in the kitchen of his family's  home on James Island last week wearing a maroon College of Charleston T-shirt  showing off the new laptop he would use for college work…

New Teacher with a New Attitude!

Once she was settled into her new classroom, her new homeroom teacher, Mr. Allagood started emailing me after school every day letting me know how things went in class that day. I was thrilled that not only did he email letting me know what the class lesson was about, but he let me know how he accommodated the lessons so she "got a piece of the pie." I have always said that inclusion is about allowing for lots of flexibility in lessons and how the presentation is provided in certain ways to particular students. For example, if a delicious apple pie was set out on the table for everyone, do they all have to eat the whole pie to know that they like and want more of that pie? If they were given a slice of the pie and or even ate just a piece of the pie, they would know that they liked it and maybe wanted more....even if someone was given just a smaller bite of the pie, they too would know they liked it and wanted more as well. 

Inclusion is much like that, a student should be given the opportunity to have at least a small bite of the apple pie. Being provided just a small bite of that delicious pie is enough to know you like it, you know it's good and you want more! Classrooms today are not a one-size-fits-all or at least I hope not. It's not about getting all students to eat the whole pie. It's about being given a piece of the pie and trying it! It's about doing the best you can with what you can handle. It is about being offered an opportunity to show that you can do your best, if you are provided the support and positive encouragement. It's about sharing so everyone gets a piece of that wonderful delicious apple pie! Everyone deserves a taste of the pie of knowledge!

Because of Mariah's articulation errors and language delays, she isn't always able to come home and tell me what she did at school. The first couple of emails that Mr. Allagood sent to me was a clear indication that things were now moving in a more positive direction with better collaboration and communication between school & home. He was willing to work with me and accept me as a parent that needed better school-to-home communication. He was able to accept me as an equal partner in educating my daughter. Together we were partners in helping Mariah learn as much as she could this school year.

When your Child has a teacher that refuses to have a simple conversation with you and keeps putting off a parent/teacher conference and you have tried all you can to make things work, when weeks have gone by and it's becoming more and more strained....it is so overdue time to put in for a request for another teacher that will! That was WHY I had put in for an immediate teacher change request. Mariah had originally started the school year out with a teacher that refused to talk to me and wasn't willing to be even a little bit collaborative. If some teachers are not going to even try to have any form of communication or any type of collaboration or provide the simplest back and forth collaboration, then it is obvious that something has to change. Requesting for a different teacher is not something a parent expects to have to do, it's not expected that a teacher will ignore you or put you off, but when it does...don't wait more than a month!  It's not fair to you as a parent of a student and it certainly isn't good for your Child, especially when they may be the only student in that teachers classroom that has a significant learning challenge! NO PARENT should be put off by a teacher when a parent wants to be involved in their Child's education. Parent Involvement is the big buzz word today....so what happens when a teacher doesn't do their part in nurturing a good 'involved parent' partnership? Put in for a request for a new teacher!

Mariah was thrilled to be in a NEW classroom with more of her classmates she had been going to school with since Kindergarten. Some of the students in her new classroom attend the same Girl Scout Troop she does. It was all good once we switched to a new teacher that was willing to include me in my daughters education, by keeping me informed about how and what went on in the classroom. I am an involved parent ~ I want to be able to help my child be successful in school ~ I want to be able to have a good working relationship with my Child's teacher or teachers. The classwork and the homework assignments that started coming home now were more in-tuned with my daughter's abilities and what I had been hoping to see! I was now able to begin to focus on a good school year, instead of being disappointed at how things had been turning out for the first 2 months of her 5th grade school year!

Mr. Allagood was willing to provide a quick written email everyday, he gave me little snippets of her school day and what the lessons were about and how he included Mariah into the lessons and what or how he had her work on things, what student helped her that day. Now that I was getting FEEDBACK coming home from school thru Mr. Allagood's emails everyday, there was absolutely better communication about what she did while in school each day. I was now able to see the big picture of what she was learning at school. The words she would try to say and the conversations we would have while riding in the car to her after-school daily activities & appointments now made better sense to me! Mariah was excited about the things she was learning, she wanted to share with me all the new things that were being talked about in school! She wanted to tell me about the friend that helped her in class that day. She loves school and wants to do well and learn new things and do her best! My daughter has dreams and goals of working in a Vet's office as a Vet Assistant or a Vet Tech. She knows she needs to do good in school....she's motivated to do well in school!

I asked for a set of classroom books to stay at home. To finally have a school text book to follow along with the daily lessons at home certainly made her homework much easier for us figure out and to do. Mariah is a visual learner and was able to take me to the exact pages and show me the pictures of what she worked on that day at school. The homework assignments made much better sense once we had a copy of the textbook at home! Mariah was now able to actually SHOW ME what she did at school. The excited look on her face when she would share with me during our homework session what the class talked about and what she learned that day in school are moments in time I will not forget! Her trying to explain things to me became easier because now we had the schoolbook! Now...we were all on the same page!!

With a quick little email coming into my INBOX everyday with a little snippet of Mariah's school day and how she was included or how the lesson of the day was accommodated for her to get a piece of the pie....made Mariah's 5th grade school year an absolute delight! It was such a simple thing for a teacher to do....to communicate and share with me how my girl did at school. Of course I looked forward to getting my daily email from Mariah's teacher everyday! 


I knew Mr. Allagood was going to be a wonderful teacher match for both Mariah and myself because in the 10 years with both my Children attending this same school, he would always say hello to me, even though neither of my two Children were ever one of his students. Mr. Allagood is a natural and does a fantastic job of being friendly to ALL students and to ALL parents he sees on campus. Mr. Allagood loves being a teacher ~ and it shows!

Thank you Mr. Allagood for all you provided to me as an 'involved parent that wants and needs to be involved' in my daughters education. Your daily "little snippet" emails helped keep me in the loop of what was going on in school everyday. Mariah has told me several times over the summer...."Mr. Allagood taught me that!"

.....THAT IS A SIGN OF A GREAT TEACHER!!

Inclusion....really? Not for THOSE kids!

Inclusion is NOT a place.
Inclusion is NOT a teacher.
Inclusion is NOT a program.
Inclusion is NOT a separate school.
Inclusion is NOT a separate classroom.
Inclusion is NOT done at the back of the class.
Inclusion is NOT a desk off to the side of the class.
There is NOT an inclusion teacher.
There are teachers!


Inclusion IS natural.
Inclusion IS a concept.
Inclusion IS for everyone.
Inclusion IS about tolerance.
Inclusion IS about friendships.
Inclusion IS about acceptance.
Inclusion IS about helping others.
Inclusion IS about being included.
Inclusion IS about belonging to the group.
Inclusion IS about accommodating everyone.


Need I say more?


What IS happening out there in the school system both public and private schools is NOT Inclusion at all but what schools WANT Inclusion to be at their schools. Students are being denied a right to go to class and schools where their neighbors attend. Classrooms are set up with only students receiving Special Education supports & services. Teachers are given several Special Ed students in their classrooms because they are being tagged as the Inclusion teacher and are good teachers with more patience for those students! Many teachers leave the teaching to the Special Ed students Para Professional or Unique Aide that is assigned to their only Special Ed student in their classroom. Special Ed students desks are often times set up in the back of or off to the side of a General Education classroom. Entire classrooms are comprised of all the lowest performing students with or without IEP's. Classrooms are called Intensive Academics or Varying Exceptionalities but are really just another name for a Cluster class. Students are being pulled out of their General Education classrooms to go into a Special Ed room for academic help and to work on their academic IEP goals. Many students are NOT going to graduate and receive a High School Diploma after 12 or more years attending school! Certain disabilities are being denied ever being educated to Federal & State Academic Standards. Students are being put on the Non-Diploma track as young as 5 years old!


Parents are being deceived and lied to. Special Ed students Matrix numbers that provides for the extra funding that is needed to help educate them are being spent on everything and anything else but the supports & services that are needed to help them be successful in school. Special Ed students are being left out of being able to join clubs and extra-curricular activities. After-school programs say they can't provide for the extra care sometimes needed for the Special Ed student, so they are sent off to another school that provides only for Special Needs students, again Clustering them with only with other students with disabilities. Being denied even an INCLUSIVE setting during AFTER SCHOOL time!


Need I say more?


Inclusion is a COMMUNITY! Our community is still prejudist. Most of society still segregates and practices discrimination towards those that are different. Inclusion is NOT happening in our schools still today.....why???  Because it is the norm today still to exclude "THOSE" students, especially certain disabilities and certainly those with Down syndrome because they look different and many times talk funny. Why is there such discrimination towards people with Down syndrome still going on today....it's 2011!!? Unless you know and love someone with Down syndrome, people just don't care! Not all people...because I certainly have come across some really WONDERFUL TEACHERS and STUDENTS that 'get it'........but I certainly have come across several and have helped my share of parents with school issues of just trying to get their Child with Down syndrome into KINDERGARTEN even!


I could insert any disability into my writings and not just single out Down syndrome. My daughter has Down syndrome, many of my daughter's friends have Down syndrome, most of my girlfriends have a son or daughter with Down syndrome. Most schools EXCLUDE people with Down syndrome from their schools and DO NOT WANT THEM TO ATTEND 'their school'...saying they don't have THE PROGRAM FOR THEM!!!...really...the program?...how about you have a classroom and teachers that TEACH!! We (parents) just want you to TEACH OUR Children to READ and do Math and learn to write and all the other stuff any parent wants for their Child when they send them off to school everyday!


Most teachers have never had a student with Down syndrome in their classrooms. Most people think that Down syndrome people are dumb. ....OK the word is RETARDED (yup I said it!...that's the word we are all trying to get everyone to STOP saying all together!!)....most people think our Children CAN'T LEARN!! Most people shy away from being a REAL friend to someone with Down syndrome! *A REAL FRIEND!...outside of school!  Down syndrome is not contagious. Down syndrome is still very much misunderstood. Teachers didn't go to school to teach those kids. Therapists make lots of money off our Children with Down syndrome. Schools bring in LOTS of extra money when they attend their schools, but they don't always provided the very much needed extra support to educate our Children!


Why do I write mostly about Inclusion pertaining to those with Down syndrome ? Because it is needed and is not always happening for an entire population of people that 'look different' and they absolutely  are entitled to the same support into a 'regular classroom'. Our peeps with Down syndrome deserve and need to be included into GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS across the Nation! Many times and more often students with Down syndrome at schools are being provided less than everyone else when it comes to being educated along side those without a disability. People with Down syndrome are more alike than different than you!


If you are a parent of a person with Down syndrome...please comment and let me know....was INCLUSION provided or easy to get? Was Inclusion really what you thought it was going to be when you found out things may have looked 'good on paper'. Finding out the teacher really didn't and wasn't INCLUDING your son or daughter like you thought they were? During your IEP meetings when discussion of PLACEMENT came up...was it recommend and encouraged that INCLUSION into a regular GENERAL EDUCATION Classroom as the FIRST PLACEMENT OPTION?


Please remember to share my blog with others and become a FOLLOWER!


Have a delightful day!!


Below is a BLOG POST from one of my best friends, Mary Pringle. She has also been fighting the good fight to have her daughter "thoughtfully" INCLUDED! Kaitlyn was successfully INCLUDED all throughout Elementary school. Middle school absolutely had it challenges and curve balls to say the least and now she is going on into High School. I think her recent post deserves to be spotlighted here on my blog! What this well informed parent has to say about what is happening out there for many of us trying to get our Children EDUCATED and ready for the real world of working after High School is what is the TRUTH OF WHAT HAPPENS to most of our Children once they reach High School and certainly what happens when starting into Middle School. Please take the time to read her post and FOLLOW her blog as well! Lots of great stuff pertaining to SPECIAL NEEDS ADOPTION and how things are going for her raising her kiddo's with disabilities and trying to get them EDUCATED via our Public Educational System.
3 2 1 Reality Rocks by Mary Pringle
http://pringleadoptionjourney.blogspot.com/2011/07/action-plan-2012ignite-torch.html

I am a SNOW CLONE!!

Disability is Natural
http://www.disabilityisnatural.com/

A must favorite website by Kathy Snow

I am a SNOW CLONE!!

Should I request a teacher change?

When should I request for a different teacher?


I have been in this situation before, knowing that my daughter was in a classroom where the teacher obviously did NOT WANT Mariah in her classroom! It is a weird position to be in as a parent, to know your son or daughter’s teacher doesn't want or like them in their classroom. As parents, we do the best we can to provide our Child with what we can and what we think is best for them but when it comes to who they get as their new teacher...well...we as parents don't really have any say so about it, do we… We trust that ALL teachers will be good to our Children and teach ALL the students they are given in their classrooms with equal opportunity to be successful at that grade level. Who picks which students will go into which teacher’s classroom? How do any of us know if the teacher or teachers our Children get at the beginning of a new school year are going to be good teachers....for our Children? We don't and we just have to trust and accept that all or most are good teachers.


My daughter has been attending school since she was 2 years old and every teacher has always been open to conversations with me and friendly. Every teacher has always spoken to me or written notes that were sent home in her backpack. Right from the start of the new school year, Mariah’s 3rd grade teacher did all she could to not make eye contact with me anytime I was on campus. It was upsetting to me that, gosh darn it...why wouldn't she look at me or engage in any form of friendly conversation? Why would my daughter’s teacher not want to be friendly to me? I did all I could to make sure I smiled at her when I saw her. There was just something about this teacher that made it obvious that she was not going to get to know me or provide me with much communication! …Especially anything pertaining to things I wrote about in my daughter’s daily planner that went back and forth between school and home. Anytime I wrote something, she either didn't respond back or it was the most minimal response back. Nothing more nothing less...she actually responded like she seemed to be annoyed when I wrote in the planner about anything! It almost made me want to write in the planner even more every day, just to see how she responded to my concern or a question I may have had about something. Very frustrating for me just trying to get my daughter’s teacher to work with me! What was up with this teacher?!


Mariah has Down syndrome and the biggest impact of her disability is her fine motor skills especially pertaining to her being able to write words and sentences and her articulation, her ability to speak clearly, how she says her words so others understand what she’s talking about. Mariah couldn’t come home from school and tell me what she did in school like most girls her age could. My daughter's 3rd grade teacher was my first experience dealing with a teacher that didn't provide any collaboration and communication with me about how my little girl was doing in her classroom or what or how she did on classroom assignments. Thank God Mariah had a wonderful Para Professional or some districts call that person a Unique Aide, this person was there to assistant Mariah for everything throughout her entire school day. It seemed at times that this teacher thought maybe she didn’t have to teach or work with my daughter because Mariah did have the support of her own Para. Mariah’s 3rd grade teacher didn’t expect much from my daughter or have high expectations of her abilities. She had a negative attitude towards my daughter and was super stand offish towards me. This teacher never should have been assigned to be my daughter’s teacher or assigned any student with unique learning challenges! I wonder if she was mad that she was assigned the only student with Down syndrome on the school campus. Bet she didn’t volunteer or request to have her either!


The school year progressed and several months went by, almost half of her 3rd grade year had gone by and still this teacher just wasn't providing any communication and/or any collaboration with me. The communication was what it was with this teacher. I can't change the funky personality traits of my daughter’s teachers, but I can put in my request for a teacher change! The first time I did this, was with this 3rd grade teacher. I was nervous about it and I didn't really want to have to do this or pull my daughter from a classroom of peers that were wonderful classmates to her!


Each school year Mariah always seems to have a SPARKLER STUDENT that enjoys and wants to be Mariah’s helper. Any parent of a Child with Special needs would love to make sure their parents knew just how helpful and kind their Child is and how much they are appreciated for being so helpful and kind! Mariah had one particular boy student that was always so helpful with her, at times a little too helpful. Well at least in this classroom she had great classmates that liked her! Mariah’s classmates did for her what this teacher probably should have been doing all along and that was…giving her attention and believing in her! I received more feedback from her little classmates that year than this teacher ever knew possible! I found out how she over looked my daughter many times when Mariah raised her hand to answer questions in class, how she would never call on her. Did this teacher think the other students didn’t see and have feelings for what they themselves saw was going on in her classroom? I found out she only called on the smarter students most of the time….she had her favorites she called on all the time. This teacher did a great job making my little girl feel LEFT OUT and not good enough to be called on in class! I wish I could do a cancel erase and rewind to undo all the damage she did to my daughter's self-esteem that year. A good teacher would have called on my daughter no matter if her speech was unclear or if Mariah had the right or wrong answer! No matter what….this teacher should have been teaching by providing positive praise and including Mariah and some of the other students all along!


I attended the FIELD-DAY and saw with my own eyes how this teacher played favorites and let the same group of students participate in certain Field-Day activities. I saw with my own eyes how this teacher acted so cold and uncaring not only towards my little girl, but towards most of her students. Even though I was the only Volunteer parent that attended from her class, she still refused to make any friendly conversation with me and always avoided any eye contact the entire time I was volunteering that day! How can a teacher totally ignore a Volunteering parent….let alone some of her students day in and day out? She made me fell unimportant...she made me feel rejected. I was there to help and encourage the students! I was there to have fun with the students! I was there to help and be involved in my daughter's education! 


When I saw the same group of ‘favorite students’ being able to participate in the famous on our campus and much anticipated TUG-O-WAR event, I felt in the pit of my stomach how it must have made those ‘excluded students’ feel. I walked over to be in the shade of nearby tree because it was getting to be hotter by the minute outside in the Florida sunshine that morning. I sat down in the shade and looked at the handful of students that I knew didn’t get to participate in the TUG-O-WAR event. I watched all the other classes and the different groups of students getting excited when their teachers called their names to be next to participate. I watched how all the other classes had their handmade Pom-Poms in their class colors using them to cheer on their classmates to pull harder on the rope so their class would win the Tug-O-War. Mariah’s class was different….none of them had any Pom-Poms like the all other classes did; their cheering wasn’t with as much enthusiasm or excitement as the other classes were. When I sat back and observed all this while I was cooling off in the shade, it was obvious this teacher wasn’t the best choice for MY daughter this school year. It hit me hard to see with my own eyes, how this teacher treated all her students on Field-Day. I felt sadness and hurt in the pit of my stomach for some of the kiddo’s in her class, my eyes filled with tears while I was sitting under the shade tree. I ‘felt’ sad for what I know some of her students felt…when they didn’t hear their name called to participate in the TUG-O-WAR or back in the classroom when their hands were raised up high, hoping to be called on and never getting picked to answer.


I thought things were the way they were in this classroom with this particular teacher because my daughter has Down syndrome. Not true, this teacher was set in her ways and her favorite students were her favorites, she just didn’t have it in her to BE FRIENDLY period! My heart broke for ALL the students that didn’t make this teachers “teacher pet” list this year! 


I put in for a teacher change shortly after Field-Day, because I just knew things were not going to get any better than how things were. My request wasn’t well received by my principal especially when I made a suggestion as to which teacher I thought would be a better match for Mariah and her unique learning challenges. I knew of this other teacher that had worked in New York schools and had Special Education background and she was friendly too! To top it off, her students during Field-Day all interacted with one another and were happy and jumping around having fun! My principal suggested another teacher, so I went for an observation into that teacher’s classroom. During that classroom observation the New to our campus Special Ed teacher was also in that classroom working with several of the students. The Gen. Ed teacher was working with small groups of students at the same time the Special Ed teacher was working with a small group for Reading. Students were being rotated between the two reading groups or sitting in their desks doing independent seat work. The students that sat at the table with the Special Ed teacher obviously had to have an IEP to be with her. I counted about 11 students that went to the Special Ed teachers table, which meant that THIS classroom was made up of mostly students receiving Special Ed Services & Support through an IEP.


When there is a classroom of about 18 students and 11 of them have IEP’s that to me is not a typical General Education classroom! Yes they were all typical students but I didn’t see any student with an outward appearance of a significant disability or syndrome like Down syndrome or Prader-Willi syndrome or CP. Were they struggling readers with a Specific Learning Disability or ADD/HD, yes I’m sure they were. Would this have been a good classroom for my daughter to be transferred into, several months into the school year? Maybe...and absolutely yes she would have benefitted from the Special Ed teacher that came into this classroom using the Wilson Phonics program as reading support.


I had to weigh what was going to be best for Mariah. Would it disrupt her too much by pulling her out of a classroom where her classmates accepted her and helped her and they wanted to be her helper? She spent more time on the computer that year while in this class, which was a good thing to some degree. Mariah is computer savvy and enjoys learning and being on the computer. I liked all the DATA that I was able to view from the computer program she was using. It was very apparent my daughter got most of her quality academic learning in her 3rd grade year via the computer program; Compass Learning Odyssey program. Her Para Professional would get Mariah set up to work on the computer and her teacher would just allow Mariah to be on the Odyssey program sometimes for hours in a day! I have the data and the times to show this! Mariah enjoys this web base computer program and does well with it. Our school district has made this internet based computer program available to all students and everyone can gain access to it for several subjects and an array of learning topics. Mariah likes the computer Odyssey program and so do I because of the easy access to the data it provides! I request it as part of her *ESY service each year now so it continues to be available for Mariah to access over the Summer time break.


Mariah’s 3rd grade teacher didn’t believe in her or teach her like she should have. She certainly didn’t show a willingness to collaborate or communicate with me as an involved parent and partner in my daughter’s education. I will always need to make sure my daughter is learning as well and as much as she can every day. Without the back and forth collaboration and communicating that any parent would want and need from their Child’s teacher ….things just were the way the way they were. I gave a lot of thought about removing her from this teacher, but her classmates were the ones that were being Mariah’s ROLE MODELS and were the ones showing her what to do. It was her classmates and friends that year that made her year great! I choose to keep her in the same classroom with those classmates because they were the ones that BELIEVED in her and helped her throughout the entire school year! Mariah was being educated in a General Education classroom with her typical neighborhood peers without disabilities. That’s what the Federal *IDEA Law mandates that Mariah is entitled to! She needed that more than any one adult teacher that didn’t see her potential or her abilities, she only saw a girl with Down syndrome. Mariah learned that year that she was accepted and had friends….real friends, friends that invited her to Birthday parties and sleep-overs. That was the year she had her first sleep-over, I was so happy for my little girl….my dreams for her being accepted and having friends was happening. She had a very big crush on 2 boys that year! Mariah was being included into her 3rd grade classroom maybe not by her teacher but by her classmates!


Having friends and being accepted into the community is what every one of us wants! In 3rd grade Mariah learned how to be a friend to many and many learned how to help Mariah do her classwork. It was a crazy year with a teacher that was unwilling to be friendly or collaborate with me. I learned what to look out for in a teacher that year. If a teacher refuses to make eye contact with me or has a hard time being somewhat friendly without it feeling fake or speaks in a negative way or tone about my daughter not being able to do something….for me, it is a sure sign that the teacher is not going to do well teaching either! Some things should just feel right and when they don’t you know it! A mother’s instinct will always tell you in your heart what is going to be best or better for your Child.


ASK FOR A TEACHER CHANGE AS SOON AS YOU KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT THE TEACHER IS PUTTING YOU OFF! – If you have signed up for a Parent/Teacher conference early in the school year and that appointment gets cancelled or moved and before you know it, weeks and maybe a month goes by before that conference is held, you will know by the time you finally meet if something is going sour. Don’t wait to see if things will change!


"A day of learning lost for our Children with Down syndrome is a precious day of learning a much needed skill! Our Children don’t have time to waste with a teacher that doesn’t want to teach them or doesn’t care to understand about their learning style. If a teacher doesn’t have high expectations for all students in their classroom and motivates all students with positive praise and recognition for doing well, don’t expect that teacher to be a good teacher for your Child." Request a teacher change ASAP during the first few weeks into a new school year, don’t wait! You know you have to do what’s right and best for your son or daughter. It’s not about hurting a teachers feelings…it’s about having a good teacher that is willing to work collaboratively with parents and praises all her/his students to success! It’s about teaching my Child…who happens to have Down syndrome and is on your student list to be in your classroom this next year! This is a true story of my life long journey to educate Mariah!


Hope this helps some of you be a wiser Advocate for your Child. If you are a teacher reading this, I hope it opens your eyes to the parent viewpoint and encourages you to be a more collaborative teacher with parents. Have higher expectations for your all your students especially those with unique learning challenges because every student needs teachers that BELIEVE & ENCOURAGE & EXPECT MORE!


*IDEA - Individual Disability Education Act
*ESY – Extended School Year