Starting inclusion in the right PLACE!

She started attending Stephen Foster Elementary School at 4 years old because there was the ESE Preschool PLACE classroom on that school campus. The ESE Preschool class was called; PLACE. Which at the time I believe the acronym stood for: Preschool Language And Classroom Experience or Education, either way it was only for students identified as having a learning and developmental delay or disability. My daughter was the only student with Down syndrome that was in that Preschool PLACE classroom. It was a perfect classroom set up for her at the time. There were two classroom assistants that helped the teacher with the little ones, especially during potty time and feeding time. My daughter wasn't potty trained still and very much needed the extra help in learning that while in school, so as a parent I was thrilled to know that her new classroom would have the extra helpers. Her PLACE classroom had everything for my daughter to learn all that she needed to learn to be ready for Kindergarten the next year.

I was excited for my little girl to start Kindergarten the next year and concerned about which teacher she would have. I was a nervous Nelly about making sure she had 'the right teacher'...one that was going to be open to having a little girl with Down syndrome in their classroom, one that would accept her and teach her like all the others.

I asked the school principal if he would mind if I could have an opportunity to have a little chat with each of the five Kindergarten teachers so I could be part of the choosing which teacher would be a good match for my daughter the next year. He agreed that if each of them didn't mind, then he didn't mind at all either.

My principal was very workable with my request to be able to meet and talk with each of the Kindergarten teachers before hand. I'm not saying that everyone needs or should do this same thing, because we all know not all principals are going to be that workable! I really needed to wanted to know the personalities of the teachers cause after all none of them were teachers used to having a little student with Down syndrome in their classrooms. I needed to know my daughters Kindergarten teacher was going to be someone that both my daughter and I would feel comfortable with.

So I meet four of the five Kindergarten teachers and knew without a doubt which teacher by the 4th one! When I walked into Ms. Ashworth's classroom, her students all greated me with happy friendly smiles and questions. Her classroom seemed a tad more 'busy' than the other 3 classrooms I had observed, and more than anything it was her students that set her classroom and her teaching style apart from the other 3 classrooms. Ms. Ashworth without hesitation was friendly and glad to talk with me, was talkative and made great eye contact with me and proceeded to open up to me about herself and her little family and spoke about her own four children. It was great that she was a mom herself and had that many children of her own. I felt we instantly bonded within my first 10 minutes of meeting her! When someone is that easy to talk with and has a smile on her face and opens up and freely shared with me...and made 'eye contact' with me...those qualities were big green lights for me to go by! I knew she was going to be the right teacher for my little girl to spend her days at school with! (Thank you Ms. Ashworth for being so easy to like that day!!)

I could breath a little easier. Now that I knew which teacher I wanted to 'suggest' to my wonderful Principal, which one would be the best choice to be Mariah's Kindergarten teacher the next year. I had found the perfect Kindergarten teacher for her!!! It felt good to know she was one that was easy to talk to. She told me she had never had a student with Down syndrome before and it didn't seem to be any big concern that Mariah had Down syndrome, it wasn't a big deal to her.

Kindergarten was a FUN year for sure!

References for including students in your classroom....

Great references to helping those with Down syndrome be included in the general education classroom today.... pass it on to those you know that may have a student with Down syndrome in their classrooms.

http://www.down-syndrome.org/practice/149/ You can copy & paste this link into a new search window if you are having trouble viewing this wonderful link that needs to be shared with educators. *Don't know why I can't get this link to be posted so easy here right now....will deal with it later. For now just copy & paste it.