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!!