Shelley Moore: Transforming Inclusive Education

Published on Apr 4, 2016
Shelley Moore, of The University of British Columbia, is one of the Top 25 finalists in SSHRC's 2016 Storytellers challenge.

The annual competition challenges postsecondary students from across the country to demonstrate—in three minutes or 300 words—how SSHRC-funded research is making a difference in the lives of Canadians. The top entries this year address a range of issues—from sustainable technologies and digital inequality, to food security, transgender issues and special-needs education —and highlight how knowledge about the social sciences and humanities helps Canadians understand and improve the world around us. 

Learn more: http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/storytellers

Inclusive Middle School Choir Singing: "Count On Me" Song

YouTube Video by Rene Boyles 
3-20-14 Middle school choir pop concert

This is Sarah singing in her Middle School Choir Pop Concert. Look for her in the second row from the front row, and third row from the top row in front of the totally awesome boy with red hair. The student that stands out and makes this video a perfect example of why INCLUSION is good for ALL!

I came across this little video on YouTube and was so moved by what I saw and felt in my heart while watching it. I was moved to tears watching it! This video is perfect to share with everyone on my Blog dedicated to highlighting Positive Inclusion Practices, Inclusion Training Resources, Positive Stories and great Video's pertaining to Inclusion: Down syndrome Inclusion  

This video was recorded by her sister, Rene Boyles and uploaded to YouTube.

It's great to see a Middle School doing such a wonderful job of Including ALL Students that LOVE MUSIC!

Music connects us!

Song: COUNT ON ME by John Jacobson's Music Express ~ Volume 12 ~ Got Music

BRUNO MARS LYRICS
"Count On Me"

[Verse 1:]
Oh uh-huh
If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea
I'll sail the world to find you
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see
I'll be the light to guide you

Find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need

[Chorus:]
You can count on me like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it
I can count on you like 4, 3, 2
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Ooooooh, oooohhh yeah, yeah

[Verse 2:]
If you're tossin' and you're turnin'
And you just can't fall asleep
I'll sing a song beside you
And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me
Every day I will remind you

Oooh
Find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need

[Chorus:]
You can count on me like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it
I can count on you like 4, 3, 2
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Ooooooh, oooohhh yeah, yeah

You'll always have my shoulder when you cry
I'll never let go, never say goodbye
You know...

[Chorus:]
You can count on me like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it
I can count on you like 4, 3, 2
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Ooooooh, oooohhh

You can count on me 'cause I can count on you

Mariah Elizabeth's 1st week at her New School ~ Is this a dream?

"I'm so excited mom!"

"....now what?"

"Mom, that's nuff pictures!"

First Day at her New School ~ I was buzzed in at the security gate with the door ringer and I stepped in at the front office to say hello to the school secretary. She said, "it's OK to go ahead and take her to her classroom." I snapped a few pictures of Mariah, as she was rushing me saying, "come on mom that's nuff pictures!" Mariah was so excited and happy to finally be starting at her New school this morning! I opened the door to her classroom and saw a few students already sitting in desks. Her new teacher greeted her "by saying her name" and asked her to come in and take a particular desk.

Mariah Elizabeth was so excited and eager to meet her new classmates and go to school today! I am excited for her to make new friends and capture new academic growth here at this school that she desperately needs. (Back to the basics of learning and including her in a 'regular' classroom without any hassles about it.

Inclusion should be Natural! 

Mariah has a ton of confidence and a strong desire to learn. With just enough support, I know she'll be showing off her independence at this new school. She'll blossom here I'm sure of it! 

I gently closed her new classroom door behind her and was glad things went so smoothly this first morning drop off. As I was walking away and going out the security gate, I felt very much at ease at how welcoming it all felt dropping her off there on her first day of school without having to WAIT or wonder would she be safe today. This school operates how schools used to be ~ FRIENDLY & WELCOMING....I call this our LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE SCHOOL. They join 2 different grades together and they all eat at the same time together, so everyone gets to know everyone in the entire school. There is a FAMILY FEEL at this school for sure! After dropping her off her first day of school it took me less than 4 minutes to drive back home. Drive time there in the AM even in the busy AM traffic is 12 minutes at the most.

The first thing she said when I picked her up after her first day of school was..."Mom!!!!! Guess What!!"  " I PLAYED BASKETBALL! I LLLLLLLOVE SPORTS!!!" She was bout jumping out of her skin with excitement that she gets to do SPORTS at school!!! Basketball being her favorite "sport" right now!! Her homeroom teacher is also the PE Coach!

Mariah's at a great place! She is welcomed and valued as the individual she is! Her being a person with Down syndrome is not an issue here at this school!!!

2nd Day of School for Mariah Elizabeth  ~ I asked for a home set of class books this morning. Her teacher said, "That will be fine, I'll have them for you. A set will be ready when you pick her up this afternoon." .....and that was that!!! Now THAT'S Customer Service!!! "The way it should be", someone said to me on my FB page. I have to agree, yes the way it should be! No big deal!

Today is Tuesday, the day I pick her up early to take her to her OT-PT-SPEECH Therapies every week. I arranged with the school that I would be picking her up on Tuesdays 15-30 minutes before school lets out. This way she is able to continue attending her Private OT/PT/ST Therapies and won't be missing from her Academic class time at school anymore. No more therapies when she's in school anymore, she receives the best therapies where she has been going for the past 7 years now! 

School Day #3 for Mariah Elizabeth 

~ FAMILY FEEL!!!! With absolutely NO HASSLES thus far!!! 
*Mariah's mommie oh so needs this from a school!!! 

Takes me no more than 10 minutes or less to go pick her up after school!!

Mariah keeps telling me how much she LOVES her New School!! 

Her very first homework is to memorize a little prayer. Now that can be any more PERFECT for her first homework assignment!!! 

Below is her MEMORY Homework due on Friday 8/23/13. She wrote it out a few times, in a little notebook and also on 2 index cards. Today she typed it into an email to her teacher. At home I am teaching her how to use an email program and will eventually have it set up to send 'homework' over to her teacher this way. This is to continue to help Mariah with her computer and keyboarding skills she will need to be successful in life.

Here is what her Memory homework is ~ 
Dear Father in heaven above,
Fill our minds and hearts with your love,
Watch over us as we work and play
and be with us throughout the day.
Amen
*She typed this herself with a little help from me, to make sure she was using Capitals and punctuation correctly. I copied and pasted it from the email she sent to my email first. My goal is to help her learn how to independently use an email program this school year. Something her past schools were not interested in. Emailing is a skill she has to be taught and without a reason for using it via sending in homework once in a while, she will not gain that important "life skill" that I think is important for her to lean now. I will keep you posted on how the idea goes over when I ask her teacher about this idea.

Reading and practicing her Memory work on the drive to school each day this week.

Day #3 ~ On Wednesday's they go Chapel and have to wear their white uniform shirts on that day. They have several colors to choose from for their UNIFORM shirts, white, light blue, navy blue, green, red. Their shirts have to have the school logo...and their logo is so gosh darn cute!!! Mariah Elizabeth is used to wearing a uniform to school, so it's no big deal. She was actually impressed and happy when she took a good look at her New School LOGO on her shirt. On the car ride home her 2nd day she looked at it so proudly and said, "I LOVE THIS SCHOOL MOM!" ....with the cutest smile when she said it!

The school office has a box full of "pre-owned" uniforms in their front office. I was able to purchase a few items really cheap. For me it was like going shopping at a thrift store, which Mariah and I love to do anyway! Picking up a weeks worth of shirts really helped alot! That gurl of mine, she is hhharrd to find clothes that fit her right. We have learned to get creative on where we shop for her clothes. Woman's Capri's fit her legs like long leg pants. We are grateful for Capri's!! 

This is a page from her Social Studies book that was sent home. I do believe my daughter, Mariah has had the best first hand experience in CIVIC these last few months. Mariah's very first public speech at the State Capitol in front of the Florida Senate Education Committee March 18th, 2013 on Senate Bill 1108 was an experience in Civics that could never be learned in any classroom. 

Mariah knows about..."meetings" and "public speaking" and doing things to help change laws already. She has told me she wants to do more Public Speaking because of that experience. She has spoken before the School Board too! Want to see Mariah speaking before the Senate Education Committee 3.18.13 ~ Go to 21:07 - 22:57 on the video. http://thefloridachannel.org/video/program-201311/

Listen to Mariah & her Mom speaking on NPR-National Public Radio 

http://stateimpact.npr.org/florida/2013/04/22/why-parents-could-get-more-control-over-their-childs-special-education-plan/

"Mom, I couldn't get into the swing, I need help." "The swings are for big kids, I'm a big kid."

Mariah and I both are looking forward to a wonderful school year ahead! 

GO TIGERS!  *Great MASCOT!! 

.....Does that make me a TIGER MOMMA???

Day #4 ~ Thursday 

She was asked to be part of the after school Jewelry Making classes!! Yes yes yes she will be there!!

This is the beautiful bulletin board by the front office! Isn't it pretty? Read what it says!!

Picked her up a tad early today to take her to her 1st day back Horse Riding at the Ranch!

Singing and talking on our weekly car ride to the ranch 18 miles away! She is so glad to be back to school and starting back with her weekly horse riding lessons!

This is Katie her new riding instructor this season.

Back sitting on FIRE!! She has been riding FIRE now for a few years!

Thursday is her HORSE Riding Day! This was 1st day back at the ranch with Katie is the new Riding Instructor for the group lessons. New this year, each rider will now be receiving some 1:1 independent riding lessons on a rotating schedule! This place is our favorite place to be each week! Glad to be back "in session" again!! 

Mariah is so HaPpY here at the Ranch!

Day 5 ~ 1st Week of School

Friday is PIZZA DAY for Lunch! The lunches are homemade and cost $4 daily. Mariah being on a restricted diet to keep her weight down, she will be taking her own fresh salads and low calorie lunches 3 times a week. She will get to eat Pizza on Friday's with everyone. Mariah likes making her own lunches and deciding what to put in her lunch container. Making her own lunches teaches her responsibility and how to make healthy choices on her own and how to COUNT HER CALORIES that she will have to do for the rest of her life if she wants to be in control of her 'healthy weight'!! She loves salads and eating healthy. 

This is where she is getting to know all of her new school & classmates! Yes they have SWINGS and the "big kids" still like swinging! It's like going to the Park everyday...in fact they DO GO TO THE PARK for some of their PE classes down the street!

BIG big difference the first week in a Private school compared to Public school first week! There is a calm and trust that she is respected and not babied or denied access to regular classes. Mariah is fully included in all regular general education classes and not segregated into an all special needs only classroom. She no longer has a 1:1 adult aide sitting so close and on top of her. Mariah is proud to be herself here at this school. I think this school is the place where Mariah is going to blossom on so many levels academically and in so many ways as a typical teenager! Mariah has had an absolutely awesome first week at her new school! 

Mariah is HaPpY at her New School!!! 

......so is her "Tiger Momma!"

"If a child can't learn the way we teach,   ...maybe we should teach the way they learn."        - Ignacio Estrada

VIEW & SHARE this NEW Video about Down syndrome! 

Just Like You! http://youtu.be/5M--xOyGUX4

Down syndrome good practice guidelines for education 

http://dsei-files.cdn.dsegroup.net/2012/12/appgds-good-practice-guidelines.pdf

INCLUSION GUIDELINES http://iod.unh.edu/PriorityAreas/inclusive-education/inclusiveed/about.aspxhttp://iod.unh.edu/PriorityAreas/inclusive-education/inclusiveed/about.aspxhttp://iod.unh.edu/PriorityAreas/inclusive-education/inclusiveed/about.aspx

To read more about Mariah go to her personal blog at:

321 FUN ~ Mariah's Life Blog

www.321FUN.blogspot.com

DS Advocate Blog

www.DS-Advocate.blogspot.com

Down Syndrome Inclusive Education 

www.DownSyndromeInclusiveEducation.blogspot.com

POD Angels ~ Down syndrome Family Support

www.podsangels.blogspot.com

Do you have a student with Down syndrome in your classroom? Great Resource out of Michigan! Supporting the Student with Down Syndrome in your Classroom. To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily” 20 U.S.C § 1412(a)(5)(A).

The Florida Channel ~ Mariah Speaking before the Florida Senate Education Committee 3/18/13

http://thefloridachannel.org/video/program-201311/

The National Center on Inclusive Education (NCIE) at the Institute on Disability/UCED at the University of New Hampshire advances the view that disability is a natural part of the human experience and promotes the inclusion of all students within general education classrooms and school communities.

http://iod.unh.edu/PriorityAreas/inclusive-education/inclusiveed/about.aspx

Civil Rights Question ~ Students NOT ALLOWED to attend their neighborhood school?

Mariah Harris and I are signed up to SPEAK AGAIN before our Public School Board meeting tomorrow. We also signed up to be on the Public Speakers LIST for next school board meeting on Tuesday, AUGUST 6th as well. 

WHO will be supporting us as we speak up on behalf of all individuals with disabilities, especially those students with Down syndrome being constantly DENIED an INCLUSIVE EDUCATION in the least restrictive classrooms, leading towards being educated to learn and earn a real high school diploma! 

WHO will come out and support us on this? There is still so much NONSENSE being allowed to take place towards individuals with Down syndrome not being allowed to attend their neighborhood schools. Being FORCED to send our children to schools miles away instead! 

THIS nonsense of discrimination & segregation needs to STOP!

SIGN-UP to be a PUBLIC SPEAKER and let your Public School District know how you feel about the DISCRIMINATION & SEGREGATION of students with disabilities, and yes especially many of our children with Down syndrome absolutely are being denied their right to an academic education like everyone else!

Mariah wasn't allowed to take the FCAT or the Alternate Assessment in the 6th Grade at Parkway Middle School!!

This is me speaking for the first time publically to Broward County School Board a month before I completely WITHDREW Mariah from Broward Public Education! In my speach you can see I was PLEADING for help to look into what was happening to me at Parkway Middle School via the IEP "PROCESS" here in Broward County! I also explain how Mariah wasn't even allowed to take the FCAT anymore and wasn't ever told by the schools ESE Specialist, Ms. Chiante Roundtree-Jones as to exactly when the ALTERNATE ASSESSMENT would be going on. (*the Special Needs FCAT testing) The schools ESE Specialist said, that Mariah wasn't in school on the day that the 'letter' was sent home. Instead weeks later, Mariah did bring home a letter informing us when the "regular" FCAT testing times would be going on.

In Elementary school, Mariah had always taken the "regular" FCAT since the 3rd grade and twice in 5th grade, because I thought it would be good for Mariah to have a second year of 5th grade with the same wonderful teacher, Mr. Allagood. Mariah had always been taking the "regular" FCAT, a total of 4 times she took the FCAT before going off to 6th grade at Parkway Middle School. So this year in 6th grade, Mariah wasn't even allowed or was I ever informed when the Alternate Assessment testing dates would be given. I found out later that the Alternate to the FCAT is given to the ESE Students over a 3 week time period, whereas the regular FCAT is given over a shorter time period of just 2 weeks. Not once during the time for testing the Alternate Assessment was our family notified of this testing and it was going on for 3 whole weeks?! That in itself shows the lack of care to test and/or educate a wonderful student like Mariah! 

Mariah loves school and is a wonderful student any good teacher would be thrilled for the challenge of teaching her in a diversified classroom as they all should be today! Not all her teachers should have been chosen for her as there have been some really GREAT TEACHERS over the years and certainly Mariah has has some really lousy/rotten teachers too! More good teachers though, but the bad ones can really make life miserable for both student and parent! Her intensive reading teacher in 6th grade at Parkway Middle had no desire to really help Mariah continue with increasing her reading skills. An intensive reading teacher that only gives "F's" to a student with an IEP should be fired! Upsetting to say the least, because READING is one of the most important academic skills a student needs to learn to get an education! That reading teacher's only goal for Mariah was to show she wasn't making progress to push her into a NON-PHONICS BASED reading program the ESE Department was pushing on many of the Middle School Students, that I wanted no part of for my girl. This "curriculum" was not something I agreed to, if SB 1108 had been in place, I would have had to 'sign-off' yes or no to that curriculum. As of July 1st, 2013 that Senate Bill will be law! 

So this year, not only did my daugher, Mariah not get to take the "regular" FCAT, she also wasn't allowed to be tested the one given to Special Needs students, the Alternate Assessment to the regular FCAT. Why was this allowed to even happen to Mariah? Is it because both Mariah and I went up to testify before the Florida Senate in March on SB 1108? Is it because she has Down syndrome, is it because her mom is an outspoken Advocate for students with Down syndrome and other unique learning challenges? I would like to know how our public school district can get away with such nonsense!

Ultimately....one month later I decided to completely WITHDRAW my daughter from PUBLIC EDUCATION because I have experienced such a total lack of care to ACADEMICALLY EDUCATE my daughter as she gets older. Being in Middle School and being included in regular general education classes is NOT WHAT THIS DISTRICT WANTS FOR STUDENTS WITH DOWN SYNDROME and certainly they don't care to work collaboratively with their parents.

The new Senate Bill 1108 if it had been in place before this school year or before, I never would have had to go through the nonsense I was being forced to endure at the many (too many) IEP meetings Parkway Middle School put me through. 

Mariah and I going to the Florida Capitol a month previously on March 18th, 2013 to testify before the Florida Senate on why we thought this Bill is an absolute must to have in place to protect parents rights to help our children receive a "world class education"? That is what is advertised throughout our public school district, on their phone lines when we are put on hold and on the District website. A world class education is for those without disabilities I think is what they really mean.

In this video, Mariah had just spoken before me, the same exact speech she read to the Florida Senate Education Committee a month before on March 18th, 2013. I will post her first school board speech when I have a copy of it. This was Mariah's second time public speaking and she did fabulous job! She has told me she loves speaking in front of a people! So through it all, we both have become Public Speakers. Mariah and I both have now had parts of our Senate Education Committee testimony from the the Florida Capitol speech aired on National Public Radion-NPR. Mariah telling the Florida Senate that she wants a REAL HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA and that she wants to one day go to College. Her cute voice and her very first public speech has been aired and heard across the Country. I believe she speaks for many with Down syndrome and special needs education in general. 

Mariah you are on your way to becoming a National Speaker, getting on NPR is a start! I am so proud of my daughter for rising to the challenge of getting up and speaking before the public and having your voice heard! You speak for many like you! 

Please comment if things like this are or have been happening to your child's education, I would love to hear from my readers. Share my story too!

"We are more alike than different" - Katy by matthew duffus

"We are more alike than different" - Katy 
Published on Jun 1, 2013 by matthew duffus "we are more alike the different" a program to say that people with down syndrome are no more different then the rest of us.

"We are more alike than different" - Katy by matthew duffus <--Click to view beautiful video of Katy
*SHARE THIS SO THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWS...
..."we are more alike than different"

NGSSS ~ New Generation Sunshine State Standards

NGSSS ~ New Generation Sunshine State Standards
This is for Florida folks ~ Get to know this website ~ click the above link to read more.

INCLUSION is NATURAL

QUALITY INDICATORS OF INCLUSIVE  SCHOOLS
This is from: Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Schools ~ 2006
http://www.ndss.org/PageFiles/115/quality_indicators.pdf


There is some really good information to be taken from this above link to the 2006 pdf document from the Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Schools. Wish it wasn't so hard for our schools to just 'get it right' and stop wasting so much time with our Children's education by NOT doing the right thing when it comes to providing a quality education where INCLUSION is NATURAL! 


Teachers go into to teaching to teach Children ~ All Children! It would be nice if our School Districts and our neighborhood schools would be more open minded with providing real inclusion when it comes to students with unique learning challenges. 


Inclusion is NOT "earned'. To be included into the general population classrooms is for more students then society gives credit for. By including more students with different learning styles and unique learning challenges allows people to be accepted for who they are and the positive things everyone has to contribute in today's classrooms. It allows fellow classmates to form friendships with those that may look, learn and be different than they are. More importantly that our teachers accept the diverse population of students in their classrooms and become the positive role models for all students to follow, by accepting their fellow classmates just the way they are. By encouraging all students to be tolerant of each other and helpful towards those students that need a little extra help by being a Peer Buddy and extending the hand of friendship to students with disabilities.


Inclusion is more of an attitude of a community of diverse students all being taught together, with the help of each other making it work. Inclusion is NOT a classroom and it certainly is NOT a teacher! ~ It is everyone together all the time. It is the entire school campus community, it is a mind-set and an understanding of including everyone all the time. Inclusion is NOT a place, it is NOT only for a certain time, it is NOT a classroom. 


Inclusion is accepting people just as they are. 
INCLUSION is NATURAL...if the attitude is open to it.

Turnover proves ultimate act of sportsmanship GRINNELL, Kansas

Turnover proves ultimate act of sportsmanship

"Coach said when we were in the huddle, just give him a chance to shoot," said Brown. "So I let him have a shot and he threw it up and he shot it, and he made it."

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

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

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!!