Mariah Harris (14DS) Speaking before Broward Public School Board on July 23rd, 2013 - FLORIDA

M_07_23_2013 <---Click that live link to go to the Becon-TV recording of Broward County Public School Board Meeting held on July 23rd, 2013 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Go to the PUBLIC SPEAKERS portion of this School Board Meeting. Mariah is the first Public speaker called. Fast forward to 144:15 on the Video. I speak after her at 149:35 on the Video. 

A copy of Mariah's speech was handed out to each of the School Board members so if some of the words that were difficult for her to pronounce weren't clearly understood by all, then the board members and the school superintendent were still able to know what she was saying to them publically. 

Mariah presented herself with such style, grace and professionalism! For being so brand new to public speaking she is only going to get better at it and have a heck of a lot more confidence the more she does it! Gosh darn it I am so proud of her and her ability to stand at that podium all by herself and do her best. 

By allowing Mariah to do things like this, it is paving the way for her to be a more confident SELF-ADVOCATE for the rest of her life! It is also very much showing the Public how CAPABLE she is! How ABLE our students are if provided a way!

Here is her speech:

Hi !!

*Pause & SMILE

My name is Mariah Harris, I am 14 years old and in the 6th Grade.

I am in the Nova  U-Na-Ver-ciTy  School of the ARTS Drama Camp.

I am a dancer, singer, actress and will be in the Disney MULAN show August second.

I have teachers and helpers that support and BELIEVE IN ME!

Want to come see me on the stage at the EP-STEEN Center?

I went to Horse Camp for 2 weeks and had a lot of FUN!

FIRE is the name of my horse.

I met new friends that liked me and BELIEVED IN ME at the Ranch!

I am on the SWIM TEAM at River Land Pool.

Back Stroke is my best stroke. I Like doing Free Style and I'm learning the Butterfly. 

I love going to Swim practice every day!

My Coaches BELIEVE IN ME!

I love going to the Movies and Cooking.

I am having a Great Summer.

I need people to BELIEVE IN ME and see that I CAN do it!

Do not JUDGE me because I have Down syndrome!

I am Mariah Harris, I love school and I'm a good student!

I have always been fully IN-CLUDed with an adult to help me.

BELIEVE IN and IN-CLUDE more students with Down syndrome in all of our schools!!

Have a good day!

Thank you very much.

SMILE

Mariah Harris

321funlife@gmail.com

(954) 205-0016                                         

321 FUN ~ Mariah’s Life Blog

www.321fun.blogspot.com

Mariah's Speech to Broward School Board Meeting on July 22, 2013

Mariah needs a Speech COACH to help her with doing public reading & speaking, to help her with her 'speech skills', articulation and her reading fluency. This is what she needs help with now if she wants to become a more polished public speaker. Who wants to help?

To see Mariah's mom (Nancy Linley-Harris) speaking after her daughter, go to 149:35 on the Video. Here is my written speech that was handed out to all the school board members:

July 23^rd, 2013

Nancy Linley-Harris to School Board Meeting at Broward County Public Schools.

Good Afternoon Superintendent Runcie and School board members of Broward Public Schools,

Today, I will be speaking on behalf of students with Down syndrome and ALL Special Ed Students that are being forced to be WAREHOUSED at certain schools in ESE classrooms in Broward County Public Schools.

My name is Nancy Linley-Harris and I live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. On May 24^th I removed my daughter with Down syndrome from Broward County Public School District because I was being retaliated against for being an outspoken Advocate for the rights of my daughter to be ACADEMICALLY EDUCATED to learn and earn a real High School Diploma. My daughter was being forced out of all regular classes and was prevented from taking the State exams any longer. The ESE Department & the Due Process department for Broward County Public Schools did all they could to prevent my daughter and others like her from being treated with respect and educated with their classmates without special needs in the least restrictive classrooms, which is a regular classroom.

*How many students are being forced out of their neighborhood schools because of having a disability? This seems to be a Civil Rights concern here in Broward County Public Schools.

A mom of a 5 year old with Down syndrome recently contacted me and let me know that she had filed for a Due Process Hearing, because Broward Schools is refusing to allow her son to go to Kindergarten at the school that is just a few blocks from her house, which is HAWKE’S BLUFF Elem. She told me that Broward Schools is forcing him to have to attend a school that is almost 6 miles away to be in a segregated special ed classroom at PEMBROKE LAKES. 

The parents are not agreeing to this and have let the school know they would like to have him be included in a regular Kindergarten classroom with his neighborhood friends that he knows. This little guy has already been attending HAWKE’S BLUFF ELEMENTARY School for 2 years already because of the 3-5 year old Early Intervention classes that used to be called the PLACE Classrooms for students with disabilities.  I am asking; “Why HAWKE’S BLUFF is even allowed to say, “NO” to this particular student?”  

Is this school and this district DISCRIMINATING AGAINST Students with Down syndrome from even being allowed to attend their neighborhood schools anymore? I THINK SO! 

Please School board members, there needs to be an investigation into the INCLUSION Practices that this District is doing, because it is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that provides the FEDERAL FUNDS to help educate our students with Disabilities. 

From what I am seeing as happening in Broward County Public Schools is; our students with Disabilities MATRIX FUNDS are being used to WAREHOUSE our Children into schools and classrooms that not all parents of these children agreed to and ultimately parents are forced into filing a Due Process.

How much money is the district spending on the Due Process for families like this one? Parent just wanting there child to attend the school down the street and to go to a regular kindergarten class with the neighborhood friends.

School Board members of Broward County Public Schools, for the record, I would like to know how much is this District spending from our student’s special education funds by NOT ALLOWING our students with disabilities into the regular classrooms, from being educated academically so they can learn and earn a high school diploma.

As an Advocate for the Disability Community, I am asking; “HOW MUCH DOES THIS DISTRICT RECEIVE IN Special Ed Matrix FUNDS federally and thru the State Special Ed Funds from FDOE?” “What is the amount for the entire district and how is that being spent?”

“HOW IS BROWARD SCHOOLS SPENDING our children’s ESE funding that’s there to help educate our Special needs children?”  

This school district does not BELIEVE IN students…….especially the students needing the most support that comes with extra funding to help educate them, students with disabilities! 

Stop forcing parents to file Due Process Hearings, because we want our children to attend their neighborhood school and be included in regular classes. 

We want our Teachers to BELIEVE IN our children and to TEACH our children. Where is the training for the teachers and staff? Stop the Discrimination & Segregation of our students with Disabilities!

How are you spending our Special Education Funds in Broward Schools?

I want to know if my daughter’s ESE Matrix Funds were actually spent on educating her instead of allowing Parkway Middle’s ESE teachers and staff to attend 10-IEP meetings to go against my wanting her to continue to be fully included and to be educated academically so she too could learn to earn a real high school diploma.

Nancy Linley-Harris

podsangels@gmail.com

(954) 612-2997

DS Advocate BLOG

www.ds-advocate.blogspot.com

My Message to the Down syndrome Community:

If more parents of DS go before school boards with the same message - it would speak volumes across the Nation & the World. What I have found here where I live is that parents are afraid to speak out - Knowing that makes me feel more obligated to be that voice for many of them! 

My daughter "learning to speak publically" is amazing to be part of with her! She has no fear of Public Speaking! I see it as her Self-Advocacy "training" as well for Mariah and showing our Community that she IS CAPABLE of so much more than our schools want to believe. She is gaining more confidence each time she speaks! 

I would encourage more parents to help our children show your community that our children and young adults with Down syndrome have so much to give!! The Public needs to SEE our children being successful, if that means giving a simple message before your school board and learning how to give a speech with a real microphone than so be it! I'm pretty sure many of our kiddos love the "stage" and will do anything to have an opportunity to speak into a microphone.....without it being taken away from them. My daughter like many with Down syndrome loves "the stage!!"

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.

Down Syndrome children need 'faster inclusion' - The National

Down Syndrome children need 'faster inclusion' - The National

Great article and time for this to happen everywhere....now!

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."

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.

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

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!