There aren’t many things greater in life than knowing your child is in capable, caring, and safe hands when you drop them off at school. That feeling is multiplied exponentially when your child has special needs.
I know how wonderful Jeremiah’s preschool teacher (his aides are truly amazing also) is because I know what it takes to understand, help, befriend, and teach my son. I know how it can be daunting for others to simply watch Jeremiah and feed him snack. I know Ms. Gina goes far above what’s expected of her.
As school ended this past year, we met with Gina for a parent/teacher conference. During the conference, she said, “Since this will be Jeremiah’s third year in my class, I’m going to change my room around. It’ll be a challenge for me, but I’m going to do it.”
She knows Jeremiah is used to the room after being in her class for two years, but every year after the one coming up, he’ll be in a new environment. New teachers, new classrooms, and possibly new paraprofessinals*.
Even though it’s going to stretch Gina, because she likes the way her room is set up and never alters it’s basic layout, she’s doing this for Jeremiah. One child who’s in her class for three years. She cares that much about him, his development, and preparing him for his future.
I’m extremely grateful for our kids school,
for the principle who hires quality staff and promotes inclusion for special needs students, and for that staff who puts students needs first. The peace I feel when my child goes to school is unparalleled. Although he has special needs and is nonverbal, I’m confident he isn’t being abused, talked down to, thought less of, belittled, or placed in a corner. Having a a great special ed teacher is priceless.
*Jeremiah’s preschool is on an elementary school campus. His preschool is specifically for children with special needs and kids who are high risk. The elementary is a public school, which includes special needs children in the regular classrooms.
You can find out more about Jeremiah’s school in these posts:
Out of My Mind (I highly recommend everyone read this book)
What is Inclusion?
*Paraprofessionals, as defined by specialchildren.about.com: “A paraprofessional — often referred to as an aide — is a special-education worker who is not licensed to teach, but performs many duties both individually with students and organizationally in the classroom. Your child may be assigned a one-on-one paraprofessional as part of his or her IEP, or interact with a paraprofessional assigned to the classroom.”
Does your child have an awesome special ed teacher you’d love to brag about? What about their school? Does it make you feel at ease when you leave your child in capable hands?
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