I wrote a note to Lila's teacher requesting to visit the classroom on World Down Syndrome Day
3/21/2012
to share treats and read a book about Down Syndrome
to the class.
to the class.
I also requested permission to send a letter
to the parents of each student
to the parents of each student
introducing Lila and telling a little about her
with some facts about DS on the opposite side of the letter.
I sent a letter to each of the parents of the students
in Lila's typical preschool class last year.
Every parent responded.
Every response was positive.
I sent the request in Lila's backpack this morning.
This afternoon, when I picked her up,
her teacher told me that she would be thrilled if I came in and read a book to her students.
I will have to submit my letter in advance to get approval
from the office before it can be sent home with the students.
She said yes.
I am nervous.
I will be nervous.
But I'm so happy that she said yes.
I'm stepping outside of my comfort zone.
For my girls
And all of our friends with Down Syndrome
Who deserve to be recognized
To be celebrated
with some facts about DS on the opposite side of the letter.
I sent a letter to each of the parents of the students
in Lila's typical preschool class last year.
Every parent responded.
Every response was positive.
I sent the request in Lila's backpack this morning.
This afternoon, when I picked her up,
her teacher told me that she would be thrilled if I came in and read a book to her students.
I will have to submit my letter in advance to get approval
from the office before it can be sent home with the students.
She said yes.
I am nervous.
I will be nervous.
But I'm so happy that she said yes.
I'm stepping outside of my comfort zone.
For my girls
And all of our friends with Down Syndrome
Who deserve to be recognized
To be celebrated
To spread the word that individuals with Down Syndrome are
capable
unique
determined
brave
kind
dedicated
inspiring
valued
gifted
cherished...
The list goes on and on.
I am a small-time blogger.
I don't have a huge following.
But I know that taking the time
to tell our story
has touched a few people.
From time to time I get e-mails from new parents
and parents that
have received a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome
telling me that our normal life portrayed on my blog
brings them hope and comfort.
I got an e-mail this week from a family who had just delivered their baby with DS.
They told me that after they got their prenatal diagnosis of DS they stalked my blog.
They said it brought them hope and a sense of calm.
If that's the only e-mail I get all year
that's enough for me.
Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love. ~ Mother Teresa
We all have a story to tell.
We all have something to contribute.
capable
unique
determined
brave
kind
dedicated
inspiring
valued
gifted
cherished...
The list goes on and on.
I am a small-time blogger.
I don't have a huge following.
But I know that taking the time
to tell our story
has touched a few people.
From time to time I get e-mails from new parents
and parents that
have received a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome
telling me that our normal life portrayed on my blog
brings them hope and comfort.
I got an e-mail this week from a family who had just delivered their baby with DS.
They told me that after they got their prenatal diagnosis of DS they stalked my blog.
They said it brought them hope and a sense of calm.
If that's the only e-mail I get all year
that's enough for me.
Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love. ~ Mother Teresa
We all have a story to tell.
We all have something to contribute.
We all have a voice.
If we all work together we will raise awareness
that people with Down Syndrome are
more alike than different and
have lives worth living
Let's make our voices heard on
World Down Syndrome Day
3/21/2012
We have 21 days to make it happen!
If you are looking for facts to share about DS
on World Down Syndrome Day,
check out these links:
Tears, again. "If that's the only e-mail I get all year that's enough for me." So true but I know you touch many, many more than that and will continue to do so.
ReplyDeleteSo glad the teacher said yes!
For some reason, I can't comment in the regular comment box, so I will have to go this route!
DeleteI think this is simply amazing. It is what life with our magical children is all about. Sharing them with this world. Dispelling the misnomers and in turn building a foundation strong in acceptance and unconditional love.
The girls are, well, they are just so absolutely breathtaking. They really are. Hope you are settling in to life in Colorado effortlessly. It certainly looks as if you are.
* I have used that quote by Mother Teresa, a number of times. It resonates with such truth. Hard pressed to find a better one than that.
That is such a great idea, Linda! Really fabulous. I hope to do that too, when my kids are a little older.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful, Linda! What a great thing to do. You really are an inspiration,
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness - your girls are SO adorable! Tutus are my secret girly obsession.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for stopping by (I'll try to fix my comment section) and nice to meet you!
So fantastic, what an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteNikki
www.madebynikki.blogspot.com - blog design to support special needs orphans in India!
I am so excited for you to go to Lila's class. I go to my two boys class each year the first week of school. I talk to them about the Marshall Islands and about adoption. I show them lots of fun things about and from the Marshall Islands and we eat food from there. I show lots of pictures and then we have a question and answer time. It is so wonderful. This way, the questions are directed to me, and not my child. Doing this benefits them so much. It also answers all of their questions so that when I come in and volunteer for the first time, it isn't awkard...and they're not asking questions about how I can't possibly be their mom. I've done it each year my sons are in fifth and second grade. Their classmates love it and I get lots of comments from the parents as well. I plan to do the same thing for my girls who are African American, and then the same for Daisy who has Down syndrome. I would love to know the book that you read. I saw a darling presentation to a first grade classroom introducing them to a child that has Ds. They made a huge poster with lots of pictures of all of the things that she likes to do. They went through each picture and said, "Aubrey, loves to..." "Who hear loves to ....?" This was a great way to point out all of their similarities. As she went through each picture she was building to towers. One that represented Aubrey and one that represented the class. They were exactly the same until the last block. It was different. She said that this represented Down syndrome. She asked if anybody there had Ds. She explained how Ds is a little something extra in her body. She talked about how Aubrey can do all of the things they do, but that sometimes it just takes longer for her, or that it is harder...but with lots of practice she could do it. She explained about muscles and how people with Ds have low muscle tone. She then asked somebody to come tie their shoe. They did. She then had them put on gloves and tie their shoe. It was harder and they could not do it. She expalined that this is how it feels for Aubrey. They talked about how if they kept practicing with the glove on...they would eventually learn how to do it. She then had a child sing the ABC's. Then she had them fill their mouth with mini marhmallos. Again, harder to do. She explained that...is why some words are harder for Aubrey to say...again the muscle tone. It was so super and the kids loved learning about Aubrey. I also loved how she explained that Down syndrome is not a sickness or a disease. You can't "catch" Ds. So, she encouraged all of them to invite her to do activies in the class, play at recess, etc. It was great. I walked out in the hall with the mom afterwards and was talking to her. As we were talking the bell rang. The class came out in the hall to go outside and play. We heard three little girls invite Aubrey to play. So awesome! We are our children's greatest advocates!!! Thanks for sharing your blog, Linda! Love, Jodi (Daisy's mom)
ReplyDeleteI just stumbled across your blog and I think it's amazing. Thank you for sharing this with us.
ReplyDeleteyou're a really good mom. thanks for being an advocate for your kids and for taking it a step further with educating those around you. it's so important and you're doing an awesome job.
ReplyDelete