Favorite Fridays~Our Schools

Evie's teacher helping her make wool into a ball on a field trip.

I just had Evie's last IEP in this school district.  That was a really hard thing to do considering I'd always imagined her graduating from here; having walked the halls and sat in the desks of the schools that I'd been working in these past few years.

I know a good school can be hard to find, and I know that a good school for a student with special needs can be even harder.  I'm convinced that in this school district, Evie would have been blessed to have been educated in every school; from the Early Learning Center all the way to the High School.

I appreciated the schools, the teachers, the teacher's aides, and the staff even before I started working in the district.  However, once I started working in the schools; sitting in the classrooms with students, participating in some of the problem-solving and planning that is required to best serve the students; that's when I fell in love with the school district.  I started to see how complicated a single day can be for students and staff; and how hard the employees work to make the day be as seamless as possible for each student.

A great school isn't a school that is without problems or challenges.  A great school is reflective and evaluative and constantly strives to be better.  A great school is a school that is aware of it's strengths AND weaknesses, and will soar with it's strengths and continue to improve in it's areas of weakness.  The schools here are definitely GREAT schools.

We haven't gone these 6 years here without an issue at school.  But, whenever we DID have an issue, I knew that I could call or e-mail and I would get a prompt response and a slew of people who wanted to help fix whatever was wrong.

 
One area that I see as a strength here in our schools is how they include the children with special needs and nurture and grow the relationships of the "typical" children with those of the children with special needs.  

As a parent of a child who has a number of disabilities, my greatest fear isn't that she won't get a job, or won't go to college...my greatest fear is that she won't have friends.  

However, the first reaction Evie had to me telling her that we are moving to Reno was, "Oh...oh no...I will miss my friends so much."  That made my heart swell and my eyes WELL with tears.  Her first thoughts were of her FRIENDS.  Hallelujah, thank you, Lord...

Then I had to tell her teachers...

That was heart-breaking, because I got to hear things like, "Her smile in the morning reminds me of why I became a teacher," "She is our ray of sunshine," and "We like look for an excuse to visit with Evie."  It was not going to be easy on them to hear that she's not just not moving on to the next school in the district, she's actually moving hundreds of miles away.

I know that we have all shed many tears, (many of her friends' moms told me their children cried when they said Evie was moving *insert sad-face here* ), and I know we'll shed many more.  I thank God that we were able to start our journey with Evie here though.  What a beautiful way to see the best in people; as they support, love and celebrate our special girl.

Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.  William Butler Yeats

Thank you, to all her teachers, therapists, aides and friends; thank you for lighting a fire in Evie, and a fire in the hearts of her friends...

Sending Her Out into the World

Something I have been considering as we prepare for our relocation to Reno has been schools.  Obviously, having a child with disabilities creates a little bit more anxiety when we look at schools; how will the teachers respond to Evie?  How will the students respond?  How inclusive are the schools in Nevada? 

Then, I started getting bombarded with information about home-schooling.  I had always thought I COULDN'T home-school because Evie would lose the services that she needed like Braille and Orientation and Mobility.  However, I found out that here in WI, you can home-school your children with disabilities and the school district still will do an IEP for them (Individual Education Plan) as well as provide the services written into that plan.  Hmmmm....I started to think, 

"Maybe, just maybe..."

I also read a story written by a mother about home-schooling her daughter who was blind and had Cerebral Palsy.  I recall feeling the mother was brave, and innovative, and passionate about what she wanted for her daughter.  I thought, 

"I could do that..."

However, I then started to receive, in response to our announcement that we were going to move, the e-mails from teachers, therapists, and parents of Evie's school-mates.  I realized what a blessing Evie is to so many people.  I know she's cute, she's fun, she's always smiling at school.  I know she's inspiring.  But, I guess that actually feeling the sadness that these people expressed about "losing" their daily dose of "Evie"...that was very powerful to me.

Is it selfish of me to take that opportunity away from those who she would meet in Reno? 

I'm scared to put Evie out there. I'm scared to see her anxiety at attending a new school, meeting new people, learning new routes, and new curriculum.  I know we will have LOTS AND LOTS of tears.  I'm scared to find out that the world might not be as welcoming to Evie and her differences because they haven't known her for 6 years as her classmates have.  

But, do you see that word that just re-occurred over and over again in the previous paragraph?   

Scared.  Scared.  Scared.

Then God speaks to me through his word...

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

What have I to fear?  God is so great inside of Evie; God is great inside of me and Jeff.  God is greater than anything in this world.  What have we to fear?

I'm not completely ruling out home-school.  I won't shut and lock that door.  But, I have come to realize that God is moving us to Reno for a reason, and part of that reason may be that there are people there who need a daily dose of Evie.  And, Evie will need a daily dose of them! 

So, I'll be "strong and courageous" just as God has commanded me to be, and I will send our little girl out into the world to show everyone her brave, beautiful, shining face.