I want to welcome you back to my blog!!! I apologize for the very unexpected, unplanned, and somewhat frustrating hiatus! But no matter what life throws at me, I have learned to persevere. That is why Isaiah 40:31 is one of my favorite scriptures. That is why SES is back… and with a new look. I hope you like and pray you will continue to enjoy Special Ed Speaks as I continue to update and fine tune this website! Enjoy this post!
***********
As parents, we love to celebrate our kid’s achievements! What parent doesn’t like to brag about first touchdowns or dance recitals! We can’t wait to share with family and friends our children’s awards and accomplishments. In our homes, certificates hang on our walls, trophies line our shelves, and pictures forever document these precious events in our children’s lives. These are tangible, touchable, obvious moments in a parent’s life that makes being a parent, and the hard work we invest, so worth it. Our children’s sense of accomplishments and self-worth skyrockets through the roof! I mean, really, what child does not like to be bragged on by his/her parent!
But, for my parent’s… parents of children with severe disabilities, learn early on not to celebrate. You see, these kids were not born with possibilities etched into their future. They were born with impossibilities designed to dictate outcomes. My parents were not given hope, but given a future filled with what they cannot do: walk, talk, ! What inevitably happens is that my parents learn early on not to celebrate, after all, what do they have to look forward to, to celebrate. My parents already know that they will never be able to brag about a first touchdown or dance recital, when they are told their son or daughter will never walk. So, as Special Education teachers, it becomes our responsibility to teach our parents to celebrate. We have to help our parents see that there are reasons to brag.
You see, our student’s achievements do not always come in the form of a touchdown, or a dance recital. For some of our student’s with severe disabilities, it may never come in the form of an award… but it does come in the form of accomplishments. Their moments for celebration are not so tangible, not so touchable, but they are there. No matter how minute, or small the accomplishment may be, it is still an accomplishment. And, for our student’s with severe disabilities, any accomplishment is a major one! So, give our parents a reason to brag… to celebrate. Whether it is Alice standing for thirty seconds, or Sam taking his first step backwards! Tammy raising her hand for the first time, or Johnny hitting the voice output device all by himself! These are very precious moments to celebrate, to brag on.
Document these moments in pictures and certificates. What this does is give our parents of students with severe disabilities the same thing parents of typical children have. A reason to celebrate! After all, what parent doesn’t like to brag about firsts! Give them a reason to share with family and friends, their children’s awards and accomplishments. Help them fill their homes with certificates on their walls, maybe trophies on their shelves, and pictures to forever document these precious events in their children’s lives. These will become tangible, touchable, obvious moments in our parent’s lives that makes being a parent, and the hard work they invest, so worth it. Our children with severe disabilities sense of accomplishments and self-worth skyrockets through the roof as well! I mean, really, what child does not like to be bragged on by his/her parent!