Thankful for so many things, but my children are way at the top of the list. They've come a long way and I'm looking forward to watching them grow and celebrate their successes. I am also thankful for the love and support from family and friends as we've navigated this journey on the spectrum.
Happy Thanksgiving ♡♡♡
I have truly enjoyed being able to start writing creatively again. My skills are a little rusty but I am determined to use whatever means available to continue to bring disability awareness into the mainstream.
Children with disabilities are not much different than their peers; they have the same feelings, needs and thoughts as anyone else. In fact, I often say it's becoming harder to tell the kids with disabilities from those without disabilities.
My goal as a mom, educator, advocate, writer and speaker is to create a new perspective of our children--one that is different from the one created by the media. I am doing it not only for my children, but all children who happily live their lives with and without a label attached.
I remember when I first ventured into special education after 5 years of teaching language arts/reading. I was apprehensive even then about the amount of paperwork required for the job. Despite my misgivings, I moved ahead because I knew there was a need for highly qualified teachers in the field.
Once involved, I was able to organize my time well enough to the point where I could balance my role in the classroom with my paperwork requirements. Several years later, when my oldest son had his own individualized education plan ( IEP ), I developed an even greater respect for the special ed process.
Fast forward four years later, and I am in a completely different place as far as my mindset. The amount of paperwork has seemingly doubled and 24 hours in a day doesn't seem to be sufficient for me to meet the demands of my job. As much as I value the need for special education, I am becoming a statistic...one of the hundreds of special education teachers with one foot out the door and the other one slipping...
Mila Li is a little girl on the spectrum navigating her emotions as she reacts to situations that she encounters throughout her day.
Check it out at https:// www.mystorybook.com/books/92311
