Sunday, August 8, 2010

My Hero

Once in awhile, I hear a great story of the love a mother has for a child.
I heard such a story yesterday and I'd like to share it with you.
It took place 46 years ago.
  Long before we had agencies to "help" us.  Long before we had the  world wide web that would bring  information directly to us. Long before "diversity training" was taught in schools and workplaces.

A mother birthed a son.
  A son with Downs Syndrome.
She loved her son.  She raised him like all of her other children.
His siblings loved him.  To them, he was no different.
It came time for the boy to go to school.
His mother enrolled him.
The school asked for permission to bill the state for the boy as he had "special needs."  The mother approved.
The boy did very well at school.  Loved by peers and teachers alike.
A few years down the road, the boy was assigned to a teacher that didn't like people with "Downs Syndrome."  She lodged accusations of misbehavior by the boy.
The mother removed the boy from school.  The mother informed the school they could no longer bill the state for her son's education...unless...said teacher was terminated.
The teacher was fired.
The boy was returned to school.
The boy graduated and has accomplished many things in his 46 years.  Things most people might not have expected him to accomplish.  But because of a mother's love, he did.

Today, there is a teacher that abused a special needs child in a St. Francis Elementary School.  Three employees witnessed the abuse nearly 3 years ago.  The three employees reported the abuse to the MN. Department of Education.
The teacher was found guilty.
That teacher is still teaching.

Educators and politicians try to convince us we have "come so far" on behalf of special needs children.

This mother disagrees.
This mother salutes the mother from 46 years ago.


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is unbelievable to me that teacher is still in a classroom putting other children at risk. What is the district thinking? Nothing happens in isolation. If it happened once it can happen again. And, the next time it might be someone you love.

Anonymous said...

I'm sad to live in the district who covers up things like this and doesn't let the public know! No child should suffer at the hands of a teacher but i have also seen teachers get away with it and the school does nothing and the teacher can still teach! Yes...what if that child was your child? kathy

mona said...

A similar incident happened to my brother with Downs. The teacher was fired immediately when it was brought to the principal's attention. This type of behavior by a so called "normal" individual is totally unacceptable when working with people with special needs.

Valerie said...

A beautiful story of a mother's love. And your pictures of the flowers and the kids are great.