An Apology to the Parents of Special Needs Children from Your Child's Former Teacher
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http://flappinessis.com/2011/12/01/an-apology-from-your-childs-former-t… I didn’t know. Not even a clue. I thought, mistakenly, that having two special-needs children in my family made me more sensitive to your needs as a parent. It didn’t. And I’m so sorry for operating under the assumption that I did. … I knew a lot about autism and some about other special-needs conditions. I did care about your child. And I did want to do right by him. But, like a lot of teachers who Just Don’t Get It, I thought doing right by him meant giving him extra time on assignments and not allowing him to fail my class. I thought being extra nice and seating her at the front of the room was what you needed from me.
My eyes are watering. My heart is swelling. My daughter is sitting in the kitchen doing her homework. She graduated high school last May. With Honors. Oh, did I mention my girl has Down syndrome? She has been, and will continue be, such a blessing.
Nothing like walking in the shoes to give someone an epiphany. That blog post should be read by every teacher in the country.
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