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Letter From The Editor: ALL Education Should Be Special!!!

I love September! I mean, I just LOVE September. Back-To-School time is one of
the best times of the year. They should add a fifth season to the current four. I think
it should be as follows:   Winter, Spring, Summer, Back-To-School, and Fall.

Back-To-School has unique sights, sounds and smells that distinguish it from all of
the other seasons. Think about it...

The sights: School buses emerge from hibernation. Brightly colored backpacks
bounce down the sidewalks, firmly strapped to the backs of the excited kids.
Sweaters, sweatshirts and jackets make their annual re-appearance from the back
of closets and the bottoms of drawers.

The sounds: Throughout the summer, the sidewalks were quiet in the early
morning hours. But now, as early as 7:00 am, you hear shouts, laughter, bouncing
balls, bikes and skateboards as the kids walk, run, roll and stroll off to school.

The smells: Stick your nose in your child's new backpack and take a deep whiff.
Through the vinyl and plastic scent of the backpack itself you can distinguish a
number of other unique and comforting smells. Depending on your child's age, you
can pick out the sweet scents of scotch tape, glue sticks, crayons and sharpened
pencils. Also stick your nose into your child's new school shoes. Aaaah! There's
nothing like the smell of new shoes to transport you back to your own first days of
school.

There is absolutely nothing like it. I think my excitement over the Back-To-School
season hearkens back to my own elementary school days. As a kid (and even on
into my adult years), I loved school. I loved the teachers, I loved the school building,
I loved the supplies, I loved the desks, I loved the friends, and I even loved the
homework.

I try to pass my enthusiasm for school on to my children. This year, for the first
time, all four of my children are in school. And each of them are caught up in my
Back-To-School euphoria in their own way. It must be contagious!

Now, I'm not so caught up in Back-To-School fever that I have lost my grip on
reality. I know that Back-To-School can also bring out our worries and fears for our
children. Particularly for our special needs children. We each have a closet full of
concerns regarding our children's unique situations. Will the teachers support my
child's needs? Will my child make friends? Will the IEP meetings go smoothly?
Will my child progress this year?

These questions (and thousands of others) plague my daily thoughts. I can't let the
smell of glue sticks carry me too far away from the realities of raising a special
needs child. I have responsibilities and realities to face. Safeguarding my child's
education is almost a full-time job. And like a job, it comes with long hours and
stressful moments.

But, I try to insulate my children from this aspect of school. I protect my children
from my worries. I separate my special education concerns from my overall attitude
toward school.   I don't want my parental concerns to negatively impact their school
experience.

So, I spend their waking hours creating positive educational moments. We shop
together for school supplies. We read. We talk about what they are learning. We
play games I create to coincide with their curriculum. We visit the library to check
out books related to subjects they are studying. We take field trips to add
enrichment to the concepts they study in the classroom. I share with them my own
memories of school. And here's a secret: Before sitting down to help with
homework, I pray for the strength to stay positive and enthusiastic during the
stressful moments. This helps me more than anything else.

After they are asleep, I deal with the realities of special education. I review IEPs to
monitor progress toward goals. I surf the internet for information regarding how a
disability can affect a child's educability. I scour books on special education and
teaching strategies. I create a schedule for the upcoming week's "at-home"
curriculum. And, I cry when I feel the need.

But when they wake up, I put all of those matters to rest. It's back to creating
another day of positive learning moments.

I want my children to have wonderful school years. I want them to remember the
smell of new crayons and backpacks. I want them to love school and love learning.
I cried with joy last week, watching my second grade daughter literally SKIP into
school with excitement.

I sincerely hope that you and your children experience the same positive feelings
over this new school year. We all will undoubtedly face tough moments.   When
you do, may I suggest one thing? Crack open a brand new box of Crayolas and
inhale deeply. You may be surprised at the positive effect!

Have a Back-To-School Season!

Sincerely,

Maureen A. Lowry-Fritz