If you missed it in the news over the weekend, a senior who lives with an Autism Spectrum Disorder at Celebration High School in Florida, was named Prom King. This was not a “special” Prom; it was the school’s annual Prom for all juniors and seniors.
This is the kind of news that inspires people.
It inspires parents like me…I long for Ethan to be accepted, understood and appreciated by his typical peers. I can only imagine the elation Shane’s mother must have felt hearing the student body chant Shane’s name just before the announcement was made.
It inspires educators…when inclusive education is done well – everyone benefits. Shane’s peers voted for HIM; they didn’t have to – they chose to! Acceptance and understanding in schools, especially Middle and High schools, starts with the teachers. They are the ultimate role models for how students treat their peers.
Isabella is in a ballet and tap class. No, they don’t do both at the same time, though that could be pretty cool…. She doesn’t exactly love to go to dance, probably because everything happens too fast. While she’s just figuring out how to shuffle, the others have already ball-changed on to the next move. We may pull her out soon since she doesn’t care for it, but I really want to find something that she likes to do. I want to find her “thing,” be that a sport, an instrument, whatever. We haven’t found it yet, unless reading books counts.
