Emma's Special Need

The new charter school has been working well for the kids.  There are a lot of things I really like about it.  But there has still been an adjustment.  Our sweet Emma was feeling a little bit lonely.  She said the other kids in her 2nd grade class were nice, but all they said to her was "hi".  I wondered if maybe the other kids were a little scared by her disability.  A good friend of mine also has a daughter with a disability and told me that she has gone into her daughter's classes to talk to the kids about her and to tell them how to be a good friend to her.  Since teacher's are bound by privacy laws, they aren't allowed to tell the other students about a child's disabilities.  I'm a Mom, so I'm not bound by that law.  I talked to her teachers and they let us come in to talk to the class.  The kids were so cute and so sweet, and Emma felt like a star to have the whole class learning about her.  This is a letter we gave to the kids to take home to their parents:

Hi,

My name is Emma.  I was born with cerebral palsy.  That means that it's hard for me to make my body move the way I want it to.  Sometimes, I use a walker to help me get around.  I can walk without it, but I fall down a lot.

On the inside, I'm just a regular kid like you.  I'm smart, and I understand everything that's going on, and I understand everything you say to me.  It makes me happy when others are kind to me, and when people are mean or make fun of me, it hurts my feelings.

It might be hard for you to understand me when I talk because it's hard for me to make my mouth move the way I want it to.  It's okay for you to tell me if you don't understand what I'm saying.  That gives me a chance to try again and learn to talk better.

I am a really fun girl and I love to make friends.  I love to draw and dance and jump on my trampoline, and go fishing with my Dad.  I love fairies and barbies, american girl dolls, and legos.  I went to Disneyland on vacation and it is my favorite place to be.  I like lots of other things too.

I would love to be your friend.  You can be my friend by talking to me, or sitting by me, or playing with me.  Cerebral Palsy is not contagious, so you can't catch it from me like you catch a cold or something.

If you have any questions about me or about cerebral palsy, just ask me.  You can even have a grown up send an e-mail to my Mom.  Her address is ***************

I am excited to get to know you and I know we'll have a great year together in 2nd grade.

Love, Emma Fitch

 After our presentation Emma reported that she has lots of friends and that the boys especially try to help her by opening doors and getting her seat and things like that.  It turned out to be a real positive experience.