Savannah
My daughter’s educational experiences started at age three in a mainstreamed preschool classroom in the public school system. Savannah has Down Syndrome. She was immediately treated as a special education student because of her diagnosis. But I saw more in her.
Most of my struggles have been convincing teachers that Savannah has academic potential, and even the right to be given opportunities to learn. All through elementary school she was allowed in the classroom, but only with an aide. I contacted many private schools, but none would take a student with Down Syndrome. They said this without even meeting her. I spent many years modifying homework for Savannah and teaching her myself at the kitchen table after school.
I always believed in full inclusion for Savannah and I insisted on it until middle school. At that point, I knew the gap was widening academically between Savannah and her peers, so I tried the academic resource program for 6th grade. It was my only choice since we had just moved into a new school district. Unfortunately, it was an extremely different environment for Savannah. Every day, she was expected to spend time in the special education classroom down the hall, and then move back into the regular education classroom, and then back to special education classroom. Savannah quickly began to withdraw. The lessons were too simple in one room and too difficult in the other. At our last IEP meeting, the public school personnel wanted to focus on how to change Savannah so she would fit into their program. They were prepared to add goals for her behavior! I could not believe things had reached that point. I asked them to make changes to their program or to move Savannah out of it, but at the end of the four hour IEP conference they only offered one program. Even with Savannah’s lack of progress they recommended leaving her in the same classroom with the same teacher for two more years. I knew about Learning Circle Academy, but I waited until the year was completed to move her. That year, I felt like I was trying to make a bad situation better. So, the following year, Savannah started LCA for 7th grade.
My husband and I feel very thankful and lucky to have Savannah enrolled in Learning Circle Academy. We were worried that there are so many boys in the school, and she was shy at first, but then she blossomed again. Now Savannah is happy and talkative. She has learned to organize her own paperwork and can sit and do her homework by herself. Of course she would rather play, but homework does not overwhelm her or me. She is reading more and enjoys writing her book reports. She keeps little journals and makes lists. It’s like a tap has opened and the water is pouring out.
The life lessons taught at LCA are most important. Savannah is being taught how to think, not what to do. I will not always be able to be there for her and my dream is for Savannah to be able to express what she wants for herself and her life.
I have seen Savannah discriminated against because she has Down Syndrome. Some people think she does not understand much, but I know that she does, and so do her teachers at Learning Circle Academy. They take the time to look and find the spark in every child and see them grow. Finally, Savannah has people around her who believe in her. We are so happy that she is at Learning Circle Academy and we hope she will stay for a few more years so we can watch her thrive.
Lisa Anderson