Tropicana Speech Contest 2013- Sydney's Speech

Pictured below is a very nervous Sydney before her speech on May 8th, 2013...

She then posed happily with Mimi and PapPaw...

Sydney is a 10 year old 4^th grade honor student.  She entered the Tropicana Speech Contest at her school and won 2^nd place.  Sydney is passionate about advocacy for people with disabilities, especially those with autism.  She resides with her parents, Marty and Jaime Daniel, siblings Logan, Gracie and Luke and pets, Jersey and Toby.  The transcript to her speech is below.

My name is Sydney White and my speech is about how to be a friend to a person with autism.   This is important to me because my little brother, Luke, has autism.  I also have several friends at school that have autism.

Did you know that one out of every 54 boys and one out of every 252 girls are diagnosed with autism?  People that have autism usually don’t have many friends.  Many people just stare at them because they are different than us.  You could be the type of person who stares. You could be the type of person who stays away from people who are different because you feel afraid of them or don’t know what to say. Even though we are all different, we are all the same because we all need friends.

I’m going to tell you how to be a friend to people that have autism.  There are five steps in the process.

The first step is, “Care, don’t stare.” Don’t stare at people who are different from you.  This could hurt their feelings.  Care about them instead of staring at them.

The second step is try to talk to them.  Say, “Hi,” to start a conversation. If they are having lunch you might say, “What are you drinking?”  This will help with communication skills.

The third step is, stand up for them. If someone is making fun of them, stand up for him/her. You could say, “Hey, stop messing with him/her. How would you like to get laughed at? It hurts your feelings doesn’t it?”  It hurts them just like it would hurt you.

The fourth step is walk with them and get to know them.  At school if you have a student in your class who has autism, you could volunteer to walk with them to the cafeteria or to P.E. class.  They may like it if you play soccer with them.

The fifth step is to volunteer to help them with their classwork.  You could go to their teacher and ask if you could help with their classwork.  When you help them, they might earn an A+!

In conclusion, when you become friends, maybe they will give you a great big hug. Maybe they will smell your hair or maybe they will smile.  Having a good friend will make their life better. Your life will be better, too, because you have a new good friend.  Make sure you follow these steps. You may find what I did…they are just like us and they need friends, too.

Sydney, you inspire me. Love, Mommy :)  

Professionals Wear Masks Too!

Ok, I must begin this blog by saying that this is not about a specific person. This is about a group of people who call themselves professionals, yet are something so different behind closed doors. The words that come out of their mouths are so toxic. Do these educator professionals not realize that, if it weren't for the people they speak so poorly about, they would not have jobs?

There have been so many situations where I have heard professionals verbally bash parents. They take the stance that the parent "must not work with their child at home" or that "this child is just B-A-D". It also seems to me that, when a parent is having scheduling conflicts with a meeting with the teacher or IEP team, the parent "does not have their priorities in order".

When I chose to become an educator I truly thought that all other educators shared my passion, love, and compassion for students and their families. Don't get me wrong, there are some amazing people in education that have the biggest hearts and give so much to their students. I guess my opinions have changed since becoming a mother of a child with special needs. My child has been judged. The worst has been assumed. My family has been torn to shreds. Every thing we do seems to draw attention. I am not alone in this struggle. I have heard so many people pour out their souls to me as they grieve over the struggles they have been through and are going through now.

The emotions are so real to me. I am walking through the struggles and the joys. My heart hurts for those who are going through the same. It almost consumes me. How judgmental I have been in the past and how absolutely wrong I was. You cannot just assume the worst. I look at others as Jesus does. My child puts forth so much effort just to achieve a milestone that others just take for granted. He is not lazy. He is not spoiled. He is strong- stronger than those who are judging him.  He is human and he has a special calling. God is using him- God is changing me through him.

I must fight this and educate the educators. Oh God, open doors and help me be more like you. Let me see the best in others and not judge. Let me be your light.

 My sleepy Lukie- My Heart!