Inspirational Stories

While working with elementary-aged, special needs students, many years ago, I met an outgoing and fun-loving young man by the name of Andrew. At the time, Andrew was enrolled in 5th grade and had a diagnosis of FAS~Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. He had the FAS facial features associated with the syndrome, but his cognitive abilities were determined to be only slightly below average. Andrew was one of the few students in my class who was able to comprehend most of the 5th grade curr

My favorite flowers appeared one day, in a vase, on my clothes dryer in the laundry room. Upon inspection of the flowers for a card, one was found with my name on it. Interestingly enough, it was my full name, not just my first name. Thinking the flowers were from my husband, I brought them into the kitchen where I put them on display. Much to my surprise, after I opened the small envelope, the sentiment on the card stated, “Thanks for being such a great teacher!” Surprised,

“I just told myself I could do it,” stated my 3rd grade student, Tom, in a proud and confident voice. For many years, I’d played a game called, “Around the World” with my students to reinforce multiplication and division facts. It was generally the game my students chose whenever we were preparing for a quiz. During a math practice session, the students interested in participating in the competition, gathered their chairs in a circle and mentally prepared themselves for the