Amazing Community... Here's to Mascoutah!

We live in an absolutely AMAZING community! The true community is not the physical location of our fun town, it is the people who live here! As a mother of two boys with special needs (Down syndrome to be exact), the community can be a "scary" place... Will other kids accept my boys? Yes and at times no. Will my boys get picked on? Yep, and do some "picking" of their own. Will they fit in? Yes at times and no at times. Will they get a good education? In Mascoutah, they will for sure! Will they get the services they need to succeed? Yep, but I have to be willing to be a team player. Kids will be kids... but kids do not have to be "mean"! The example is set by the adults!

Joshua & Ms. Friederich

Mascoutah School district # 19 (in Illinois) is made up some very talented and truly loving people - from our bus drivers, to teachers, to personal aids, to principals, to therapists, to food servers, to custodians ... I know I have missed a few, sorry! I wish I could write about the specific ways each have touched our lives, but that would take up an entire book... Today I want give a shout out to " Suz" (Ms. Freedrick) the adaptive p.e. teacher!

So what is Adaptive P.E.?  Glad you asked! Adaptive P.E. is a physical education class offered to children who may other wise have a difficult time participating in a typical p.e. class. The class allows children with physical and/or cognitive delays an opportunity to not just have "free play" but have actual physical education! Fist, the fact that our school district even offers this class is very forward thinking! Second, the reason it is successful is because of  Ms. Friederich! Great concepts are only as good as those who make them happen...

Jaden & Caleb

Ms. Friederich implements a peer buddy system for adaptive p.e. Essentially, some of the older students are "chosen" to be helpers in this class... SCORE! These kiddos get to have extra p.e. once a week - super fun for them! And my kids (and other special kiddos) get to have a one-on-one friend for p.e. and other school events - bonus! As Mom I see my kids being accepted by their peers and sensitivity of special needs being taught to children at a young age! At times it makes me want to cry (happy tears of course)... It has become "cool" to hang out with the adaptive p.e. class and this goes far beyond the four walls of the school gym.

Ally, Caleb & Joshua

Thanks to the Ms. Friederich we can be at the city pool and I will hear a student yell with enthusiasm, "Hey there's Caleb/Joshua!... Want to play?!" Or, we have friends (like Ally) offering to go sled riding with us on snow days... Or we have friends (like Jaden) joining us at our local World Down Syndrome Day Celebration because he was a "buddy" to one of my kids! Adaptive P.E. is reaching far beyond school and making an impact on the community (and my family directly).

Mascoutah Elementary has also established a What's U.P. (Understanding People) training for their older students. This is a way of talking about special needs or unique issues with the students in a fun way... taking the scary out and replacing it with understanding!

We live in an AMAZING community because of the people! Thank you Mascoutah! But, I know Mascoutah is not the only amazing community... to be honest we would just be another small town/ suburban community if it were not for people like Ms. Friederich and all of her "buddies"! I challenge you  to go and make your community amazing! Pass on love and understanding... And above all set an example worth following!