Letter To Parents

This year, at the start of the school year, I wrote a letter to the parents in The Boy’s class. I’ve never done that before but I felt like I should. I’ve had a few experiences where people are almost afraid to mention the words “Down syndrome.” As if it’s a taboo subject at our house. Like the lady in the waiting room. So I wrote this letter to, more or less, let the cat out of the bag. So to speak. I don’t like cats. Or cat in bags for that matter. I just wanted people to be aware of The Boy, how he is a bit different from their 2nd grader and why.

After I wrote it I sat and stared at it for a few days before sending it off to school. That is my way. I am really pleased with how it turned out. I think it gets across what I’m trying to say and hopefully those parents will gain something from it.

So here it is, for your reading pleasure…

Dear Second Grade Parents,

Our names are David and Kimberly Easterling. Our son, William, is in Ms. S’s second grade class. He has been at Sheridan Elementary since Kindergarten and we love it here. He is seven years old and has two sisters. Ruth is 5 and is in Kindergarten, at Sheridan, and Mary who is 3. William, and his youngest sister Mary, have Down syndrome.

When William was born we were given a little story that likened having a child with special needs to planning a trip to Italy and then finding, when you arrived, that you were in Holland. It is a shock at first and you have to readjust any plans you might have. In the end you find that even though you didn’t end up where you thought you would there are just as many wonderful and beautiful things in Holland as there are in Italy. And if you sit and stew over all that you’re missing in Italy you’ll miss all there is to see and do, and the people you can meet, in Holland.

Since William was small we’ve kept those thoughts in mind. We feel so lucky he’s had so many great influences and teachers that have helped him. William is like many 7 year old boys. He loves to go to cub scouts and to be outside. He loves baseball, basketball and really anything with a ball. He loves ice cream and cookies. He loves playing with and being around friends. He can be very protective of his younger sisters. His favorite movie, right now, is Shrek. Most of all he likes to be on the go.

William’s biggest struggle is his communication. Children with Down syndrome tend to have lower muscle tone. Which means forming words and making sounds is very hard for him. He uses some sign language, and sometimes makes up his own, to communicate. Even with his creative ways to communicate he still needs help being understood. This summer he has gotten hearing aids, which he does not like but we hope they will help his speech improve. He knows all the letters of the alphabet and all the sounds they make and he can recognize numbers 1-20, pretty well. Letters, for him, seem to come easier than numbers. He can sight read a few words, I haven’t counted them all yet. The things he is learning and able to do seem to always be increasing it’s hard to keep up with him.

As William has been at Sheridan since Kindergarten you might have met him, or your child has perhaps mentioned him before. We wanted to share these things about William as the gap between him and his peers is widening as he is getting older and we understand that people, kids and adults alike, are naturally curious and may want to know more about him. One thing for sure about William is that he loves people and is a friend to all. As much as we’ve tried to treat William as we do our daughter, who doesn’t have Down syndrome, we know that some of his needs are different than other children his age. However, that said we feel strongly that the great influence he receives from being around other children his age and seeing them interact with him and their peers has been an invaluable benefit in his development.

If you have questions or your children have questions please don’t hesitate to contact us, kimboya@msn.com.

We’re looking forward to a great school year!

David and Kimberly Easterling