Stacie Sherman

You think I’m pretty special? I’m nothing compared to my daughter’s teachers.

I do what I do because she’s my child. I have to. She’s my heart, my creation. Her teachers choose to do this. And I’m grateful for each and every one of them.

My daughter is blessed to be a student at an incredible school that’s filled with teachers who know her, get her and care for her. It wasn’t always like that.

When my daughter began school, she was placed in a program that wasn’t right for her. And some of the teachers should not have been teaching.

I tried to accept that this was the right place for my daughter, because not accepting it would mean admitting that she was more severe than I allowed myself to believe. But whenever I would check up on her at school, she would be miserable, under a table or screaming in a corner.

The day I knew she needed more came during a meeting

with her so-called speech therapist. I was asking for more one-on-one sessions so my daughter could learn to communicate and be less frustrated. This woman was fighting me with everything she had, as a supervisor looked on. And then — get this — she told me that it would be a waste of time, because autistic children have low IQs and can only do/handle so much.

I was speechless. I looked at the supervisor, who was nearly as shocked as me. Did she seriously just say that? Yes, there are people with autism who have low IQs. But many, many more have average to above average IQs. You don’t know what they are capable of until you try.

Never, ever assume that because they can’t speak, they’re dumb.

I knew then that my baby girl did not belong there. I didn’t want my daughter surrounded by people who didn’t believe in her. I got myself a lawyer, but the school didn’t fight me too hard, I think they knew that speech teacher was out of line.

By the time my daughter was 6, she was in a school where she belonged, surrounded by truly amazing people. She’s there to this day, and will probably be there for as long as they will have her.

The first day we walked into this school, a couple of teachers took my daughter by the hand and led her into their classroom. I almost laughed, thinking there was no way she would go with them. But she did! She felt their love. She is an incredible judge of character.

These teachers want to help her communicate, they want to help her reach her full potential. They prove every day how smart and capable she is.

The first thing they did was teach her how to communicate without a voice. She got a computer, with a communication program that she mastered quickly. They continue to teach her news words, new programs. If she isn’t able to learn one way, they adjust their teaching, try new things. They never, ever give up on her.

The things special education teachers endure astounds me. They are punched, screamed at, kicked, thrown up on.

Some special education teachers are paid near-minimum wage. So they take on babysitting jobs to pay their bills.

There are very few people I can leave my daughter with for extended periods of time. You have to have nerves and patience of steel. You have to have ridiculous amounts of energy. Not to mention you have to be willing and able to help a 16-year-old care for herself in the bathroom.

And yet, I have had no shortage of teachers willing to work for me on the weekends. She loves them! They take her to the mall, horseback riding. They take her out to eat, to the park, the movies, to trampoline places. They care for my daughter like their own. They will even keep them overnight! I’ve done that only once, for my wedding. I should do it more!

A fellow autism mama had a situation several months back, where her son was a bit out of control, hitting himself, upset all the time. She often didn’t take him to school, it was too difficult to get him there. But then teachers gave her the help she needed at home. They gave her time to relax, to be an adult, to get a glass of wine with an understanding partner in crime (moi).

When my daughter is sick, her teachers are calling/texting me at night to check up on her. They help me brainstorm possible strategies to help with situations at home. There is nothing they won’t do for our kids.

When I had my daughter’s Sweet 16 a few months ago, I invited many of her teachers and their families as guests. My girl was so happy to see them.

A special thank you to all these incredible teachers that go above and beyond. I didn’t write this phrase, but it’s perfect: Special education teachers are really angels disguised as extraordinary humans.