April 12, 2025 • 35 mins
Ever wondered what it's like to walk in two pairs of shoes simultaneously? Meet Marlee Stevenson - first grade teacher by day, autism mom around the clock. Her journey with her nonverbal son Carson illuminates the powerful intersection of professional expertise and deeply personal experience.
Marlee takes us behind the scenes of a transformation that changed her family's life - the introduction of a communication device for Carson. "We had that same fear," she admits, addressing the common concern that technology might discourage verbal development. Instead, it "opened up so many doors" and dramatically reduced frustration levels. For parents considering this path, she shares a valuable insider tip: April offers significant discounts on communication apps like Proloquo2Go.
The conversation shifts to how parenting a child with autism has profoundly shaped Marlee's teaching approach. Her strategies - having backup plans, reading body language cues, providing clear step-by-step instructions - benefit all students but prove essential for neurodiverse learners. Her beach analogy brilliantly explains why inclusive environments matter: just as you can't truly understand the beach from descriptions alone, students need direct experience with diversity to develop empathy and understanding.
Perhaps most compelling is Marlee's candid discussion of self-care. "I told myself for years that I can't leave him," she reveals. "He was more important." Her journey to recognizing that "it's okay if I walk away" for short breaks offers permission many special needs parents desperately need. Whether it's 20 minutes alone in the backyard or a regular girls' night out, these moments of respite allow parents to return refreshed and better equipped to support their children.
The conversation concludes with practical classroom strategies for fostering acceptance, from children's books that teach inclusion to consistent communication between home and school. These approaches create environments where all students can thrive, regardless of neurological differences.
What might your classroom or home look like if you implemented even one of these strategies? How could clearer communication or intentional inclusion change a child's experience?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
so hey, laura yes we are in the month of april yes,
we are, and that means a couplethings that are very, very, very
exciting to me.
Number one school year's almostover we're like right around
the corner we're pushing throughthis last 33 days already for
we made a paper chain today.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yeah, oh, I should do that.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
And I'm ready.
I'm ready for the summer,because you know what, this
stuff gets kind of hardsometimes, and so we all need to
rest.
But the other super cool thingabout April is that it is Autism
Awareness Month.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Yeah, and so, of course, you know we've shared
our story and talked aboutXander over and over and over,
and one of the things thatanybody that is involved in the
IEP tribe, anybody that isconnected to a student with
disabilities, knows that thereis an entirely large, huge group
(01:04):
of people that help it allhappen.
And it's not just a teacher,it's not just a parent, it's not
just, you know, an aunt or anuncle.
It does literally take anentire tribe of people to help
our children with special needsto be all that they can and to
progress to their highestpossible potential.
(01:26):
And so we have another greatguest today.
Yes, we do.
I'm super excited about thisone because, as a matter of fact
, I think, well, I'm going tosay our relationship but it was
you and her just started as ateacher-parent relationship and
then it's blossomed intosomething so much more.
That's true.
So, mrs Curtis, I'm going tolet you go ahead and introduce
(01:49):
our guest.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Thank you, you're welcome, all right.
So, like you said, this gueststarted out as a parent of one
of my students, and she's stilla parent of one of my students.
However, it grew to afriendship and then she came to
our school, and she's still aparent of one of my students.
However, it grew to afriendship and then she came to
our school and she was also aco-worker.
She started as a para in thespecial education classroom and
(02:14):
now she has decided to go backto school and she has finished
that, congratulations and she'snow a first grade teacher.
So, like there's all sorts ofthat, we got all sorts of things
bundled into one person.
So this is Marlee Stevenson andwe get the pleasure of teaching
her son.
Can I say his name?
Is that okay?
Absolutely, carson, and Carsonis just a fantastic kid.
(02:39):
I think he amazes us every daywith what he does.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
I heard a story today that one of our parents was
telling me after school that hewas singing a song.
It was what's the lady's namethat does the videos I think it
was Miss Molly and he wassinging the song.
It's a sight word song.
Yeah, because she was tellingone of the other pairs about him
(03:06):
singing it and they were likewhat really she said watch this,
put it on, and there he went.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Marley, you want to give a little bit of background
on why we might go.
What Carson was singing thatsong.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah, absolutely.
As a matter of fact, I thinkI'm a little in shock, so I'm a
little speechless.
So Carson is completelynonverbal.
The only word that he says ismama, which is the best Right
but he has.
(03:43):
Now I was going to ask was hesinging it, was he humming it,
or was he singing it on hisdevice?
Speaker 2 (03:49):
No, it was more.
He was vocalizing the sounds ofthe word he wasn't enunciating.
Right yeah so he was more doingthe humming.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Which is super exciting because mimicking is a
new thing, I feel like recently.
So Carson is eight, he's goingto be nine this year and he's
massive, he's really tall.
So when people meet him andthey realize that he does not
communicate except for on hisdevice, and then you hear a
(04:23):
story like that from his teacher, you just kind of drop your jaw
and become speechless.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Well, and I know that the years that we've spent with
Carson kind of opened our eyesto the importance of
communication devices and youknow early on with.
Xander.
Our concern was well, if wegive him a device, is he not
going to try his best to try tospeak?
And we've seen with Carson justthe huge difference it makes
(04:50):
from him being able tocommunicate, not being able to
communicate, to communicate.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Right.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
And we've even found ourselves talking, of course,
about Zander and other studentstoo kind of questioning how far
can they go if we get one ofthese devices in their hands,
and so thank you for that.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Oh, absolutely.
I have seen a massive changejust the past school year where
he's really progressed, and I'mglad that we decided, because we
also had that same fear and Ithink that's a fear that a lot
of autistic parents have whencommunication's sort of lacking.
Is that if we because I'veheard that before and we had the
(05:29):
same problem where if we givehim the tablet, will that
prevent him from wanting to talkto?
us or eventually getting thosewords.
But it has really opened up somany doors and we've been able
to see how much he knows rightand I'm not even sure that we
really fully comprehend how muchhe understands or knows.
But the fact that he uses it tocommunicate, um, has just kind
(05:53):
of opened a lot of doors.
Like, I can drop him off now atgrandparents houses and I feel
more confident that he can usehis device to communicate with
him if he needs to he, he knowshis way around it, that is for
sure, and I know his speechpathologist was talking about
conjugating verbs and I meanit's just like what.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
So, yeah, he knows his way around it and it's been
a fantastic tool for him and Ithink that, like you said, this
year we've really seen him diveinto it and really that his
frustration levels have been somuch lower this year because he
can let us know what he wants.
And I mean before he's good atpointing and signing to an
(06:38):
extent, but, as with a lot ofour students and children that
we have with autism, there'salso those fine motor delays.
So signing was hard for Carsonand so, yeah, that tablet has
been.
I think just changed his world,I think.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
The road was slow.
I mean, I think you rememberwhen we started PECS and we had
the little binder and then wemoved.
We tried so many different appsand I just want to throw this
out there because I don't knowif a lot of people know, but we
actually waited till April toget Proloquo2Go and it has
honestly been the best.
I think we went through fivedifferent apps all together five
(07:29):
different speech and we wantedProloquo2Go because his ABA
therapy used it and it wasreally easy for Carson to
maneuver and comprehend and it'svery user-friendly.
You can add and subtract andyou can create files, and if you
need the same tab here overhere you can do that, but in the
(07:50):
month of April they dodiscounts on it.
It was half off when we got itinitially in the month of April.
So for anybody out there who'sinterested in the app, that
would be.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
This is the perfect time to look and see what feel
they're having right now because, it's pricey definitely, and I
think there's a lot of them thatare are actually running that
sale this this month and somesome maybe next month and, um,
we actually have a flyer.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
So we'll go ahead and post one of those cool.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
So now let's talk about Marley.
Talk about Marley, we'll sitand talk about our kids all day
long.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
So you've had, you know, like you said, carson's
eight now.
So in the last eight yearsyou've had this experience, you
know raising him.
You know a child with autismexperience, you know raising him
.
You know a child with autismand I know, like we've talked
about before, they don't comewith an instruction book.
Our typical child childrendon't come with an instruction
book, much less our childrenthat are not typically
developing and children withautism and autism being the
(08:59):
spectrum, it is that you neverknow what you're going to get,
kind of thing.
And I know that you've doneresearch and you know you've
done a lot of things.
And so how has that experiencethat you've had with Carson
influenced your approach whenyou're teaching students with
autism in your classroom andsupporting students that are
(09:22):
neurodiverse that are in yourroom students?
Speaker 3 (09:25):
that are neurodiverse , that are in your room.
So I would just say, first andforemost, having a backup plan.
Whenever I make a plan likewe're going to walk from here to
here, or a lesson plan, anyplan, anything I'm going to do
in my classroom, I just tellmyself I'm planning for A, but I
(09:46):
need B and C just in case.
And with lesson planning, veryspecifically, I have to, like,
if I print out a worksheet, Ialways have a backup.
Maybe this worksheet, thedirections, are too complicated
or maybe this isn't complicatedenough.
So I think that, knowing withCarson, no matter what I do, I
(10:10):
always need to prepare for that.
What if, what if, what if thisis fantastic, or what if this
crash and burns.
And I think that's also reallybuilt some patience in me and
flexibility and has really and Ibring that to the classroom
when I'm working with all of mystudents, I just kind of see, I
(10:34):
watch, engage, what they'redoing and Carson, being
non-verbal, has also reallyhelped me with body cues and I
don't need to I I find it reallyeasy to tell when a student's
not getting what I'm doing orwhen they're over exceeding, but
they're just appeasing me asthe teacher like, or when
they're overexceeding, butthey're just appeasing me as the
(10:54):
teacher.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
So watching for those body cues has really kind of
been a different approach.
That I'm doing, what I'msupposed to be doing and they're
getting it or not, has beingable to read their body language
and know these body cues helpedprevent some emotional
breakdowns with your studentsthat are um neurotypical,
neurodiverse.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
I would definitely say yes because I, because of
knowing those, like having allthis experience and all these
years with Carson, and Carson isvery um, you know.
I mean because he's not goingto verbally say you're making me
mad or you're not giving mewhat I want.
So he has cues of I'm about toget mad at you or I'm about to
(11:59):
be upset, and I think that beingable to read that on other
people, or specifically students, it has really helped me just
kind of know when to stop, likeif I'm pushing too hard.
It helps me see that, okay, Ineed to take a step back because
they're getting frustrated andI don't want to get frustrated.
And I think that that's alsosomething that built in is that
(12:23):
Carson kind of feeds off theroom.
And if I get mad at him becausehe's mad now, we're all mad and
it's 10 times worse, whereas ifI can just take a step back and
I can be calm and collected, itends faster or it's prevented
altogether.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Very good.
Yeah, I think that we find thatin our classrooms as well Is
that if that room is starting tospin and if we join in on that,
then it's not a good thing.
Not a good thing.
So those two strategies arefantastic.
Are there any other specificstrategies or accommodations
(13:03):
that you have found that havebeen effective in working with
the students?
In working with the students,and you know, especially the
ones with autism and help themto thrive not only academically
but socially, because we knowthat tends to be hard for our
students with autism.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Very hard and I struggle.
I still.
We're almost the end of theyear but, no, the social is hard
in a classroom, especially withstudents who aren't around that
outside of school or on acomplete regular basis.
But some things that I've foundthat have really helped build
(13:41):
the social interaction and theacademic in my class is pairing
students with peers who areacademically motivated and who
also are kind.
When I take my lower studentsor my neurodiverse students and
I pair them with a higherstudent who wants to succeed and
(14:04):
uses kind words and treatsothers kindly, I find that the
rest of the students kind offeed off of that and they see,
like look at how nice they'rebeing to him or her and then it
also kind of gives thatneurodiverse student a drive to
do the work when somebody ishelping them that they like and
(14:27):
respect and look up to like andrespect and look up to.
Some other strategies I use arekind of just lots of visual cues
and very clear step-by-step.
Here's what I want you to do,and I do that at home too.
I want you to go pick up thoseshoes and then, once they're
picked up, okay, now go put themon the shoe rack, like just
(14:50):
very step-by, step by step, andhere's what I want you to do um,
or if, then statements I usethose a lot in my classroom
because I use them at home andtaking that in there really
helps them kind of see wherewhere they're going.
Why am I doing this?
Speaker 1 (15:05):
that makes sense like so.
For most of my life, my dad'sbeen a pastor, and one of the
things that he said over andover and over was you can never
over communicate.
You can never, and so and thatis the exact point that you're
making is do everything you canto make it as crystal clear as
possible.
Let's go ahead and set up ourkids for success and not try to
(15:27):
throw speed bumps out there, butlet them help them best
understand what it is that wewant them to understand.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
Right, and if they don't, like you said, you say
the one thing, and if they don'tunderstand it that way, okay.
So how can I reword this forthem to understand what I'm
trying to get them to do?
Talking about your pairing, youknow, doing the peer pairing,
that, of course, Jared and I arealways inclusion, inclusion,
(15:54):
inclusion, and that's our bigthing.
What do you feel are thebenefits of having that
inclusion, having our typicaldeveloping peers around our
neurodiverse friends?
What are the benefits that youhave seen?
Speaker 3 (16:15):
So, oh, that makes me want to cry because I think
about when Carson goes toresources with other classes and
the social interaction he gets.
I'm trying to think of how todescribe it.
You know, if you've never beento the beach right, you lived in
(16:37):
the middle of the United Statesand you've never been to the
beach before All you get is whatpeople tell you.
If I am constantly telling youthat the beach is different and
it's bad and there's sharks anda whale might eat you, you're
not going to want to go andyou're not going to want to deal
with it.
But if I take you to the beachand I show you that the beach
(16:58):
can be good and but it'sdifferent right, You're used to
mountains and now I take you andI'm showing you that it's good,
I think that's probably thebest way in this moment that I
can describe it is that bycreating inclusive classrooms,
other students are getting tosee that, just because the
student's a little bit different, they're all still the same and
(17:22):
they see those how the typicalstudents act and what they're
doing, and they they learn fromthat.
I think it's kind of a two-waystreet that we all need to learn
(17:42):
how to work together and reallysee that differences come in
size, shape, you know, mentalcapabilities.
There's, um sorry, Carson'sback there waving, he just like
popped out and I think he saw metalking to my phone, Distracted
(18:04):
me.
Um, I think that Carson's luckyto have a brother who can
influence that at home too, butthere are some kids who don't
get that and they don't get thatoutside interaction.
So in school might be the onlyplace that they see other kids
their own size, their own shapedoing things and that leads them
(18:29):
into seeing that, academically,if I do A, B happens.
And the social skills I hate tosay that social skills over
academic skills is moreimportant, but in some cases the
social skills kind of influencethe academic.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Right, absolutely.
The academic Right absolutely.
And we know that all childrenwill mimic other children and a
lot of times that the classroomsthat are not as inclusive have
(19:10):
behaviors that are notnecessarily wanted and so, like
you said, so being in thatgeneral education classroom with
their typically developingpeers, they're more likely to
pick up on those behaviors.
And I think, the social aspectabsolutely, because if they
can't, if they don't know how tobe in that setting, they're not
(19:31):
going to be able to learn inthat setting.
So they have to be able tosocially acclimate themselves to
.
You know, if you can't sit andlisten, it's hard for you to
learn what's going on.
So a lot of times that's onething that I think we focus on a
lot is that the behavior, thebehavior has to come and then
(19:52):
they can be ready to learn.
Because if you're trying toforce them to do something and
they're just wanting to be onthe floor, it doesn't matter if
they scribble, scribble and doneand done.
And that, I think, is one ofthe things that Carson has
taught us also, that you know,just giving him this paper to
(20:13):
scribble on, or, you know, tryto get him to do if he's mad,
it's not, he's just going to dowhatever he needs to do to get
it out of his face.
Yeah, but if he sees, if he'sin a room and he sees other
people doing that, he's morelikely to do what they're doing.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Yeah, he's definitely more inclined to.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
And I think if, when you start to look in a general
sense at society, who has theopportunity to make the biggest
difference?
The one who can functionsocially in different settings,
or you know the valedictorian?
I'm not discounting education,right, but people can still be a
contributor to society ifthey're not in the top third of
their class.
We can still make a differencein the place that we live if we
(21:02):
can learn how to interact witheach other and support each
other.
That makes sense.
I like that whole beach thing.
That was good.
I'm going to have to steal thatone.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
I want to just say that's not in my notes, I just
made it up.
You just made it up right offthe fly, even.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
So we talked before about balancing the parent and
an educator and Jared and I samething.
However, Xander's a littleolder, so I think he's 20.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
He turned 20.
We like officially, areteenager-less.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
I'm sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
So, but I don't know if, when he was younger, I mean
I think when I mean I was in theeducation system when he was
younger, I was a para and, butit would have been difficult
doing, I think, my job and thengoing home and, and you know,
having that.
So what challenges have you hadin balancing the roles of being
(22:05):
, you know, both the parent andan educator, when, and also when
trying to, you know, advocatefor Carson's needs in school,
because not only are thesepeople Carson's teachers but
they're also your co-workers.
So that's a double questionthere.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
So yeah, okay, so I'll start with the first part,
I think, because I think thesecond part is going to be a
little harder.
I will say, in completetransparency, I really really
struggled with it when I workedin special education, when I was
in the special education roomall day long and then I would
(22:45):
pick Carson up and come home.
I really struggled with beingoverstimulated myself, which
then led to him beingoverstimulated Cause, like we
said earlier, he really kind offeeds off the room and if, if
I'm like no, or if I even likeraise my voice the wrong octave,
(23:06):
it really kind of makes thehome life a lot harder.
That has been easier since I'vemoved out of special education,
even though I'm still workingin education, but I really just
take time for myself and I think, as a sped mom, as an autism
(23:29):
mom, a lot of people kind offorget about that or they think
they can't do that, and I'm hereto say, yes, you can,
absolutely.
I told myself for years that Ican't leave him.
I can't, not that I don'tdeserve 20 minutes to myself,
but he was more important and inmy mind there was no fine line
(23:57):
between that and some days itmight just be.
I come home, I get him settled,I unpack and then I go sit in
my backyard for 20 minutes.
You know, brandon, just today'shis first day not on second
(24:25):
shift, so I have been cominghome by myself and being not
only teacher at schools with 17kids, but in my backyard, or
sometimes I might go sit in thegarage, like where they won't
find me but that you can't dothe bathroom because they'll
find you in the bathroom if Ican't go to the bathroom.
Carson knows Carson can do thelock somehow.
(24:46):
I don't know, he's a magicianbut when Brandon's not on second
shift I really think that I tryto do like a friend's night
away.
I usually do girls' night Everytwo weeks.
I try to just leave my housewithout a child with me and it
(25:06):
took me a long time to realizeit was okay to do that.
That.
It was okay for me to leave himfor the evening or to just hand
him off to the other parent andI know it sounds bad because
we're both the parent but Ithink that a lot of parents of
autistic children realize thatthey usually pick one, realize
(25:34):
that that the they usually pickone and I am Carson's one.
He will walk right past dad forevery little thing in this
house and unless dad stops him,he is.
It is always me, no matter what.
So it took me a really longtime to just be like it's, it's
okay if I walk away.
And then at school it's a loteasier, I think, for me to.
There's 17 of them.
(25:56):
They all interact with eachother and it was easier for me
to kind of set in place and walkinto that environment and just
remind myself that even atschool when I get a lunch break
or I get a planning period, it'sokay for me to decompress.
I don't have to go to the copyroom every time I get a break.
I can sit in my room and andkind of like think about things
(26:21):
or just think about nothing, andthat way when I get home I'm
not so overwhelmed walking intomy parent role home.
I'm not so overwhelmed walkinginto my parent role.
And then the second part of yourquestion.
Look, I tried to.
I tried to type something outbecause I don't really think
I've faced a lot of challengesneeding to advocate for my child
(26:44):
because and I'll say that Ithink it's because you guys have
done so well doing that and youalready kind of been there and
done what I'm doing.
So when we sit down to do IEPsor when I think about what
Carson needs in school, there'snot a whole lot where I'm like I
(27:07):
can't say that because I'm ateacher and let's face it, even
as a teacher I'm going to say itanyway.
I'm just that kind of person andI'm already upfront and
opinionated and very honest.
I don't really shut that downbetween parent and teacher.
But I haven't necessarilyneeded to do that.
(27:29):
I don't feel like because wecommunicate really well, and
that's something that I couldthrow out.
There is I've seen otherparents have challenges and
communication is really key.
Don't think that becausethey're the teacher, it's the
end-all, be-all and what theysay is it.
As a parent, you have to makesure that it's fitting and
(27:51):
you're communicating what youthink you want, what you think
your child needs and then beingon the same page.
So I think that that's what Iwould want if I had challenges,
but I get to see you guys everysingle day, all day Right, and
we've been communicating for somany years that I think we're
all on the same page as far asCarson's capabilities and what
(28:13):
where he's going to progress towhere we think he should
progress to great, what's up,I'm down.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
I mean and we've said this before we've been
fortunate that we've hadfantastic parents, and you
included, and I think I rememberthe first time I had to tell
you that he had a bloody nose, Iwas so worried.
He like OK, so I was helpingclean him and he fell off the
toilet and then hit the benchand his nose got bloody.
(28:44):
You're like, oh, ok.
And so I think ever since thatconversation I was like, ok,
this is a parent that I can justgo to and say, hey, listen.
So and I know I've said so hethrew himself down and I got his
finger.
You know what I mean?
Yeah, so, but I mean thatcommunication is because then we
now we need to know what.
(29:05):
So what works for you, becausethis isn't working for us.
And so, absolutely thatcommunication.
Other than that communication,is there any advice that you'd
give to parents and educatorswho are working to really try to
create that learning andsupportive learning environment
(29:26):
for their children?
Speaker 3 (29:30):
I really think that just making kids aware that
there are differences out there,I know at the beginning of the
school year.
So at home we are very open andhonest with Hunter.
I want to start there, becausethat's my shorter answer.
At home, from day one, I mean,obviously the boys are only 12
(29:53):
months and a week apart, soHunter already grew up with it.
But even as he was growingchallenges at home, you know,
like why can he eat chickennuggets for dinner and I have to
eat what you just cooked?
Or why does he get this and Iget this?
Or why are the rules different?
(30:13):
We really made it a point to beclear as to why and that the
expectations for them aredifferent because of what Carson
can and cannot do and what hecan and cannot do, what Carson
(30:34):
can and cannot do and what hecan and cannot do, and that has
really helped.
And Hunter spreads that into ourneighborhood.
When kids come over to ourhouse you can hear him repeating
things that we have said toexplain that Carson's different,
and then bringing that into theclassroom and what I think that
teachers could do to foster amore inclusive environment and a
(30:57):
more understanding environment.
At the beginning of the schoolyear there's a book called have
you Filled a Bucket Today, whichisn't necessarily about being
different.
It's about being kind and how,if you continuously treat
somebody bad, their bucket'sgoing to be empty and then they
have nothing left to givethemselves.
And then if you say nice thingsand you're kind to them, you
(31:22):
fill their bucket and then whenthey leave and they're all by
themselves, they have a bucketfull of good things to think
about.
So one I think is really kindof instilling kindness.
And then the Big Umbrella is myfavorite read aloud and I refer
to it a lot throughout the year.
So I read the beginning of theyear and that really talks about
(31:42):
we all fit under this umbrellatogether, no matter what we look
like, who we are, how we think,and I continuously refer to
these books throughout the year.
I bring them up and the visualof the book talking about the
book.
Anytime that I notice maybe myclasses starting to nitpick each
(32:02):
other or anything like that,I'll be like, hey, what about
these books over here?
And I'll pull them back out andI put them on my board and I'm
like let's talk about what thesebooks meant again.
And we do that repeatedly, likeafter break.
So today I brought it back outand I was like, let's talk about
your buckets.
How was your bucket filled overspring break and how was it
(32:24):
emptied?
And we use that and we turn andtalk and I think that really,
really helps the students in myclassroom see that.
Okay.
So maybe they don't like LindySue that much, but if I'm being
mean to her and I'm emptying herbucket, then she's not going to
(32:45):
like herself and that reallyhas helped with creating an
inclusive environment in myclassroom.
That's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
Yeah, yeah, you know and in this conversation we're
going to wrap up here in just aminute, but there's been a
couple of things that were, Imean, just stand out and were
huge.
And I would like to, just, aswe round this out, emphasize
first, parents, yes, make timefor yourselves.
(33:15):
You are going to be a betterparent to your child when you
make time for yourself, and Idon't know how many times, how
many conversations, um, thatwe've had, or experiences that
we've had where there's thisokay, well, if I have a son or a
daughter with a special need,that means you know that's it
(33:36):
for my life, that I'm just allabout them from now till the day
I pass and listen.
If you want to love your kidsproperly, you've got to give
yourself time, right?
Because kind of like the bucketif you're not keeping your
bucket full, you know how areyou going to help them.
And then the other one forteachers just, man, do
everything you can tocommunicate as clear and simple
(33:59):
as possible, not only to yourstudents but to the parents.
Right, let's make noassumptions.
Go ahead and just lay it allout, and when you can do that,
you can get to your desired endquicker, because nobody's
playing any guessing games,right.
So um any last thoughts, mrscurtis, mrs stevenson, I don't
(34:21):
think so.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
just one thanks, marley, for coming and talking
to us and um sharing yourexperiences and someone those
things awesome that we get tothis relationship has grown from
just being Carson's mom to nowwe're colleagues and you know
it's been fantastic and what'sit been Four, Four years now
(34:45):
that we've been with Carson.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
Yeah, I think this is the fourth year.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Yeah, and he's a remarkable young man and if
anybody has met him, they knowthat.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
He definitely teaches me some really good life
lessons.
All right.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
Well, thank you again , marley, for hanging out with
us, and we'll talk to you later.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
All right, see you tomorrow.
All right, see you tomorrow.
so hey, laura yes we are in the month of april yes,
we are, and that means a couplethings that are very, very, very
exciting to me.
Number one school year's almostover we're like right around
the corner we're pushing throughthis last 33 days already for
we made a paper chain today.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yeah, oh, I should do that.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
And I'm ready.
I'm ready for the summer,because you know what, this
stuff gets kind of hardsometimes, and so we all need to
rest.
But the other super cool thingabout April is that it is Autism
Awareness Month.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Yeah, and so, of course, you know we've shared
our story and talked aboutXander over and over and over,
and one of the things thatanybody that is involved in the
IEP tribe, anybody that isconnected to a student with
disabilities, knows that thereis an entirely large, huge group
(01:04):
of people that help it allhappen.
And it's not just a teacher,it's not just a parent, it's not
just, you know, an aunt or anuncle.
It does literally take anentire tribe of people to help
our children with special needsto be all that they can and to
progress to their highestpossible potential.
(01:26):
And so we have another greatguest today.
Yes, we do.
I'm super excited about thisone because, as a matter of fact
, I think, well, I'm going tosay our relationship but it was
you and her just started as ateacher-parent relationship and
then it's blossomed intosomething so much more.
That's true.
So, mrs Curtis, I'm going tolet you go ahead and introduce
(01:49):
our guest.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Thank you, you're welcome, all right.
So, like you said, this gueststarted out as a parent of one
of my students, and she's stilla parent of one of my students.
However, it grew to afriendship and then she came to
our school, and she's still aparent of one of my students.
However, it grew to afriendship and then she came to
our school and she was also aco-worker.
She started as a para in thespecial education classroom and
(02:14):
now she has decided to go backto school and she has finished
that, congratulations and she'snow a first grade teacher.
So, like there's all sorts ofthat, we got all sorts of things
bundled into one person.
So this is Marlee Stevenson andwe get the pleasure of teaching
her son.
Can I say his name?
Is that okay?
Absolutely, carson, and Carsonis just a fantastic kid.
(02:39):
I think he amazes us every daywith what he does.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
I heard a story today that one of our parents was
telling me after school that hewas singing a song.
It was what's the lady's namethat does the videos I think it
was Miss Molly and he wassinging the song.
It's a sight word song.
Yeah, because she was tellingone of the other pairs about him
(03:06):
singing it and they were likewhat really she said watch this,
put it on, and there he went.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Marley, you want to give a little bit of background
on why we might go.
What Carson was singing thatsong.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah, absolutely.
As a matter of fact, I thinkI'm a little in shock, so I'm a
little speechless.
So Carson is completelynonverbal.
The only word that he says ismama, which is the best Right
but he has.
(03:43):
Now I was going to ask was hesinging it, was he humming it,
or was he singing it on hisdevice?
Speaker 2 (03:49):
No, it was more.
He was vocalizing the sounds ofthe word he wasn't enunciating.
Right yeah so he was more doingthe humming.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Which is super exciting because mimicking is a
new thing, I feel like recently.
So Carson is eight, he's goingto be nine this year and he's
massive, he's really tall.
So when people meet him andthey realize that he does not
communicate except for on hisdevice, and then you hear a
(04:23):
story like that from his teacher, you just kind of drop your jaw
and become speechless.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Well, and I know that the years that we've spent with
Carson kind of opened our eyesto the importance of
communication devices and youknow early on with.
Xander.
Our concern was well, if wegive him a device, is he not
going to try his best to try tospeak?
And we've seen with Carson justthe huge difference it makes
(04:50):
from him being able tocommunicate, not being able to
communicate, to communicate.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Right.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
And we've even found ourselves talking, of course,
about Zander and other studentstoo kind of questioning how far
can they go if we get one ofthese devices in their hands,
and so thank you for that.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Oh, absolutely.
I have seen a massive changejust the past school year where
he's really progressed, and I'mglad that we decided, because we
also had that same fear and Ithink that's a fear that a lot
of autistic parents have whencommunication's sort of lacking.
Is that if we because I'veheard that before and we had the
(05:29):
same problem where if we givehim the tablet, will that
prevent him from wanting to talkto?
us or eventually getting thosewords.
But it has really opened up somany doors and we've been able
to see how much he knows rightand I'm not even sure that we
really fully comprehend how muchhe understands or knows.
But the fact that he uses it tocommunicate, um, has just kind
(05:53):
of opened a lot of doors.
Like, I can drop him off now atgrandparents houses and I feel
more confident that he can usehis device to communicate with
him if he needs to he, he knowshis way around it, that is for
sure, and I know his speechpathologist was talking about
conjugating verbs and I meanit's just like what.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
So, yeah, he knows his way around it and it's been
a fantastic tool for him and Ithink that, like you said, this
year we've really seen him diveinto it and really that his
frustration levels have been somuch lower this year because he
can let us know what he wants.
And I mean before he's good atpointing and signing to an
(06:38):
extent, but, as with a lot ofour students and children that
we have with autism, there'salso those fine motor delays.
So signing was hard for Carsonand so, yeah, that tablet has
been.
I think just changed his world,I think.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
The road was slow.
I mean, I think you rememberwhen we started PECS and we had
the little binder and then wemoved.
We tried so many different appsand I just want to throw this
out there because I don't knowif a lot of people know, but we
actually waited till April toget Proloquo2Go and it has
honestly been the best.
I think we went through fivedifferent apps all together five
(07:29):
different speech and we wantedProloquo2Go because his ABA
therapy used it and it wasreally easy for Carson to
maneuver and comprehend and it'svery user-friendly.
You can add and subtract andyou can create files, and if you
need the same tab here overhere you can do that, but in the
(07:50):
month of April they dodiscounts on it.
It was half off when we got itinitially in the month of April.
So for anybody out there who'sinterested in the app, that
would be.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
This is the perfect time to look and see what feel
they're having right now because, it's pricey definitely, and I
think there's a lot of them thatare are actually running that
sale this this month and somesome maybe next month and, um,
we actually have a flyer.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
So we'll go ahead and post one of those cool.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
So now let's talk about Marley.
Talk about Marley, we'll sitand talk about our kids all day
long.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
So you've had, you know, like you said, carson's
eight now.
So in the last eight yearsyou've had this experience, you
know raising him.
You know a child with autismexperience, you know raising him
.
You know a child with autismand I know, like we've talked
about before, they don't comewith an instruction book.
Our typical child childrendon't come with an instruction
book, much less our childrenthat are not typically
developing and children withautism and autism being the
(08:59):
spectrum, it is that you neverknow what you're going to get,
kind of thing.
And I know that you've doneresearch and you know you've
done a lot of things.
And so how has that experiencethat you've had with Carson
influenced your approach whenyou're teaching students with
autism in your classroom andsupporting students that are
(09:22):
neurodiverse that are in yourroom students?
Speaker 3 (09:25):
that are neurodiverse , that are in your room.
So I would just say, first andforemost, having a backup plan.
Whenever I make a plan likewe're going to walk from here to
here, or a lesson plan, anyplan, anything I'm going to do
in my classroom, I just tellmyself I'm planning for A, but I
(09:46):
need B and C just in case.
And with lesson planning, veryspecifically, I have to, like,
if I print out a worksheet, Ialways have a backup.
Maybe this worksheet, thedirections, are too complicated
or maybe this isn't complicatedenough.
So I think that, knowing withCarson, no matter what I do, I
(10:10):
always need to prepare for that.
What if, what if, what if thisis fantastic, or what if this
crash and burns.
And I think that's also reallybuilt some patience in me and
flexibility and has really and Ibring that to the classroom
when I'm working with all of mystudents, I just kind of see, I
(10:34):
watch, engage, what they'redoing and Carson, being
non-verbal, has also reallyhelped me with body cues and I
don't need to I I find it reallyeasy to tell when a student's
not getting what I'm doing orwhen they're over exceeding, but
they're just appeasing me asthe teacher like, or when
they're overexceeding, butthey're just appeasing me as the
(10:54):
teacher.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
So watching for those body cues has really kind of
been a different approach.
That I'm doing, what I'msupposed to be doing and they're
getting it or not, has beingable to read their body language
and know these body cues helpedprevent some emotional
breakdowns with your studentsthat are um neurotypical,
neurodiverse.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
I would definitely say yes because I, because of
knowing those, like having allthis experience and all these
years with Carson, and Carson isvery um, you know.
I mean because he's not goingto verbally say you're making me
mad or you're not giving mewhat I want.
So he has cues of I'm about toget mad at you or I'm about to
(11:59):
be upset, and I think that beingable to read that on other
people, or specifically students, it has really helped me just
kind of know when to stop, likeif I'm pushing too hard.
It helps me see that, okay, Ineed to take a step back because
they're getting frustrated andI don't want to get frustrated.
And I think that that's alsosomething that built in is that
(12:23):
Carson kind of feeds off theroom.
And if I get mad at him becausehe's mad now, we're all mad and
it's 10 times worse, whereas ifI can just take a step back and
I can be calm and collected, itends faster or it's prevented
altogether.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Very good.
Yeah, I think that we find thatin our classrooms as well Is
that if that room is starting tospin and if we join in on that,
then it's not a good thing.
Not a good thing.
So those two strategies arefantastic.
Are there any other specificstrategies or accommodations
(13:03):
that you have found that havebeen effective in working with
the students?
In working with the students,and you know, especially the
ones with autism and help themto thrive not only academically
but socially, because we knowthat tends to be hard for our
students with autism.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Very hard and I struggle.
I still.
We're almost the end of theyear but, no, the social is hard
in a classroom, especially withstudents who aren't around that
outside of school or on acomplete regular basis.
But some things that I've foundthat have really helped build
(13:41):
the social interaction and theacademic in my class is pairing
students with peers who areacademically motivated and who
also are kind.
When I take my lower studentsor my neurodiverse students and
I pair them with a higherstudent who wants to succeed and
(14:04):
uses kind words and treatsothers kindly, I find that the
rest of the students kind offeed off of that and they see,
like look at how nice they'rebeing to him or her and then it
also kind of gives thatneurodiverse student a drive to
do the work when somebody ishelping them that they like and
(14:27):
respect and look up to like andrespect and look up to.
Some other strategies I use arekind of just lots of visual cues
and very clear step-by-step.
Here's what I want you to do,and I do that at home too.
I want you to go pick up thoseshoes and then, once they're
picked up, okay, now go put themon the shoe rack, like just
(14:50):
very step-by, step by step, andhere's what I want you to do um,
or if, then statements I usethose a lot in my classroom
because I use them at home andtaking that in there really
helps them kind of see wherewhere they're going.
Why am I doing this?
Speaker 1 (15:05):
that makes sense like so.
For most of my life, my dad'sbeen a pastor, and one of the
things that he said over andover and over was you can never
over communicate.
You can never, and so and thatis the exact point that you're
making is do everything you canto make it as crystal clear as
possible.
Let's go ahead and set up ourkids for success and not try to
(15:27):
throw speed bumps out there, butlet them help them best
understand what it is that wewant them to understand.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
Right, and if they don't, like you said, you say
the one thing, and if they don'tunderstand it that way, okay.
So how can I reword this forthem to understand what I'm
trying to get them to do?
Talking about your pairing, youknow, doing the peer pairing,
that, of course, Jared and I arealways inclusion, inclusion,
(15:54):
inclusion, and that's our bigthing.
What do you feel are thebenefits of having that
inclusion, having our typicaldeveloping peers around our
neurodiverse friends?
What are the benefits that youhave seen?
Speaker 3 (16:15):
So, oh, that makes me want to cry because I think
about when Carson goes toresources with other classes and
the social interaction he gets.
I'm trying to think of how todescribe it.
You know, if you've never beento the beach right, you lived in
(16:37):
the middle of the United Statesand you've never been to the
beach before All you get is whatpeople tell you.
If I am constantly telling youthat the beach is different and
it's bad and there's sharks anda whale might eat you, you're
not going to want to go andyou're not going to want to deal
with it.
But if I take you to the beachand I show you that the beach
(16:58):
can be good and but it'sdifferent right, You're used to
mountains and now I take you andI'm showing you that it's good,
I think that's probably thebest way in this moment that I
can describe it is that bycreating inclusive classrooms,
other students are getting tosee that, just because the
student's a little bit different, they're all still the same and
(17:22):
they see those how the typicalstudents act and what they're
doing, and they they learn fromthat.
I think it's kind of a two-waystreet that we all need to learn
(17:42):
how to work together and reallysee that differences come in
size, shape, you know, mentalcapabilities.
There's, um sorry, Carson'sback there waving, he just like
popped out and I think he saw metalking to my phone, Distracted
(18:04):
me.
Um, I think that Carson's luckyto have a brother who can
influence that at home too, butthere are some kids who don't
get that and they don't get thatoutside interaction.
So in school might be the onlyplace that they see other kids
their own size, their own shapedoing things and that leads them
(18:29):
into seeing that, academically,if I do A, B happens.
And the social skills I hate tosay that social skills over
academic skills is moreimportant, but in some cases the
social skills kind of influencethe academic.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Right, absolutely.
The academic Right absolutely.
And we know that all childrenwill mimic other children and a
lot of times that the classroomsthat are not as inclusive have
(19:10):
behaviors that are notnecessarily wanted and so, like
you said, so being in thatgeneral education classroom with
their typically developingpeers, they're more likely to
pick up on those behaviors.
And I think, the social aspectabsolutely, because if they
can't, if they don't know how tobe in that setting, they're not
(19:31):
going to be able to learn inthat setting.
So they have to be able tosocially acclimate themselves to
.
You know, if you can't sit andlisten, it's hard for you to
learn what's going on.
So a lot of times that's onething that I think we focus on a
lot is that the behavior, thebehavior has to come and then
(19:52):
they can be ready to learn.
Because if you're trying toforce them to do something and
they're just wanting to be onthe floor, it doesn't matter if
they scribble, scribble and doneand done.
And that, I think, is one ofthe things that Carson has
taught us also, that you know,just giving him this paper to
(20:13):
scribble on, or, you know, tryto get him to do if he's mad,
it's not, he's just going to dowhatever he needs to do to get
it out of his face.
Yeah, but if he sees, if he'sin a room and he sees other
people doing that, he's morelikely to do what they're doing.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Yeah, he's definitely more inclined to.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
And I think if, when you start to look in a general
sense at society, who has theopportunity to make the biggest
difference?
The one who can functionsocially in different settings,
or you know the valedictorian?
I'm not discounting education,right, but people can still be a
contributor to society ifthey're not in the top third of
their class.
We can still make a differencein the place that we live if we
(21:02):
can learn how to interact witheach other and support each
other.
That makes sense.
I like that whole beach thing.
That was good.
I'm going to have to steal thatone.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
I want to just say that's not in my notes, I just
made it up.
You just made it up right offthe fly, even.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
So we talked before about balancing the parent and
an educator and Jared and I samething.
However, Xander's a littleolder, so I think he's 20.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
He turned 20.
We like officially, areteenager-less.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
I'm sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
So, but I don't know if, when he was younger, I mean
I think when I mean I was in theeducation system when he was
younger, I was a para and, butit would have been difficult
doing, I think, my job and thengoing home and, and you know,
having that.
So what challenges have you hadin balancing the roles of being
(22:05):
, you know, both the parent andan educator, when, and also when
trying to, you know, advocatefor Carson's needs in school,
because not only are thesepeople Carson's teachers but
they're also your co-workers.
So that's a double questionthere.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
So yeah, okay, so I'll start with the first part,
I think, because I think thesecond part is going to be a
little harder.
I will say, in completetransparency, I really really
struggled with it when I workedin special education, when I was
in the special education roomall day long and then I would
(22:45):
pick Carson up and come home.
I really struggled with beingoverstimulated myself, which
then led to him beingoverstimulated Cause, like we
said earlier, he really kind offeeds off the room and if, if
I'm like no, or if I even likeraise my voice the wrong octave,
(23:06):
it really kind of makes thehome life a lot harder.
That has been easier since I'vemoved out of special education,
even though I'm still workingin education, but I really just
take time for myself and I think, as a sped mom, as an autism
(23:29):
mom, a lot of people kind offorget about that or they think
they can't do that, and I'm hereto say, yes, you can,
absolutely.
I told myself for years that Ican't leave him.
I can't, not that I don'tdeserve 20 minutes to myself,
but he was more important and inmy mind there was no fine line
(23:57):
between that and some days itmight just be.
I come home, I get him settled,I unpack and then I go sit in
my backyard for 20 minutes.
You know, brandon, just today'shis first day not on second
(24:25):
shift, so I have been cominghome by myself and being not
only teacher at schools with 17kids, but in my backyard, or
sometimes I might go sit in thegarage, like where they won't
find me but that you can't dothe bathroom because they'll
find you in the bathroom if Ican't go to the bathroom.
Carson knows Carson can do thelock somehow.
(24:46):
I don't know, he's a magicianbut when Brandon's not on second
shift I really think that I tryto do like a friend's night
away.
I usually do girls' night Everytwo weeks.
I try to just leave my housewithout a child with me and it
(25:06):
took me a long time to realizeit was okay to do that.
That.
It was okay for me to leave himfor the evening or to just hand
him off to the other parent andI know it sounds bad because
we're both the parent but Ithink that a lot of parents of
autistic children realize thatthey usually pick one, realize
(25:34):
that that the they usually pickone and I am Carson's one.
He will walk right past dad forevery little thing in this
house and unless dad stops him,he is.
It is always me, no matter what.
So it took me a really longtime to just be like it's, it's
okay if I walk away.
And then at school it's a loteasier, I think, for me to.
There's 17 of them.
(25:56):
They all interact with eachother and it was easier for me
to kind of set in place and walkinto that environment and just
remind myself that even atschool when I get a lunch break
or I get a planning period, it'sokay for me to decompress.
I don't have to go to the copyroom every time I get a break.
I can sit in my room and andkind of like think about things
(26:21):
or just think about nothing, andthat way when I get home I'm
not so overwhelmed walking intomy parent role home.
I'm not so overwhelmed walkinginto my parent role.
And then the second part of yourquestion.
Look, I tried to.
I tried to type something outbecause I don't really think
I've faced a lot of challengesneeding to advocate for my child
(26:44):
because and I'll say that Ithink it's because you guys have
done so well doing that and youalready kind of been there and
done what I'm doing.
So when we sit down to do IEPsor when I think about what
Carson needs in school, there'snot a whole lot where I'm like I
(27:07):
can't say that because I'm ateacher and let's face it, even
as a teacher I'm going to say itanyway.
I'm just that kind of person andI'm already upfront and
opinionated and very honest.
I don't really shut that downbetween parent and teacher.
But I haven't necessarilyneeded to do that.
(27:29):
I don't feel like because wecommunicate really well, and
that's something that I couldthrow out.
There is I've seen otherparents have challenges and
communication is really key.
Don't think that becausethey're the teacher, it's the
end-all, be-all and what theysay is it.
As a parent, you have to makesure that it's fitting and
(27:51):
you're communicating what youthink you want, what you think
your child needs and then beingon the same page.
So I think that that's what Iwould want if I had challenges,
but I get to see you guys everysingle day, all day Right, and
we've been communicating for somany years that I think we're
all on the same page as far asCarson's capabilities and what
(28:13):
where he's going to progress towhere we think he should
progress to great, what's up,I'm down.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
I mean and we've said this before we've been
fortunate that we've hadfantastic parents, and you
included, and I think I rememberthe first time I had to tell
you that he had a bloody nose, Iwas so worried.
He like OK, so I was helpingclean him and he fell off the
toilet and then hit the benchand his nose got bloody.
(28:44):
You're like, oh, ok.
And so I think ever since thatconversation I was like, ok,
this is a parent that I can justgo to and say, hey, listen.
So and I know I've said so hethrew himself down and I got his
finger.
You know what I mean?
Yeah, so, but I mean thatcommunication is because then we
now we need to know what.
(29:05):
So what works for you, becausethis isn't working for us.
And so, absolutely thatcommunication.
Other than that communication,is there any advice that you'd
give to parents and educatorswho are working to really try to
create that learning andsupportive learning environment
(29:26):
for their children?
Speaker 3 (29:30):
I really think that just making kids aware that
there are differences out there,I know at the beginning of the
school year.
So at home we are very open andhonest with Hunter.
I want to start there, becausethat's my shorter answer.
At home, from day one, I mean,obviously the boys are only 12
(29:53):
months and a week apart, soHunter already grew up with it.
But even as he was growingchallenges at home, you know,
like why can he eat chickennuggets for dinner and I have to
eat what you just cooked?
Or why does he get this and Iget this?
Or why are the rules different?
(30:13):
We really made it a point to beclear as to why and that the
expectations for them aredifferent because of what Carson
can and cannot do and what hecan and cannot do, what Carson
(30:34):
can and cannot do and what hecan and cannot do, and that has
really helped.
And Hunter spreads that into ourneighborhood.
When kids come over to ourhouse you can hear him repeating
things that we have said toexplain that Carson's different,
and then bringing that into theclassroom and what I think that
teachers could do to foster amore inclusive environment and a
(30:57):
more understanding environment.
At the beginning of the schoolyear there's a book called have
you Filled a Bucket Today, whichisn't necessarily about being
different.
It's about being kind and how,if you continuously treat
somebody bad, their bucket'sgoing to be empty and then they
have nothing left to givethemselves.
And then if you say nice thingsand you're kind to them, you
(31:22):
fill their bucket and then whenthey leave and they're all by
themselves, they have a bucketfull of good things to think
about.
So one I think is really kindof instilling kindness.
And then the Big Umbrella is myfavorite read aloud and I refer
to it a lot throughout the year.
So I read the beginning of theyear and that really talks about
(31:42):
we all fit under this umbrellatogether, no matter what we look
like, who we are, how we think,and I continuously refer to
these books throughout the year.
I bring them up and the visualof the book talking about the
book.
Anytime that I notice maybe myclasses starting to nitpick each
(32:02):
other or anything like that,I'll be like, hey, what about
these books over here?
And I'll pull them back out andI put them on my board and I'm
like let's talk about what thesebooks meant again.
And we do that repeatedly, likeafter break.
So today I brought it back outand I was like, let's talk about
your buckets.
How was your bucket filled overspring break and how was it
(32:24):
emptied?
And we use that and we turn andtalk and I think that really,
really helps the students in myclassroom see that.
Okay.
So maybe they don't like LindySue that much, but if I'm being
mean to her and I'm emptying herbucket, then she's not going to
(32:45):
like herself and that reallyhas helped with creating an
inclusive environment in myclassroom.
That's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
Yeah, yeah, you know and in this conversation we're
going to wrap up here in just aminute, but there's been a
couple of things that were, Imean, just stand out and were
huge.
And I would like to, just, aswe round this out, emphasize
first, parents, yes, make timefor yourselves.
(33:15):
You are going to be a betterparent to your child when you
make time for yourself, and Idon't know how many times, how
many conversations, um, thatwe've had, or experiences that
we've had where there's thisokay, well, if I have a son or a
daughter with a special need,that means you know that's it
(33:36):
for my life, that I'm just allabout them from now till the day
I pass and listen.
If you want to love your kidsproperly, you've got to give
yourself time, right?
Because kind of like the bucketif you're not keeping your
bucket full, you know how areyou going to help them.
And then the other one forteachers just, man, do
everything you can tocommunicate as clear and simple
(33:59):
as possible, not only to yourstudents but to the parents.
Right, let's make noassumptions.
Go ahead and just lay it allout, and when you can do that,
you can get to your desired endquicker, because nobody's
playing any guessing games,right.
So um any last thoughts, mrscurtis, mrs stevenson, I don't
(34:21):
think so.
Speaker 2 (34:21):
just one thanks, marley, for coming and talking
to us and um sharing yourexperiences and someone those
things awesome that we get tothis relationship has grown from
just being Carson's mom to nowwe're colleagues and you know
it's been fantastic and what'sit been Four, Four years now
(34:45):
that we've been with Carson.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
Yeah, I think this is the fourth year.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Yeah, and he's a remarkable young man and if
anybody has met him, they knowthat.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
He definitely teaches me some really good life
lessons.
All right.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
Well, thank you again , marley, for hanging out with
us, and we'll talk to you later.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
All right, see you tomorrow.
All right, see you tomorrow.
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