And so not quite a year since my last post - I am back. If you happen to chance upon this blog I hope that you enter into my world with good faith and a generous spirit. Feel free to comment or say hi. Especially if you are on the 'outside' of the disability community - I welcome you and hope that you embrace the opportunity to see another side, another view. If you are one of our community - then welcome! My journey is not yours, but when we share our experiences, our perspectives, we add to a ripple effect that I hope spreads an important story of acceptance and richness that is often overlooked or misunderstood. Please - leave a comment, say Hi. It's in our presence that we are strong. Sometimes being a witness is all we can do. To acknowledge reality as it is for another person. It may not be our reality but it doesn't mean it isn't real. So please - any comments - be kind! I don't mean to offend anyone and some things I have written I don't even necessarily agree with months or years later... but I did feel them at the time and I am honouring those emotions by leaving them up and (relatively) unedited.
This new era f blogging brings other dilemma's for me. Not only are my children older and more aware of their own right to privacy but an important change in my career - one that I'd like to explore on this blog is that of a special education teacher. I will have to play with what I can share on that. I'd love to reflect upon this change in the Shams but obviously there are many ethical aspects that I will also have to balance. We will see how it goes.
For now - an Update.
Twins - just started Year 4. Progress - very good! I am very pleased with both brats. Can't believe how much they have grown.
Work - I am a Special Education Teacher!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, that feels weird. I still have to get my head around it. For 20+ years I have been a HSIE (Social Science) teacher. Now I am learning to shift my professional identity in a slightly different direction. I sit in other people's classes - watching carefully to monitor how 'our' kids are going and constantly thinking about how I might help them more. I love it! But after being the show pony of hte classroom for years - it makes it hard to melt into the background - I am learning though. ANd just in case there's any doubt - the kids - they are awesome of course!! Big ugly teenagers. Hormonal, moody, atypical and delightful. Puzzles of people that I am privileged to get a glimpse of, to have the opportunity to get to know, just a little bit more.
Home - still living in the Dock and, drum roll please, about to put in tac claims for the last xx years! This is a milestone cos we have promised ourselves that once we did this we could start to look at architects and ideas for adding on a couple of rooms to our home in the Dock. How exciting is that??? A boys bathroom might no longer be just a dream - and maybe one day I'll have hot water in the kitchen :-)
Photo from above was taken this weekend. We took the kids down to the Shack - with 3 other families. It was a blast. The kids have all grown and are doing so well in their different ways. It was great to see everyone. I was particularly proud of my Kit. He just excelled. He is very sociable - and used those skills to involve the other kids in different games/activities. He got on with everyone and provided a great role model for the two younger kids who were also 'typical siblings' like him. He gave acceptance and understanding and friendship to all - and I know he gained so much from it - not least the opportunity of deepening friendship with 6 other kids (including his own sister). It was a priceless experience for him. He is a natural leader. I must say that I also think he was the one who looked like he had the best time too!
And as for my precious girl, well she continues to delight. She had a blast but she also enjoyed getting home, to her own environment.
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