A Painter's Journey with Multiple Sclerosis: "Everyone Has a Yearning to Make a Mark"

Our older son's godmother just posted this video on her facebook feed. It is the story of a man, Brett Weber, a neuroscientist and painter. He died today of complications from multiple sclerosis.

photograph by Frank Wiese

A Lesson From the Father in the Elevator and the Grocery Store this Afternoon

Today was super busy: studying, Mass, lunch with friends, a visit to a grant competition for our older son and then the fitness center, where I haven't been in more than a week. Tomorrow looks even busier.

Home Sweet Home with David and Goliath

All of New Jersey, it seems, is dealing with a snowstorm. The public high school where I work closed a little before noon. I figured it would take an hour to drive home. Instead, it took three hours to drive 40 miles. The roads were clogged with every other New Jerseyean who had been let out early to beat the storm. I had my latest audiobook, Malcolm Gladwell's David and Goliath, to keep me company. I ended up finishing the book. Friends have been gushing about Gladwell for years; now I know why.

An Unexpected Christmas Gift

A religious acquaintance of mine recently told a friend of mine he didn't think I should waste my time trying to alter the direction of our local public schools because even if this latest problem were solved, another problem would crop up.

The thing is, God calls us to do His work of justice and mercy, to places outside church doors. Sometimes, the work we do unexpectedly helps to draw those we encounter back to Christ. That's God's doing, not ours. This was today's Christmas miracle at the 11 a.m. Mass for me.

Can a Disability Be a Gift? Let's Share Videos about Disabilities

Find a video that you think is especially useful on You Tube or Teacher  Tube  regarding children with disabilities in relation to this course.





This is an assignment I am working on right now. As most of my regular readers know, I am a Special Education teacher and I am the mother of a son who has a language-based learning disability.I also am working toward my master's degree in Special Education. One of my professors this summer is asking her students to find a video online that will help folks understand some aspect of Special Education or of people with disabilities.

Here is the video I chose; I like it because it was produced by a young man with dyslexia.

I would love to hear what videos you have found helpful to understand disabilities or special education!

Seven Quick Takes for Friday

1. I took a personal day today so my husband and I could participate in a meeting we called at our younger son's middle school. I am grateful for: the wonderful principal, who knows how to facilitate a meeting and problem solve, our son's sweet and effective caseworker and the burned-out algebra teacher with poor communication skills. Yes, he has been put in front of our family so we might learn how to advocate for our son and so that our son might learn how to  advocate for himself.

Reflecting the Human Longing for Beauty: Paraorchestra

The British Paraorchestra, which features world-class musicians with disabilities, just released this youtube recording.  Let's help it go viral.