(photo from Google images)There are three girls with Downs Syndrome in our school. They are sixth graders who often seem more like little old ladies, walking down the hall arm-in-arm, thick as thieves and full of confidence. I often see them bossing each other around or encouraging each other with a lot of sincerity, and sometimes a lot of emotion. I have had almost no interaction with them until today, since Mrs. M is their teacher, but today was memorable!
I just got SPANKED by one of these girls the hallway! That’s right; smacked right on the butt by a girl whose name I didn’t even know. I had stopped Spunky, Silly, and Sassy in the hallway, because I had just seen Spunky smack Silly on the bottom. I said, “Excuse me, Ladies….that is not [SMACK] appropriate!” Spunky slunk off, giggling, and her partners-in-mischief followed suit.
Taken aback, flipping through the rolodex of responses in my head (and trying not to laugh out loud) I said sternly, “THAT is not okay! I think we need to go talk with Mrs. M! Spunky crinkled up her nose, stuck out her tongue, and defiantly spat, “No!” Grasping at straws; at a loss for what to do (I don’t know these girls at all and have never taught D.S. kids), I threatened, “Do I just need to write a referral instead?”
“OOOOOOOOOOOOO!” came her smart-aleck response (as in, “Ooooooooo; I’m so scared! Lady, you are in way over your head, so just shuffle off and mind your own business!” Yikes!!) And she turned around, shuffling off to lunch.
Of course, I followed up with her teacher, and I have an entirely new respect for Mrs. M and her gang of aides down the hall. I now know Spunky’s real name. (And I’ll probably walk backwards down the hall the next time I see her!)
