Our Special Ks

Back to School time is an exciting time. I know that I thought those days were behind me; my kids are in their 20s except for my oldest son who is 34. When relationship circumstances changed, Patrick and my granddaughter Ashlynn came to live with us for most of the time. Aug. 8 was Ash’s first day at kindergarten at Lincoln.

Ash is a special little girl – literally and figuratively. She has a rare neurological disorder and chromosome deletion – a 4p deletion – and she is now part of the special education community at Lincoln. I call her our Special K.

Though new to kindergarten, Ash wasn’t new to the Glendale Unified School District. For the last couple of years she attended Cloud Preschool under the watchful eye of her teacher Nina Martinez and “Miss Nina’s” helpers. Ash flourished there. She learned to cut paper, color and communicate with her teachers and with the other children. She was a handful – there’s no denying that – due in part to an attention span that was hard to focus. But with their guidance, she matured to the point that she could “graduate” to Lincoln.

All of my sons – Steve too for that matter – attended Monte Vista Elementary School. It was with some trepidation that Ash was placed at Lincoln. Now that a couple of weeks have passed, I can say how happy I am to have a little Lincoln Lion. I pick her up from Lincoln every school day and she is happy and excited to tell me about her day.

I applaud all of the special ed teachers; they have a job I don’t understand much less could handle. They nurture and teach children who are blind, deaf and intellectually challenged; they deal with these children’s parents, many who are scared and unsure of what the future holds for them.

One of the reasons that Ash lives with us is because of the outstanding school district in which we live. The schools are one reason that many people move to the Crescenta Valley in the first place. I am grateful that we are here and that these very special teachers are here to work with our Special Ks.

  robin goldsworthy