Top ten hopes for the new school year



The feeling of hope is what I’m trying to concentrate on.  It’s the one word I always choose to describe my life.  Hope.

I’m looking ahead to another year of school where I am hoping for so many things.

  1. I hope my oldest figures out how to overcome this “too cool for school” persona that seemed to hit him the second “teenager” became an official term to describe him.  I hope he is able to really show his new teachers how amazing and bright he is without clouding their judgment with his occasional bursts of complete “I don’t care” mood.
  2. I hope my youngest is included.  I hope the other kids in the middle school hallways can see his joy of life and his magentic personality, instead of getting caught up on his differences.  I hope they accept him as one of their own.  I hope with every ounce of my being he is not mocked, teased, or bullied.
  3. I hope my oldest doesn’t feel embarrassed by his younger brother.  At least, any more than any teenager is embarrassed by their younger siblings.  I hope he can continue to hold his head high and be proud of his brother and educate those who don’t understand.  Again, I hope with every ounce of my being that HE is not mocked, teased, or bullied.  Because it’s not Brian that notices the teasing usually, his big brother picks up the brunt of it.
  4. I hope they both continue to love to learn.  I hope there are teachers that think outside of the box and remember that the best learning doesn’t happen in a seated position reading from a textbook.  I hope they can learn with their hands and their bodies.
  5. I hope I don’t have to fight to make sure IEPs are met.  I hope everything just falls together as it should without extra meetings, drop-ins, and tears.
  6. I hope that the potential is always seen in both of my boys.  That despite any learning differences they may possess, that they can still learn.  That their potential has no limits.
  7. I hope there are people in Brian’s program that truly love him.  Teachers are working so hard and it may seem strange to ask them to love a student.  But in Brian’s case, I truly believe that “love” is the key to protecting and educating him.  He always blossoms under people who love him.
  8. I hope there is growth.
  9. I hope there are goals met.
  10. I hope for progress.


Heather Nelson

About Heather Nelson
