May 20, 2018 was a momentous occasion for Rachel and our family. She was one of 563 members of the Olathe South Class of 2018. Thousands across the country are members of the Class of 2018. We celebrated before, during, […]
“This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. ” Nineteen years ago we were awaiting the arrival of Rachel Nicole Mast. We had known for five months that she would be born […]
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Rachel has just five more days of high school and two of those are finals. It has been a journey for sure. In grade school, each year I would write a note to her classroom teacher […]
Conservatively, I estimate Rachel has had 45 IEP meetings. I just returned home from her last IEP meeting – almost 16 years to the day we had her first IEP meeting to discuss transition to preschool. Truly, it seems like […]
Jonathan and Jawanda A Modern-Day Comedy/Tragedy – The Sabbatical Year Online Chapter 28 Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happiest New Year! January started with Rachel opening the first Kansas ABLE Savings Account on January 26. It wasn’t just a […]
I must first proclaim that we are down to one semester. Rachel successfully finished semester one of her senior year. She had a great semester. Powder puff touchdowns, homecoming dances, volleyball serves, and of course classes. She worked hard and […]
Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month! I think revisiting the question of what I would say to younger parents is a good post to celebrate our friends and loved ones with Down syndrome! Four years ago I wrote a blog called […]
I wrote this blog in 2012 when Rachel was going into 7th grade. Wow! I have several teacher friends who share this with other teachers and couple of professor friends who share with their classes. Since it’s the beginning of […]
In case you haven’t noticed, I blog a lot about inclusion. I am passionate about the inclusion of individuals with Down syndrome and other disabilities. I am not just passionate about inclusion in the education setting. I believe in community […]
Last weekend, Rachel was Strato in her high school’s production of Julius Caesar. If I counted correctly, she had seven lines. She was scarcely seen until the end when she appeared in a big way in one of the final […]