Precerpt from Raising God's Rainbow Makers: Noelle's Commonsense Approach to School
When Noelle was ready for entry into elementary school, she was already very active with her braces and quite socially advanced. She made friends easily. Mainstreaming was just coming into popular use, and we all decided that we wanted Noelle in a regular classroom. The school agreed, then little "differences" cropped up.
"You do not have to stand for the pledge of allegiance," her teacher told her.
Yes, she did, I retorted. If everybody else stands, she stands. It meant that she had to become adept, very adept and quick, at standing up, locking her braces while standing, then unlocking them and sitting down. She managed it and was very adept the rest of the years that she wore braces at changing positions. She had to in order to fit in, and that was not a bad thing. That was commonsense.
Then, the principle scarfed up an old wheelchair and placed it at the corner of the school so that she could watch everyone else playing during recess. All the handicapped children were gathered into a watching enclave. I asked the principle why. He said the school did not want the liability of one of them falling and getting hurt.
That was an easy, commonsense fix. I simply wrote a note, stating "My daughter has my permission to get hurt at recess." That resulted in the wheelchair disappearing and Noelle venturing onto the playground.
Not longer after, I happened to drive past the school at recess and saw her playing kickball with the boys. That right-handed crutch worked every bit as well as a foot. She fit right in.
And she continued fitting right until fourth grade and a new school. The new principal had the wrong-headed idea that handicapped children would bring down school test scores. No one could convince him otherwise, and parents found new schools for their physically challenged children. We stuck it until the day I arrived a tad earlier than usual to pick up Noelle. She looked over from where she was playing with her friends and started to come in, but she had to walk past the principle, who was looking out the door, his back to me, keeping an eye on the school yard. As she walked past him, he said, "I know it seems like you are popular right now, but that won't last. Other kids don't like to play with cripples>
He must have heard me gasp behind him. He whipped around and said, "Your word against mine." Clearly, this was no fit, and, like the others, we asked for a different school placement.
A meeting of the superintendent's specialists was held> Noelle came. The specialists were a bit nonplussed. "This is not a meeting for children," they said.
"She is the one who will be attending classes," I responded. "She has a right to express her preferences."
She stayed, and it was good that she did. In order to place Noelle in the special education class that we had already checked out and that would work for her because the teacher was very supportive at letting children fly. Getting her into that class, however, presented a unique problem. When Noelle was enrolled in the regular fourth grade class, her spina bifida was not noted. Now, how would the committee explain the sudden appearance of a congenital physical handicap? Could we try "other specil need" the wondered, but some exp[lanation would have to be given. Round and round they went, getting nowhere until Noelle raised her crutch in the air, looked up at it, and pronounced, "If you ask me, it is physical!" They all agreed with her commonsense and figured that they could, after all, explain that.
All went well after that, until we moved. Noelle was entering grade 8, and she wanted to me in the regular education program. The conversation with the principle, where she advocated quite well for herself in her calm, commonsense, and hard-to-argue-with manner. The proposal was for special education placement.
"It's my legs that don't work, not my brain," she told the principal.
He argued still for special education, and she explained to him very matter-of-factly, "Well, I am the one who will have to go to class every day, and I am not going to go there."
Nonplussed, the principal responded, "Well, you will have to take a test to prove you are at eighth-grade level."
"No problem," she told him. "I have a pencil in my backpack. Where do I go to take the test?"
She passed the test and was enrolled in the regular program. She had outwitted the principal through simple commonsense. I always thought it egregiously unfair, though, that she was the only eight-grader who had had to prove that they were ready for the regular education program at the eighth-grade level.
Noelle missed most of her senior year because of a decubitus that would not heal. That could have tripped her up, but, in her no-nonsense, commonsense way, she said, "No problem. I will take the tests and get a GED." And she did.
Ultimately, she finished two years of college. In her sophomore year, she took a course on Shakespeare together with Lizzie who needed another English course for graduation. Taking the course together was commonsense; Lizzie could transport Noelle. How advantageous commonsense can be we found in that class. Lizzie, working toward a major in neuroscience, noticed something all the doctors had missed: Noelle was having petit mal seizures. Lizzie deduced that from the way Noelle sometimes seemed disoriented. She took Noelle to a neurologist who confirmed it. Twenty years to discover that--and only a commonsense approach to joint course enrollment facilitated it.
Commonsense. It's a good thing.
Book Description:
Raising God's Rainbow Makers
A Family Memoir of Grace, Grit, and Growing Up Different
What happens when a military family welcomes four children—each with wildly different needs—into a world not always built to support them?
In Raising God’s Rainbow Makers, one mother shares the remarkable journey of raising two children with complex disabilities—one with spina bifida, one with CHARGE Syndrome—and two intellectually gifted children, all born in different states during years of military life. Through medical crises, educational challenges, and societal roadblocks (both intentional and unintentional), this honest and inspiring memoir tells the story of how one family built a life of strength, compassion, and resilience.
With warmth and unflinching honesty, the author reflects on emergency surgeries, IEP battles, unexpected victories, and the fierce sibling bonds that formed in the face of it all. The children—now grown—bear witness to the power of support, faith, and never giving up.
This is not just a story of survival. It is a celebration of difference, a chronicle of hope, and a powerful testament to what love and determination can build when the world says "impossible."
Keywords:
Parenting memoir; Special needs parenting; Raising children with disabilities; Military family life; Family resilience; Inspirational family story; Faith-based memoir; Coping with medical challenges; Sibling support stories; Gifted children; Spina bifida; CHARGE Syndrome; Hydrocephalus; Congenital disabilities; Complex medical needs; Pediatric neurosurgery; IEP and special education; Gifted education; Educational advocacy; Inclusive education; Hope and healing; Courage and strength; Love and perseverance; Raising different children; Disability acceptance; Parenting through adversity; Overcoming barriers; Finding joy in hardship; Special needs journey; Family unity and support; For parents of disabled children; For parents of gifted children; For educators and therapists; Christian parenting memoir; For families facing rare diagnoses; Real-life parenting stories; Memoirs about raising children; Stories of medical miracles
For more posts about Elizabeth and her books, click HERE.
Read more stories -- and photos -- about the Mahlou family in the blog (no longer maintained), Clan of Mahlou.
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