Year: 1994 - 95 AGM December 1, 1994 - SSAAM

Article submitted by Jean Chaput. Director of Student Services, St. Boniface School Division
Was It Worth It?
by Lorraine Baydack
As I walked down the long corridor of Shamrock School with my two and a half year old son Ryan in tow, I wondered what I had gotten
myself into. After making a poster board display about him for the Manitoba Down Syndrome Society April parent evening, I had
decided to show it off to the staff at the school where I work. One thing led to another and soon I was lined up to do a presentation on
Down Syndrome to the grade seven students. These young people would have an opportunity to volunteer at St. Amant Center soon
and my presentation might help to get them interested.
Now... it is one thing to teach curricula to students, but quite another to put your family and emotions on the line in front of these same
young people.
I took a deep breath and in we went. For the first few minutes we did finger plays and songs for the kids. Of course, when we sang
the I Love You Song from the TV show Barney and Friends we had them. After that Ryan went home with a friend of ours, and I got to
stumble through the next half hour on my own.
I had made a lecture guide and I tried to stick to it. What is Down Syndrome? What are the symptoms? Integration and Inclusion.
Making Friends. How others feel toward a person with Down Syndrome. Finafly, I played a tape of a song called Courage. It is a
wonderful song about inclusion sung by a junior high girl and addressed to junior high kids.
The first presentation must have gone okay, because the next day I was invited to meet with another 60 kids.
Was it worth it? You be the judge. Below are the responses of just a few of the students. There were another 70 or so expressing
similar sentiments. These kids make me very proud of the younger generation!
Would I do it again? You bet I would. Should you???
Dear Mrs. Baydack,
I think that you have a very special and
wonderful boy. Evenifhe did not have Down
Syndrome it would not make him any more
special. You must be a very caring and loving
mother to go through all you go through
expressing to people how much you love your
diild The fact that Ryan has Down Syndrome
does not make me think any different of him. In
the future I hope that Ryan is very successful at
whatever he chooses to do. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Curtis Cameron
Grade 7, Room 34
Shamrock School
Dear Mrs. Baydeck,
I really enjoyed the presentation, ft was really
interesting. To tell you the truth, I didn't really
know what Down Syndrome was until you came
in and told us. ft was really neat when you told us
how they know at birth if your child has Down
Syndrome. I think Ryan is a cute little boy. With
all the help that Ryan is getting now he will
probably be fairly smart I'm sure that Ryan will
have a wonderful life if everybody gives him a
chance like you said
From Krista Brian
Grade 7, Room 34
Shamrock School
Dear Mrs. Baydack,
Yesterday when you gave your presentation
it reminded me of before I came to
Shamrock School three years ago. I used to
attend another elementary school and every
year I was always in the same class as a boy
name Michael. But the thing was he had
Down Syndrome. Everyone in the class just
loved him. He was fun to play with, to talk
to, and he was even better at math than we
were. He always tried his best to do his
school work. Sometimes he couldn't
understand but we were always thereto help
him
I really don't think that Ryan should have a
problem when he is older because I know
that more people, mostly young teens are
becoming more aware of people and how
they are different I find that most of the
time it's the adults who feel uncomfortable
being with a handicapped person, not young
people. I really enjoyed your presentation
and meeting your son Ryan. I would really
enjoy seeing Ryan again and I hope he has a
fan-filled time learning and making new
friends. I know he made about sixty
yesterday morning.
Your friend,
Sara McCulloch
Grade 7, Room 30
Shamrock School
Dear Mrs. Baydack,
I think that the reason that you came here
today was because of the fact you gave
birth to a Down Syndrome child It does
not mean that he is a "retard" because he
isn't fa my eyes he is a boy you could
only dream of having. And the fact that
you were able to come here and talk
about it so freely and openly -1 think that
these features will make a perfect mother
for a Down Syndrome Child like Ryan.
When you came here and presented to us
I learned a lot about Down Syndrome and
the fact that there are a lot of people in
this world who do care. I think this is
very important because when Ryan gets
older and starts progressing he will need
people to stand by him in good times and
in bad
When you came here and started talking
about how people will treat Ryan when he
gets older and is in our grade, this brought
tears to your eyes. It shouldn t because
people in our grade should respect that
Ryan is different If when Ryan is in our
grade and people tease him, they are the
real retards!
Michael Marion,
Grade 7, Room 31
Shamrock School
More letters on next page