Macyn Hope

Sample Story / Post

Never in a million years would I sign up to attend junior high for a second time. Yet there I was, all awkward and unsure, with butterflies in my stomach, feeling like a 6th grader on the first day of school as I watched my daughter Macy attend her general education theater class. Because of Covid she has been attending school via Distance Learning. This is a challenge for so many students and especially for students like Macy, who have Down syndrome.

Early on in the semester there was a day in her theater class when students were assigned to perform a monologue. This assignment was assigned via Google classroom. Without support Macy does not know how to access this link. Her dad and I run a business from home and have two other kids doing distance learning and so I missed this assignment. Which I didn’t realize until after a few students did their monologues for the class. The thing is, with the right support in place and with enough time Macy for sure could do this assignment and do it well. But all that was missing. Still, Macy insisted she go. I told her she needed to practice and she could go the next day, but she insisted. So I sat back as she winged it. Instead of choosing from the monologue options assigned by the teacher she decided on Gravity from the musical Wicked. She stood up to give her performance and I had a moment of panic. I knew without some assistance her language would hinder her classmates and teacher from understanding fully what she was saying and doing. I didn’t want her to embarrass herself, I only ever want her to be herself. So I just sat there and watched as she did her best. When she was finished she sat down and turned to me and said “Mom! I did it!”.

I just cried. I cried because she’s magic. I also cried because I know her uninhibited acceptance of who she is was lost on her peers watching her. She is magic and goodness and so much of what I strive to be, and she is learning how to thrive in a world which questions her worth. I have the beautiful yet heavy honor of navigating that with her and watching it all unfold. #ThisIsDownSyndrome #TheIsDownSyndrome