Amanda Dickinson

People sometimes joke about kids or spouses saying I guess I'll keep them, there is no returning them now or the return time has expired. What if they weren't true, what if we could go back in time and decide a different path. Would we still make the same decisions?  If I could turn back time to that day nine years ago as I walked down the aisle on my fathers arm would I still stroll to the front of the church ready to pledge my life and love to you? Sure we were two young kids in love but really we had no idea what life would bring. Within the past nine years we have dealt with loss of job, foreclosure, and miscarriages. We have faced personal and professional disappointments, changed plans, and lost dreams. Not to mention this past year a very premature birth, extended NICU stay, diagnosis of Down syndrome, and heart surgery. Over the past nine years at times I'm sure one or both of us has wanted out. With all of that people would might wonder why in the world if given th

This is a different post than I typically share. This is actually a short journal entry I shared for my current course. Yes, I am back in classes pursing my PhD and yes, I need there to be more hours in the day. Thought I'd share since my thoughts are constantly drifting to both of my boys.  The hardest thing about my son’s diagnosis to accept was the cognitive side of Down syndrome. It is not easy to swallow the words mental retardation that accompany the diagnosis. Especially for a person who has spent her life believing that people have ability and it simply comes down to the ability to apply one’s self. To realize that the future and the potential for Kaleb is unknown is scary. Still it is hard not to allow children with special needs like my Kaleb to penetrate my thoughts as I read the different theories on the purpose and philosophy of education. To examine what does education mean for children like Kaleb? Things such as Aristotle’s view that everything continues to ch