Intro: Tammy and Parker Hodson

I always wanted to be a teacher.

I’ve worked with children all of my life.  From baby sitting to teaching in church to running summer youth programs, I’ve always been blessed with opportunities to work with kids.  Unlike many of my friends, when the time came to go to college I knew exactly what path to take.

There were those who chose a career in education because it was a good “Mom” job.

But not me.  I wanted to change the world.  One little person at a time.

Instead of relying on text books and worksheets,  my Dad helped me create hands on science projects.  My first graders built electromagnets.  If I had a student who struggled in reading, I’d give them the test orally.  My job wasn’t to fill the vessel and receive back memorized facts and figures, but to create the desire for them to make learning a life long journey.

Because of the way I taught, I would have the resource teachers ask if they could place kids on their rolls in my classroom.  Just because a child may not be able to read on grade level doesn’t mean he can’t learn.  But if you teach with only textbooks, assigning chapters to be read and answers to be written, that child is going to struggle, and after a time give up.

There are all types of learners.  And each one deserves to be taught in a way that reflects their individual style of acquiring knowledge.

I loved teaching.  But as my own family started to grow, I found myself wondering why I was spending so much time with other people’s kids while mine spent time with sitters. So, with the total support of my husband Reed, we tightened up our belts and I became a stay at home Mom.

While Bailey, Brant, McCall, Rigel and Kensley  made my life beautiful,  I kept having the nagging feeling that ‘someone’ was missing.  It took two years of bringing that  thought to my Heavenly Father in prayer before Parker joined our family.

I knew way before the ultrasound tech squinted worriedly at the monitor that Parker would be born with Down syndrome.  Reed and I had talked about it many times, even before I became pregnant.  When my  water broke and I was entering the delivery room I stopped and made it very clear that I didn’t want anyone assisting in this birth that couldn’t celebrate the start of a life that included an extra chromosome.   Reed and I were thrilled to welcome this child into the world and we wanted others to be as well.

Parker was born 6 weeks early, with chronic lung disease, an imperforate anus, a tethered spinal cord, and two holes in his heart. He had his first surgery to create a colostomy when he was two days old.  When he was 5 months old we discovered he had severe pulmonary hypertension.

Today Parker breathes through a trach, eats via a g-tube, and requires O2 24/7 to keep his sats above 95% as a treatment for his PH.

He just underwent surgery to correct his severe reflux and we are in the process of addressing his severe aspiration issues.  We pray that this will help reverse his PH levels.

And, yes, we’d love it if you would pray too.

Instead of following a calendar, homeschool at our house takes place everyday that Parker isn’t sick, or in the hospital. It’s amazing how much a surgery can set a kid back in his education.

Fortunately,  both Parker and I are pretty stubborn.  Anyone who thinks that a medically fragile kid with Down syndrome can’t learn…..needs to think again.

Parker knows his colors, shapes and can recognize his name.  And we don’t intend to allow the non-verbal thing to prevent him learning how to read.

It’s important to me that people understand that a kid with special needs is more like a typical kid than they are different. I have the same hopes and dreams for Parker that I have for his older brothers and sisters.  I want Parker’s life to be filled with learning, growing and happiness.

It’s an attainable goal.  And one that I cherish being a part of.

Tagged as: Down syndrome, special needs