June 26, 2018, Archdiocese of Washington, Catholic Standard: After 13 years as principal of Our Lady of Lourdes School in Bethesda, Patricia McGann is retiring http://www.cathstan.org/Content/News/Schools/Article/After-13-years-as-principal-of-Our-Lady-of-Lourdes-School-in-Bethesda-Patricia-McGann-is-retiring/2/21/8540 When Patricia McGann was hired in 2005 as principal of Our Lady of Lourdes School in Bethesda, the school’s enrollment was down and the enthusiasm of the school’s families was diminished, but she turned the momentum around by confidently emphasizing the school’s Catholic identity, said Msgr. Edward Filardi, the pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. Within five years, the school grew from 100 to 275 students…. Another way in which McGann strengthened the Catholic identity of the school is through opening it up to students with special learning needs, said Msgr. Filardi. … So Our Lady of Lourdes welcomed him into their community starting the next day, and he joined the sixth grade class. Gradually more and more families in similar situations brought their children to the school…. “This just gave us one more opportunity to show the kids the face of God in every person,” said McGann, who noted that the school invites the students to look for God in their classmates and also to ask themselves if their classmates are able to see the face of God in them. … Having students with learning differences “helped us be more caring toward each other” and taught the school community how to “appreciate gifts you might not see at first,” said McGann. She also noted how when students start to do that, parents notice the friendships their children make with other children who have special needs and also become more accepting of them. Now, about 20 percent of the school’s students have learning differences, and they recently hosted an Inclusion Symposium for Catholic school teachers from across the country to share their school’s model of inclusion. McGann’s daughter, Brighid, now works as the resource director at Our Lady of Lourdes and as a resource consultant for the Archdiocese of Washington…. “I think [the school has] changed me more than I’ve changed it,” she said. “It’s made me realize what a gift our children are.”…
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Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
What will happen in another 4 years? How can we go on like this? This is a national (and international) problem of monumental proportions. We have an entire new class of children who cannot be accommodated by the system: many are manifestly neurologically impaired. Meanwhile, the government and the medical profession sleep on regardless.
John Stone,
UK media editor, Age of Autism
The generation of American children born after 1990 are arguably the sickest generation in the history of our country.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
It seemed to me that with rising autism prevalence, you’d also see rising autism costs to society, and it turns out, the costs are catastrophic.
They calculated that in 2015 autism cost the United States $268 billion and they projected that if autism continues at its current rate, we’re looking at one trillion dollars a year in autism costs by 2025, so within five years.
Toby Rogers, PhD, Political economist
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