i have a teacher with ms

A NEWSLETTER FOR KIDS ABOUT MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Last year many students from my classjoined Ms. B on the MS Walk to help raisemoney to find a cure for MS. This was anexciting event and everyone was happy tosupport such a wonderful cause. To learn moreabout Ms. B please read her story on page 4.

I have a teacher with MS

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ISSUE #4 SCHOOLS

My teacher, Ann B., is full of life.She teaches with tons of energyand excitement, which iswhy the entire class wasvery surprised when shetold us she has MS.She explained thatsometimes her bodyis a little tired andnot very strong, butthat she is still thesame person shealways has been. Shecan still teach us andwe don’t need to worry.MS is not contagious,and we are not scared that we will catch it.

We are comfortable beingwith her and my class hasfun helping her. Duringclass we help her with littlethings like opening windows,organizing the room orcarrying text books. Wesometimes get to write thedaily notes on the board.We enjoy being able to dothings for our teacher.

by Emily G.

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Multiple sclerosis (MSfor short) is a diseasethat affects the centralnervous system (thebrain, optic nerve andthe spinal cord). Thebrain is like a computerthat tells the body whatto do. The spinal cord islike a thick wireattached to the comput-er. Messages travel fromthe brain, along thespinal cord, to the otherparts of the body.

When a person has MS,the covering (myelin)that protects the nervesgets damaged. Scarsform where the myelin isdamaged. As messagestravel from the brain,they sometimes get stuckor slowed down by thesescars. When this happens,

the other parts of thebody can’t always dowhat the brain is tellingthem to do.

Sometimes people withMS have trouble seeing.Sometimes their armsand legs feel weak, ortheir skin feels “tingly”(like pins and needles).Sometimes they lose theirbalance, or sometimesit’s hard to walk. MSproblems like these arecalled “symptoms.”Symptoms of MS cancome and go…we don’tknow exactly why.Sometimes you don’teven notice the symp-toms. At other timesthey are pretty obvious.It’s hard for a personwith MS to know fromone day to the next howhe or she will feel. Thatis why we say that MS isunpredictable.

Interesting Fact:

Multiple means many.

Sclerosis means scars.

So, multiple sclerosis

means “many scars.”

MS

Brain Spinal Cord

Optic Nerve

Nerves

Spinal Cord

Myelin

MS Scar

We love to publish yourpictures, stories, andpoems about MS. Pleasesend us your work! Tell ushow your family learnsabout MS together, howyou feel about having MSin your family, whatadvice you would giveother kids about havinga mom or dad with MS,how you help your momor dad, or whom you talkwith about MS.

Keep S’myelin Readers:WE WANT YOU!

Send to:KEEP S’MYELIN

National MS Society900 S. Broadway,

2nd Floor,Denver CO 80209or e-mail to

[email protected]


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Since doctors and scientists stilldon’t know what causes MS, theyaren’t sure why one person getsMS and another person doesn’t. Itjust happens sometimes. But yourmom didn’t do anything thatcaused her to get MS and wedon’t know of anything she couldhave done to stop it fromhappening—so it’s not her fault oranyone else’s fault either.

No one can be absolutely sure who got MS

first. Doctors think that a young woman

named Sister Ludwina van Schiedam was

one of the earliest. She fell down one day in

1396—700 years ago—and the doctors’ descrip-

tions of her problems with walking and balance

sound a lot like MS. But MS didn’t get its namefor

another 472 years!

A D ?EKUY O S

S I N C E

Even though we have known about M

S for

more than 100years, sc

ientists still don’t

know what makes people

get it. They have

studied lots of “bad guys” like

viruses and

bacteria,but haven

’t come up with the

answer yet. We do know, how

ever, thatMS

isn’t contagious lik

e a cold or the flu—so

you don’thave to worry abo

ut catching it

from your momor dad.

Who was the first person

to get MS?

Why did my mom get MS?

What causes MS?


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My name is Ann B. andI am a teacher who hasMS. That does notmean that I can’t do“stuff.” I just had tolearn to do things in adifferent way. Doesyour mom or dad gettired sometimes? Well,that happens to me,too. So now I plan myday to make sure Ihave the energy to dowhat is important formy students and me.When your mom or dadgets tired, you shouldplan on that being theperfect time to read abook or watch tvtogether!

Sometimes my legsdon’t do exactly what Iwant them to. I used tobe able to walk all overthe classroom. Nowwhen I need to I teachsitting down, and I needto sit on my stool mostof the time.

Sometimes I forget aword right in the middleof class! I’ve learned tosay to my students, “Iam thinking of a word…”and they help me out.They think it’s a gameand they love it. If yourmom or dad has troubleremembering maybe youcan help too.

I Am a Teacher with MS

The important thing toremember is that whenMS makes your momor dad weak or tired orforgetful, they are stillyour mom and dad!I have good days andbad days, and guessyour mom or dad dotoo. I always tell mystudents that I willalways try my best.With their help I canmake it throughanything!


Is your school accessible?Do you know what accessiblemeans? A place is accessibleif everyone can come and goand move around easily. Evensomeone who uses a wheel-chair or crutches or can’tsee very well will not have anytrouble getting around if aplace is accessible.

A school is accessible whenthere are no stairs to climb(or a ramp is available) so awheelchair-user can get tothe front door. It is accessi-ble when the doorways arewide enough to let a wheel-chair through. It is accessiblewhen a person in a wheelchaircan get to every room in theschool, upstairs and down. Itis accessible when there areroomy bathrooms. It isaccessible when there aresigns with very big lettersthat tell the classroom num-bers.

You can look to find out ifyour school is accessible byusing this checklist. Walkaround your school with anadult friend who can help youanswer the questions below.This can help you figure out,for example, if a parent usinga wheelchair can come toOpen School Night, or a stu-dent using crutches can getaround easily in your school.

These are just some of the things to check out in yourschool to see if it’s accessible. Share what you find outabout how accessible your school is with yourteacher. See if you can help make your schoolaccessible and welcoming to everyone!

1. If there are stairs leadingto the front door of yourschool, is there a ramp, too?

2. Is the ramp at least 36inches (3 feet) wide? Arethere railings on both sidesof the ramp?

3. Are the doorways in yourschool 32 inches wide (ormore?)

4. Can someone with weakarms open the doors easily?

5. If there are stairs insideyour school, are there alsoelevators or ramps that aperson in a wheelchair canuse?

6. Is the bathroom roomy(at least 5 feet across?)

7. Are there grab bars inthe bathroom next to thetoilet? Are they about 33inches high?

8.Are there signs on thebathroom doors that sayBOYS and GIRLS in bigletters (so they are easy tosee?) Are the signs in raisedletters or Braille, too?

9. If there are carpets inyour school, is the carpetlow pile (less than one inchhigh?) It’s hard to roll awheelchair over a thick pilecarpet.

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A - M A Z - I N G F U N !A - M A Z - I N G F U N ! Help the kidsfind their wayto school.

ENTER


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My name is Meris and I am 11 years old. My

mom has had MS since I was 6 months old. I help

my mom in many ways, but the great one I do is I

try my best to cheer her up. Shesays she is happy as long as

she has me. I also have a sister and her name is Ashleigh. She

is also a great helper.

My mom has MS by Meris

Where was the Queen ofEngland crowned?

How do you know if a hippo issitting next to you in school?

Where was the Magna Cartasigned?

What do you call a vampireadding numbers?

How do mushroomscount?

Where are the Andies?

We want to hearfrom you!

Please send us your stories,poems and pictures to:

KEEP S’MYELIN,National MS Society900 South Broadway

2nd FloorDenver CO 80209-4198or [email protected]

Onherhead.

There’san“H”onhispencilcase.

Atthebottom.

Withtheirfungus.

Attheendofyourarmies.

CounterDracula.

JOKES


ISSUE #4

KeepS'mye

lin

SCHOOLS

Contact your National MS Society chapter at 1-800-344-4867.

S OK B OE CT A R EH

S CE E SR

C IP N R ILPAP CU O E M TR

BOOKS

TEACHER

RECESS

PRINCIPAL

COMPUTER

W O R D S C R A M B L E

ANSWERS


ISSUE #3

11

How to Enjoy Keep S’myelinwith your kids

School is the backdropfor a very significant partof your child’s life.Family and home issuesare brought to the schoolenvironment just asschool experiencesinfluence home life.Use this issue of KeepS’myelin to help you talkwith your child abouthis or her school experi-ences, especially as theyrelate to MS in the family.

Read “Is Your SchoolAccessible” together totalk about whether theschool is welcoming andbarrier-free for peoplewith disabilities.Arrange to conduct anaccessibility survey ofthe school with yourchild using the questionsprovided.

— Use the material in “IAm a Teacher with MS”to help your child thinkabout what adaptationsthis teacher has made tocontinue doing her job.This is an opportunityto raise awarenessabout the abilityof people withdisabilities to makeaccommodationsand contribute tosociety in many ways.

— Encourage your childto submit materials forfuture issues of KeepS’myelin!

— Stay involved withyour child’s teacher andschool. Attend schoolevents, volunteer atschool, and participatein parent-teacher confer-ences!

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ISSUE #4 SCHOOLS

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PARENTS' PULL OUT

parents.qxp:MS Parents./issue #4/ FINAL 2/14/08 8:04 AM Page 1

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Parent-teacherconferences are themost common meansof communicationbetween parents andteachers. Use thesemeetings to build arelationship betweenhome and school.Here’s how youcan prepare andmakethe most out of theexperience.

— Call the school inadvance if you need anyaccommodation orare concerned aboutaccessibility.

— Discuss the conferencewith your child inadvance to determinewhether he or she hasconcerns about schoolthat you shoulddiscuss withthe teacher.

For example: Are therespecial friends they like towork or play with atschool? Are they con-cerned about children whotend to tease or bully? Arethere subjects that areespecially difficult foryour child? What are

theirfavoriteactivitiesat school?

— Write your questionsfor the teacher in advanceand bring your list withyou.

— Take notes soyou will rememberwhat’s beendiscussed.

— Ask to seeexamples of yourchild’s work.

— Ask the teacherwhat you can doto participate inyour child’seducation.

— Ask the teacher thebest way to communicatebetween conferences(e-mail, notes, telephone).

Making the Most Out ofParent-Teacher Conferences

PARENTS' PULL OUT


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TEACH THE STRATEGIESBELOW.

— Self-talk: Help yourchildren think aboutwhat they might say tothemselves when theyare being teased (“I canhandle this…” “Whatthey’re saying isn’ttrue...”)

— Ignore: Help yourchild understand thattears or anger may justencourage the teaser.The child should try topretend the teaser isinvisible or walk awayif possible.

Parents can’t alwaysprotect their childrenfrom hurtful teasing atschool, but they canteach their children waysto deal with it. Not allteasing is harmful; it canbe fun and constructivewhen it is good-naturedand playful and causeseveryone to smile. Hostileteasing, however, can feeltormenting to a child andmay require intervention.

Helping your child deal withTEASING

(excerpted from “Easing the Teasing: Helping Your Child Cope withName-Calling, Ridicule, and Verbal Bullying” by Judy S. Freedman,2002 ( http://www.eric.ed.gov Education Resources Information Center.)

STRATEGIESFOR CHILDREN

STRATEGIESFOR PARENTS

— Don’t overreact. Youroverreaction can escalateyour child’s reaction.

— Convey the message:“You can handle this.”

— Encourage yourchildren to playwith kids with

whom they feelcomfortable.

— Do you model goodbehavior? Do you teaseyour children inappropriately? Do you model‘victim’ behavior? (Continued on page 4)

PARENTS' PULL OUT


PARENTS' PULL OUT

Keep S'myelin is a quarterly publication for children with par-ents or other relatives with multiple sclerosis. It is producedby the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The NationalMultiple Sclerosis Society is proud to be a source of informa-tion about multiple sclerosis. Our comments are based onprofessional advice, published experience and expert opinion,but do not represent therapeutic recommendations or pre-scriptions. For specific information and advice, consult aqualified physician.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society does not endorseproducts, services, or manufacturers. Such names appear heresolely because they are considered valuable information. TheSociety assumes no liability whatsoever for the contents or useof any product or service mentioned.

This issue is made possible through the support of the follow-ing Program Honor Roll chapters: Central New England,Central Pennsylvania, Gateway Area, Greater Connecticut,Greater Delaware Valley, Greater Washington, Indiana State,and Mid-Atlantic.

EditorsRosalind Kalb, PhDKimberly Koch, MPA

Design/IllustrationsClaude Martinot Design

The mission of theNational Multiple

Sclerosis Society is toend the devastating effects

of multiple sclerosis.

© 2008

Please give us feedback.Send your questions or ideas to:

KEEP S’MYELINNational MS Society900 South Broadway 2nd FloorDenver CO [email protected]

®

— Visualize: Help yourchild visualize the wordsbouncing off them orvisualize a magic shieldthat protects them fromhurtful words.

— So?: Theresponse of“So” mayconvey theindifference theteaser needs totake the windout of his orher sails.

— Agree with the facts:The teaser says: “Youhave so many freckles!”The child responds with“That’s right, I do have

lots of freckles!”The teaser taunts:“Your momcan’t evenwalk.”The childresponds“You’reright, sheuses a scooterto get round.”

— Use humor: Laughingor humor can turn ahurtful situation into a

funny one.

— Ask for help: Whenteasing is persistent orfeels like harassment,encourage your child toget an adult involved tohelp.

(Continued from page 3)

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parents.qxp:MS Parents./issue #4/ FINAL 2/14/08 8:04 AM age 4

i have a teacher with ms

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