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KISD kindergarten student overcomes adversity
By Michael Gresham: mgresham@kaufmanherald.com
KAUFMAN - In the classroom, Noah Bartlett is a leader.
He's the first to volunteer to help clean up after activities. He's the first to read aloud during story time. When other students are struggling, he's right there to help.
As his teacher at Helen Edwards Early Childhood Center in Kaufman Krystal Worden says, Noah Bartlett is “a blessing.”
He's also somewhat of a miracle.
“There was a time when his doctors said he'd never walk, never talk and would basically be a vegetable his whole life,” Worden said. “Now he's one of my best students. He's definitely my helper.”
To understand how far he has come, one must understand where Noah Bartlett came from. You see, Noah wasn't always a Bartlett. He was adopted as a baby by Kaufman resident Judy Bartlett after an incident of abuse by his biological father left the child with severe head and brain trauma.
“Noah was about three months old when I got the call on him,” said Judy Bartlett, who fosters and adopts children. “He had shaken baby syndrome. His skull had a cranial burst fracture, which meant his skull was actually cracked open from not quite the top of his head to right above his ear. He had retinal hemorrhaging in both eyes, and they thought he was blind. He had bruises and broken bones, and he was severely malnourished. The right side of his brain was totally atrophied. They told me what I saw was going to be him; he would not advance past where he was at 3 months old.”
Those injuries prompted doctors to predict a grim future, but his adopted mother and the teachers at Helen Edwards Early Childhood Center weren't ready to let that happen.
“When he first came to us, we didn't know what to expect,” said Jean Greenslade, a Head Start instructor at the campus who was the child's first teacher. “What we found out is that he was an extremely sweet and loving boy who had the desire and drive to keep up with his peers.”
According to Principal Mica Cooper, campus staff implemented a number of tutorial and other beneficial programs to help Noah become the student he is today.
“A lot of these programs are geared toward all of our students, but we also have special programs that make sure students who need extra help are getting the individual attention every single day,” said Cooper, who added that she believed it was about more than just programs, though. “I think we do awesome things with all our kindergarteners and especially our special needs students because we are like a village. All of our staff works together to provide a nurturing environment for the children. We want them to feel safe, confident and excited to learn and grow.”
Another tool Cooper uses with special needs children is consistency.
“Usually when we have a child who due to certain circumstances has some unique special needs, I keep them with the same teacher for more than one year,” she said. “I feel like this consistency helps them gain confidence and allows them to thrive in a familiar setting.”
For Worden, who is in her second year teaching Noah, the changes are like night and day.
“Last year, you could tell at times he'd get frustrated when he struggled. He was also timid about trying new things,” she said. “This year, he's got so much self-esteem. He's ready to try everything.”
Keeping with the village theme, Worden credits other students with helping Noah succeed.
“Whenever he'd struggle last year, the other kids would jump right in to help and encourage him,” she said. “I really think that made a big difference with him. It made him feel like he belonged. Now, this year, he's the one who is jumping in and helping others. It's really something to see.”
Greenslade agreed.
“He's overcome so much,” she said. “It is truly heart-warming to watch him grow and succeed.”
For her part, Judy Bartlett praised her son's teachers as well as the entire Helen Edwards Early Childhood Center staff.
“The whole program, the whole school is just awesome,” she said. “It's not just a teacher, they work on a whole school basis. There is so much interaction, and they all know the kids like Noah - the exceptional kids. They're just great - from the office staff to the teachers to the lunch staff to the cleaning staff. They all go out of their way to make a difference. It's just an incredible environment for children.”
Cooper, though, was quick to credit the support the child gets at home.
“He is a walking miracle,” Cooper said. “Of course, that's the kind of things that happen in [Bartlett's] home. Thanks to her, he is going to grow up normal.”
True to what his teachers call his “lovable nature,” Noah summed it all up, though.
“I love it [at Helen Edwards],” he said. “It's fun - and the teachers are really nice.”
He's the first to volunteer to help clean up after activities. He's the first to read aloud during story time. When other students are struggling, he's right there to help.
As his teacher at Helen Edwards Early Childhood Center in Kaufman Krystal Worden says, Noah Bartlett is “a blessing.”
He's also somewhat of a miracle.
“There was a time when his doctors said he'd never walk, never talk and would basically be a vegetable his whole life,” Worden said. “Now he's one of my best students. He's definitely my helper.”
To understand how far he has come, one must understand where Noah Bartlett came from. You see, Noah wasn't always a Bartlett. He was adopted as a baby by Kaufman resident Judy Bartlett after an incident of abuse by his biological father left the child with severe head and brain trauma.
“Noah was about three months old when I got the call on him,” said Judy Bartlett, who fosters and adopts children. “He had shaken baby syndrome. His skull had a cranial burst fracture, which meant his skull was actually cracked open from not quite the top of his head to right above his ear. He had retinal hemorrhaging in both eyes, and they thought he was blind. He had bruises and broken bones, and he was severely malnourished. The right side of his brain was totally atrophied. They told me what I saw was going to be him; he would not advance past where he was at 3 months old.”
Those injuries prompted doctors to predict a grim future, but his adopted mother and the teachers at Helen Edwards Early Childhood Center weren't ready to let that happen.
“When he first came to us, we didn't know what to expect,” said Jean Greenslade, a Head Start instructor at the campus who was the child's first teacher. “What we found out is that he was an extremely sweet and loving boy who had the desire and drive to keep up with his peers.”
According to Principal Mica Cooper, campus staff implemented a number of tutorial and other beneficial programs to help Noah become the student he is today.
“A lot of these programs are geared toward all of our students, but we also have special programs that make sure students who need extra help are getting the individual attention every single day,” said Cooper, who added that she believed it was about more than just programs, though. “I think we do awesome things with all our kindergarteners and especially our special needs students because we are like a village. All of our staff works together to provide a nurturing environment for the children. We want them to feel safe, confident and excited to learn and grow.”
Another tool Cooper uses with special needs children is consistency.
“Usually when we have a child who due to certain circumstances has some unique special needs, I keep them with the same teacher for more than one year,” she said. “I feel like this consistency helps them gain confidence and allows them to thrive in a familiar setting.”
For Worden, who is in her second year teaching Noah, the changes are like night and day.
“Last year, you could tell at times he'd get frustrated when he struggled. He was also timid about trying new things,” she said. “This year, he's got so much self-esteem. He's ready to try everything.”
Keeping with the village theme, Worden credits other students with helping Noah succeed.
“Whenever he'd struggle last year, the other kids would jump right in to help and encourage him,” she said. “I really think that made a big difference with him. It made him feel like he belonged. Now, this year, he's the one who is jumping in and helping others. It's really something to see.”
Greenslade agreed.
“He's overcome so much,” she said. “It is truly heart-warming to watch him grow and succeed.”
For her part, Judy Bartlett praised her son's teachers as well as the entire Helen Edwards Early Childhood Center staff.
“The whole program, the whole school is just awesome,” she said. “It's not just a teacher, they work on a whole school basis. There is so much interaction, and they all know the kids like Noah - the exceptional kids. They're just great - from the office staff to the teachers to the lunch staff to the cleaning staff. They all go out of their way to make a difference. It's just an incredible environment for children.”
Cooper, though, was quick to credit the support the child gets at home.
“He is a walking miracle,” Cooper said. “Of course, that's the kind of things that happen in [Bartlett's] home. Thanks to her, he is going to grow up normal.”
True to what his teachers call his “lovable nature,” Noah summed it all up, though.
“I love it [at Helen Edwards],” he said. “It's fun - and the teachers are really nice.”
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