Embracing Aries

Written By Aisha Christa Atkinson

Complete contribution published on Embracing Special Needs on August 27, 2020

As leaden tears fell from my eyes, I touched the glass of his isolette. My sleeping beauty lay there surrounded by wires and tubes and the muffled sounds of doubtful statistics and medical realism. My heart was so broken during that moment. He was living to me, but was dying to them. He needed love from me; a touch of love from me. Anything to make him aware that even though he was no longer within me, I was still with him. Even something as small as the gift of affection, I was not allowed to give to him, but the world was able to give him whatever it deemed appropriate including the label, “FAILURE TO THRIVE” in bold, glaring letters next to his name. It was my first day on the job of motherhood and I felt like a failure.

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Aisha Christa Atkinson

Aisha Christa Atkinson is an award-winning instructional leader, education scholar, and writer whose work centers on inclusive leadership, literacy development, and the design of supportive school communities. She serves as Assistant Principal at Stafford Early Childhood Center in Texas and was named Stafford MSD District Professional of the Year (2025) and the 71st Texas Mother of the Year by American Mothers, Inc. (2023). Her writing has appeared in Education Week, Edutopia, Texas Voices, Teacher2Teacher, and Advocate for Me Magazine, where she examines instructional leadership, differentiated instruction, and systems that cultivate belonging. Aisha holds advanced degrees in Educational Administration and English Education and writes at the intersection of practice, policy, and purpose.

https://www.aishacatkinson.com
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