When Noelia Garella was just a tiny child, she was turned away from a nursery school. Because of her Down syndrome, she was rejected and called a "monster."
People like the ones who rejected Garella are unable to see past her disability and assume she could never amount to anything.
And they are wrong.
Garella, now 31, just became the first teacher with Down syndrome in her home country of Argentina. She heads a class of 2- and 3-year-olds at the Jeromito kindergarten in Cordoba, Argentina, and her job made history.
For a long time, debates raged as to whether someone with a cognitive disability, like Garella, could lead a classroom full of children.
But the school, as well as parents, other teachers, and even the mayor of Cordoba, weighed in on the precedent-setting case, and came to the conclusion that Garella is, in fact, qualified to teach early education.
They know they made the right choice. Garella is driven and passionate, and she loves working with kids.
Just because someone has a disability, it doesn't mean they can't be a valuable employee, just like another woman with Down syndrome who contributed 32 years of hard work to a local eatery. For Garella, it was all about finding the right fit for her.
Garella and her family hope that this historic hire will lead the way to greater acceptance of those with disabilities in the workplace.
[H/T: Independent]
When she was only a small child, Noelia Garella was rudely rejected from a preschool and called a "monster" because of her Down syndrome.
But she didn't let that cruel comment crush her spirit. She decided to follow her dreams of being a preschool teacher herself, and making sure no more children ever hear a comment like that.
In a precedent-setting case, Garella was hired as a preschool teacher at the Jeromito kindergarten in Cordoba, Argentina, becoming the first teacher with Down syndrome ever hired in the country.
There was some debate as to whether she's qualified, but it was put to rest.
"We very quickly realized that she had a strong vocation," says Alejandra Senestrari, director of Jeromito. "She gave what the children… most appreciate, which is love."
Garella's students are 2 and 3 years old. In her class, they read stories and work on projects. Garella also makes sure they value listening to one another.
"I want them to read and listen," Garella says, "because in society people have to listen to each other."
And the kids love her, thanks to her warmth and enthusiasm.
"I adore this," Garella says of her job. "Ever since I was little, I have always wanted to be a teacher because I like children so much."
She's also made an impact on the other teachers. "The way the children accept her, incorporating her naturally into the school, there is a lesson in life there for us all," one said.
Garella has been celebrated not only by her friends, family, and colleagues, but by the nation, for making strides in a world that is not always kind to those with disabilities.
This year, Garella has a student with Down syndrome, and she wants to encourage him not to let the naysayers hold him back in the future.
"He is wonderful," she says. "Oh, it is lovely when someone like me is born."
Garella also partakes in seminars and conferences about disability in schools and the workplace, where she offers her perspective.
As for that old comment about being a "monster"? Garella puts it well: "That teacher is like a story I read to the children. She is a sad monster who knows nothing and gets things wrong. I am the happy monster."
Garella started out as a reading assistant in 2012, and has been co-teaching her own class since January. She plans to continue doing the job she loves.
Check out the video below to see more of Garella's story.
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