Looking Forward to this Meet Up

 The going price would probably be around $50. an hour but wouldn’t the reward be even more if instead of money I gifted it? I am honored to have been contacted by a mom who is desperate to help her son with anxiety and a refusal to go to school. Years ago, probably eight years ago, I had her daughter in middle school. Later, I had her son in third grade for a semester right before I quit teaching in a classroom. This mom contacted me to say I was who she thought could help. My mind is blown that she would consider me worthy of spending time with her son. 

This week I will meet him at the dog park and chat about dogs and whatever he wants to share. I’m sure he has an idea of why we are getting together and the last thing I want to do is lecture him or even try to persuade him to get back to school. Rather I hope to let him share what he wants to share not over a coke and fries looking face to face but sitting beside one another on a picnic bench watching dogs romp around. 

I can’t wait to meet up with him and try to unravel what is going on. He is a bright guy who doesn’t follow the crowd but confidently has his own style. As a third grader he had long hair that was unique to him and once he came to school in a white tuxedo that he proudly wore. The snickers of others did not deter him from his style. I love that about this guy. Will I be of any help to get him moving from where he seems stuck? Who knows? But it will benefit me even more than him to get a chance to hang out with this young man. Spending my life as a special ed teacher that specialized in kiddos with emotional, behavior and spectrum concerns is the privilege of my life. 

Being a detective to see what would make life smoother for each student was so rewarding. When I figured out that one little guy ate his buggers because he couldn’t stand the idea of them in a Kleenex or the trash can, we were finally able to work through his disgusting action. Here we all thought it was the texture of the tissue that he couldn’t handle. One of my heartbreaking moments was when one guy with so many behavior issues told me that my problem was that I treated him like a normal kid. He was so convinced that he had no power over his actions and thoughts that he was hopeless. His concern for me that I would be disappointed if he didn’t change broke my heart. It wasn’t about me but about all the abuse  and ugliness he had been dealt in his short, twelve years of life. 

So you see, it is an honor to meet up with this young man this week. What I get out of it will be more than I put in which is more than any amount of money. Having former students and their families turn to me is beyond gratifying. I am pumped!!