A teacher’s special influence on a special child

Johnson Elementary School has a good thing going. The school is a pilot for a special program that laser-focuses on kindergarten children with autism. The goal is to strategically teach these children so that they can be ready for total immersion into a general education classroom by first grade. It is a challenge the teachers accept without batting an eye because they know the plan will work.

Because of Christopher.

Like most kindergarteners, Christopher, let’s call him, came to Johnson straight from his living room. Unless these youngsters are lucky enough to get into a valuable pre-K or nursery school program, they go from playing in their room to sitting in a desk. What a culture shock to their little systems. I can’t imagine the fortitude kindergarten teachers must have to help these 5 year olds stay in one place for any amount of time.

But for a child like Christopher who faces the additional social and behavioral challenges that come with autism, entering school can be daunting — for everyone involved: student, parent, teacher. So what Johnson is doing for our children is going to prove itself pricelessly beneficial.

After I heard about a particularly enthusiastic teacher in this pivotal program, Joanne Wilson, who spoke of a particularly charming student of hers, Christopher, I just had to schedule a visit. Like a proud mother, Mrs. Wilson’s eyes sparkled when she spoke of her very special Christopher, and when she introduced me to her coworkers and informed them as to who I was there to meet, they nodded in familiarity. “Oh yes, Christopher,” they would say with a smile. Obviously, Christopher had developed a smile-worthy reputation.

When Christopher first came to Johnson, he was verbal, but apprehensive to speak. He was not performing on typical kindergarten levels academically, and socially, he was elusive. Christopher was, by all accounts, not ready for inclusion into the classroom. But don’t tell that to his teachers. Don’t say that to any teacher who dedicates his or her life to assisting autistic children in becoming functioning members of our society.

Thanks to the valiant, relentless efforts of all of his teachers, Christopher is already making huge gains academically and socially, making him ready to enter the first grade on track. And, Christopher is speaking more confidently than he did before entering the doors of Johnson Elementary.

But these advances aren’t what paints the picture of the powerful bond between student and teacher. You see, when Christopher speaks, especially when communicating with Mrs. Wilson directly, he speaks with a British accent … because … well … Mrs. Wilson does.

The special story of Christopher demonstrates the cornerstone of why teachers do what they do, especially teachers in our special education programs. He earmarks the powerful influence a teacher can have on a child.

I heard the cute little Christopher say strawberry and watermelon with British inflections, and I witnessed him hug his beloved teacher as if he knew exactly the kind of influential impact she was making on his future.

Do you see it? The symbol of influence of a caring teacher on an impressionable child?

Maybe I’m just being overly idealistic or even hyperbolic, but hearing a young autistic boy assimilate the accent of his teacher impacted me. I walked away thinking to myself, This is the picture of the impact a teacher has on a child.

Children are listening and mimicking. It makes me ask, teacher and parent alike, what are you saying to your children? And more importantly, how are you saying it?

Thank you Mrs. Wilson and Christopher, for making me stop and think before I speak. And thank you, Johnson Elementary, for showing me, once again, the importance of my job as an educator.

This story was originally published September 4, 2018 at 3:29 PM.