Proud Mommy Moment

Tootle's marvelous kindergarten class welcomed a new student a few weeks ago, one who has introduced chaos to the classroom. The new boy is autistic and has been placed in Tootle's class full time without his individualized education plan being worked out. For the first few weeks, until parents starting calling the principal and the district administration, the classroom teacher had no additional assistance, even though A would dart out of the classroom, stick his hands in paint, etc. Now there is a full-time paraeducator for A, so there are far fewer classroom disruptions. Most of the kids in the class have reacted by complaining about, laughing at, or ignoring A. Tootle, however, has truly welcomed him and encourages him to participate. Both the teacher and volunteering parents have reported that Tootle is by far the most accepting child of A. Tootle had a mildly autistic boy in her pre-K class, which may have paved the way for her ability to be encouraging and helpful. I hope the school provides A with the resources that he needs and that A thrives in his new school. I think all the kids can learn some valuable lessons from having him in their class; Tootle appears to be well on her way to absorbing some important life lessons.