This morning, John had an appointment so he didn't go to school first thing. After his appointment ended, I took him to school. Today, they were having something they call Super Specials. This is done every so often for about 3 hours. The kids rotate through PE, Library time and other things in order to give the teachers extra time to plan. They use parents to come in as volunteers to help with kids while the teachers are planning. I told John's teacher that when I dropped him off, I would stick around and help out with his class. So when I got to school, I checked John in and walked him back to meet his class.
They were actually in the motor lab, which is just a room in the school that has things like trampolines and balance beams for the life skills kiddos to work on their motor skills. I was going to take him out of his chair so he could play, but it was time for them to go back to class. So one of the teachers ran down to the class and got his walker so that he could at least walk back to class.
At first, he didn't seem like he wanted to leave motor lab, since he didn't get a chance to play. But he was so happy to be out of his chair and in his walker. As they started back to the classroom, I pushed his chair and stayed back close to John. He likes to stop every time he comes to a window or a picture on the wall. So it takes him a little while to get where he's going because he is a nosey rosy. But in the process, I got to observe something that really made me smile.
As John was taking his time walking down the hall, there was a Kindergarten class with their teacher walking in a line behind him. It was obvious that they were taking their time and waiting for John to get where he was going. Of course being mom, I was trying to hurry him along so that he didn't hold them up any more. But instead of being impatient, the teacher (whom I do not know) was patiently walking behind and cheering him on with words of encouragement. Another teacher (whom I also do not know) walked by in the hall and commented on how well he was walking. It was not lost on me that both of these teachers, know him by name. They have never had him in a class, but they still know his name. And they were both genuinely happy to see him walking and how well he was doing. Of course that huge smile on his face may have something to do with it.
It makes me very happy and proud to know that my son attends a school where the whole staff takes an interest in him enough to know his name and to take the time to encourage him when he's working on walking. Even when he may be in their way.
His teachers work on his walking every day. Yesterday, she sent me an email with this story.
Everyday, when they go to motor lab, they put John in his walker and have him walk down there and walk back. Sometimes, they take him out just for a walk. When they go for a walk, they walk in the opposite direction than they do when going to motor lab. Yesterday, they were going for a walk and for whatever reason they went the same direction they usually go to motor lab. When they got to the door of the motor lab, John came to a stop and would not walk any further. She said she could not figure out why he wouldn't keep walking. Then it dawned on her. He wanted to go into motor lab. That's usually where he goes when he walks in that direction and he knew it. So he wasn't going any further until he was able to go into motor lab. So they did. That crazy boy sure knows what he wants and is trying to find ways to tell us.
Which brings me to this thought; We always say that John can't really communicate with us. Sure we know when he's happy and when he's not and we've learned a few of his other small cues to know when he's tired or even hungry, but as far as letting us know what he wants, we haven't made that connection yet. But I think he is communicating with us. He may not be able to use words or even sign language, but he has his ways of telling us what he wants, like stopping at motor lab and not continuing until he could go in. We just have to listen more closely in order to understand what he's trying to tell us.
His teacher told me on meet the teacher night that it's her goal for him to walk out of the building on his last day of 5th grade. That's just a little more than a year and a half away. I don't know if John will be able to walk on his own by then or not, but I do know this. Whether he walks out of school, or leaves in his wheelchair, he will do it with a smile on his face.
