I’ve been battling a really nasty cold since I got back from the frigid temperatures of New York in early January. I’ve been taking all kinds of over-the-counter medications and I think I’m feeling better but it comes and goes. I know I’m not contagious so that’s a good thing; right now, it’s mostly a stuffy nose and a slight cough. There’s no way I would miss the opportunity to spend another day at the Alden School.
Morning came early again and my alarm went off at 6:30am. We (Ethan, Alan, and I) were in the lobby by 7:15am and at the school by 7:45am. Our first class came into the meeting area promptly at 8am and we were off. This morning was filled with little “miracles” as we watched students with autism have a “Gerstalt Moment” – that instant where things “clicked” and they understood the “mystery” of the trick and not just the movements required to perform it. We watched them self-correct so they could do each movement in the right way so the magic would happen. And I watched one exceptional young non-verbal autistic man teach another classmate the trick. Does it get any better than that?
Class after class, magical moment following magical moment – this was an inspiring way to begin a Thursday….and two days in Jacksonville that I will never forget!