It Was So Beautiful, I Teared!

**Blog Entry #6**: Recess Time! The kids went outside to play. Mrs. Hogarty and I were on duty as we watched them run around and have a good time. My eyes monitored around to make sure the kids were playing safe. And then boom! I saw something so beautiful. Remember the boy Rodney I wrote about in my other post (autistic child, shuts down, doesn't socialize much, wanders around in his own little world, he sometimes doesn't eat lunch and during recess he walks around the grass all by himself while everyone else plays)? He was running around with a big smile on his face as a group of his classmates were chasing him around the grass! They were screaming "Rodney!", with smiles on their face! When they grabbed him they hugged him and almost tackled him. They just loved playing with him! I couldn't help but tear up and told Mrs. Hogarty to look! She joined me in watching this pleasant view and she smiled as well. It was so uplifting to see him interact with his classmates. For so long he just walked around the grass all  by himself every single day. This was something else! And the greatest thing is that his classmates know about his special condition so they themselves were getting a kick out of it too! When we went back to the class, the students were doing work and Rodney began to talk to the boy behind him and giggled. My desk is placed in the back of the class so I was watching everything that was happening. What happened to the other Rodney? He just opened up even more! To see him interact with his classmates is such a blessing to me because I know that his social skills are improving. This is something that his special education teacher was working on in his previous school. The funny thing was that whenever I caught Rodney looking at me, he rolled his eyes and smirked as if he was trying to hold his smile and be serious at the same time. Ah! I love him! Rodney barely speaks throughout the days. I don't know why, but whenever I teach a lesson, he tends to talk. He would either shout something out, speak his mind, or interact with his classmate. I'm not saying that I deserve the credit for his openness but it is just something I picked up.

Lessons learned:
1. There is still hope.
2. We are called to shine His light. It will make people smile and shine as well!
3. Witnessing a student bloom like a flower is the most beautiful thing ever! (that may sound corny but that's the truth!)

I cannot wait to witness this even more with my future students!

I will never forget that day....