The brilliance of the obvious

Just heard about this organization, Exceptional Minds (www.exceptionalminds.org) which teaches young adults with autism spectrum disorders how to work in computer animation and graphic arts. Sometimes, the best ideas for bright futures are right in front of us.

Exceptional Minds is moving towards offering a postsecondary training program that would enable graduates to find work in the film industry.

I simply can't do the website justice; there are many samples of student films and a story about how one student contributed to the movie Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (in theaters, summer 2011).

Sweet sorrow

I told my students that I will not be coming back in the fall. As excited as I am about future opportunities, my heart ached all weekend remembering the sad faces. I've been teaching in my school for sixteen years. Without knowing it, I somehow became an institution...

After a few days, the kids are starting to cheer up. We were having a quiet moment today, and one young man [D] asked, "Mrs. K., how are we going to do this without you?"

Me: "I'm sure that you can."

D: (quietly)"But what if we can't?"

[Every now and then, my guardian angel speaks for me]

Me: "D., has anyone ever dropped out of our class?"

D: "Well, yeah."

Me: "Wasn't I here, doing the same thing we've always done?"

D: "Well, yeah!"

Me: "Did they make it?"

D: "No."

Me: [quietly] "Then, it wasn't just because of me, was it?"

[Sound of thinking]

D: "No."

And the teacher teaches one last lesson...