I realized for the first time this week that Moose’s progress is not only important to us, but also important to his teachers.

Yes, I know that teachers want to see their students succeed. But I guess I had always viewed it as a more general class succeeding, rather than individual students. A conversation I had with his occupational therapist, who has been working with him since he started school two and half years ago made me see things a little differently.

First, she was telling me about a really good day Moose had with her. You see, while Moose has gotten quite good at talking at home, when he’s at school, he really clams up. When he does talk there, it’s mostly in a whisper. So that’s something they’re constantly working on with him–trying to draw him out. But on that particular day, she said, he talked to her nonstop. He told what he wanted to do (and what he didn’t),what scissors he wanted to use, and just really talked to her in general. She said it was her best day of the whole school year, because she got to interact with him like that.

That really made me feel good. Moose was responsible for one of his teachers having a really good day. I didn’t know they’d take it so personally when he did well.

She was also telling me, in that same conversation, that while they were working, one of his teacher assistants from last year came into the room. He remembered her and addressed her by name. The O.T. told me that the assistant was almost in tears over the fact that Moose could talk to her like that. Again, I had no idea that his progress would mean so much to them.

I guess I tend to view his teachers as just doing a job. But I’m realizing that they’re far more invested in him personally than I ever could have imagined.