Speechless

Today I worked with a student. I started assessing him last school year in May. The end of the year became so busy (at least 16 IEP meetings in the month of June--14 work days) that I decided this evaluation could wait until August.

He is in second grade; he's big for his age. He looks like he will grow up to be a football player, defense. I asked him what he liked to do at home.

He said his family was poor and that he did not have any toys.

That's when my heart broke. I didn't know what to say, so I asked him what he liked to do during recess. He likes to play wall ball.

When this student describes a picture, he tells a story. His stories are dialogue driven. It is my goal to help him harvest his talent, so he can become a story-teller. So while he is sitting in his house, his imagination can bring him anywhere he wants to go.