This picture is from Thursday, the 13th. This is my friend Megan, the most incredible, kind, patient, forward thinking, brilliant special education teacher (or any teacher) I could ever hope to meet. She inspires me often but on this day I watched her go from her usual gentle demeanor (I call her my Care Bear, which she tolerates even without knowing the extent to which I truly adored and revered the Care Bears growing up) - to a beast with teeth and gumption of admirable proportion. The student she is with is her boy with Autism and and adores him - it is impossible not to - and another student made fun of him to his face, which he could not understand. Megan pulled the student and gave him an earful I though only me Mernie would be capable of, and then made him acknowledge what had happened to the student, apologize, and then promise to his face that it would NEVER happen again. It is a lesson that the student in trouble will never forget, and one that will not soon leave me either. Megan is tough and resilient, but I had never seen a fire like this one in her eyes and I walked away from this in awe of her and with a renewed feeling that there are still people who will fight, tooth and claw and nail, for the good ones, for justice, for innocence and for, as corny as it sound, peace. I was extremely proud and humbled to have been an observer of this profound moment of learning for one young man and for a moment of justice for the student who was mocked, whatever else, he too will always remember that sometimes the going gets tough, but someone, someone, will fight for you. What a wonderful thing for a boy to have. What a lovely thing for anyone to have.
Wednesday, 1-12-11This is the last thing I see on my way out the door every day.
Such a lovely way to start!
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