For those of you who do not know, my 9 year old son has Aspergers. It is a form of autism. He is so amazing! I am constantly in awe at his ability to see what others miss. Today I joined him on a feild trip to BYU-Idaho to visit the planetarium and the gardens. I watched him closely as he sat throughout the entire planet show (which was a little long for most 3rd graders) completely captivated by the solar system. He soaked up every last little bit of information about the planets! I was also in awe at how he kept correcting the tour guide about the fossils at the museum. Kindly pointing out that it wasn't just called a mastedon but also a wooly mammoth and informing all the children that the giant elephant bird egg had to be a fossil due to it's giagantic size. Later, after we got home and went to visit our Grandma, he asked her for a bannana and began to give her a brief but accurate lesson on how bannanas grow from a dead flower.
I was also very thankful for all the friends he has in his class. Making friends has always been a struggle for Seth, but particularly so this year. One time he came home saying that the only friend that played with him that day was a bee that kept following him around the playground. Everyone in Seth's class has grown to love and accept him for who he is. I heard all day, "Mrs. Wacaser, Seth did a really good job..." I think so too kids! What I am thankful for even more than Seth's friends today, is a teacher that took the time to explain to everyone in his class what Aspergers is. She is solely responsible for creating an environment in which Seth thrives. Thankyou Mrs. Winter... I don't know what I would have done this year without you! You are the epitamy of what a teacher should be! You gave up your own personal time to help out my son and I will be forever grateful!
