Dear Teacher Merry Christmas

Dear Teacher,

Merry Christmas to you, and thank you so much

for all that you do and the lives that you touch.

I know it's not easy to get my attention

but you find a way with your GREAT intervention.

You guide me and help me with manners and speech.

I'm soooo lucky for the way that you teach.

I'd rather just twirl leaves and run free. it's true.

How great I can twirl things and still learn with YOU!

I know it's not easy, and I must drive you crazy.

You never have time to daydream or be lazy.

But know you are making my whole life better!!

By helping me now with my speech and my letters...

For helping me learn to be a big boy.

On these, your holydays,

...I wish you joy.

Love,

Tommy Hedin

p.s.  ERIN,  you have taught him and loved him for 2 school years.  It means so much to us, your patience and guidance have helped him mature so much this year.  Please know how much we AND HE appreciate you.  Merry Christmas!

Today, Tommy saw Santa at Walmart....she was an African-American Lady with HUGE glasses and he knew EXACTLY who she was....SANTA! With prompting he said, "Hi Tanta".
Santa asked him his name and he said, "Bommy"
Santa asked him his age and he said "SIK"!!!
When Santa said "By", Tommy said, "By by Tanta!"
He smiled.

I don't know if he can understand the story of Christmas, but I tell it to him anyway....
He smiles. I make him label: reindeer, Santa, star, Jesus, Christmas tree, snowman...I go in the kitchen and he is happily spinning an ornament; I turn on the Christmas music and he beats his bongo drum with glee. He sifts the fake snow around the house (crumbs :) and it is everywhere.

I don't know if he understands the seasons and events that come and go...but I tell him all about them...anyway...talking in a voice like the "Donkey from Shrek" which he loves...(the talking AND the donkey)

He smiles, so amazingly.

I know he loves snow. "The Snowman" is his favorite holiday video...ironic, it has no words, just action, emotion, and music. Did you know they say 90% of communication is body language?

He loves, he sees everything....he feels, he jumps and runs, he climbs and drums...when I look into his eyes, I see so much! So what if he would rather play with the styrofoam than the gifts?

I strive to help him see others, their feelings, their actions, their colors....they say people with autism don't feel empathy...that they have no interest in others. I don't believe it.

I have no idea what he will understand in a year, or two, or even ten. Hell, I'm not sure what he understands now...but I have a strong feeling, it's more than we can know.

But I will not think about that today. I will just teach him what I can right now about Christmas, about what we do, what we believe, what we feel...what we laugh at....and celebrate the pure joy that he takes in so many things...a joy that many don't feel at the holidays.

And he laughs, so delightfully. He loves his aunts, his grandmoms and granddads...

He is an innocent. Christmas as it should be. Merry Christmas, little big man.