Today, I’ve been substitute teaching in the autistic department at a local elementary school for almost 4 straight weeks. On my first day there I noticed that two kids, who are both extremely shy and anti-social, liked playing the latest Pokemon White on their Nintendo DS before and after class and during their lunch break. They did this independently and on opposite sides of the classroom. On the second day I was there I moved to two kids next to each other and, being a bit of a gamer myself, struck up a conversation with them about the games. Since then the two kids have been inseparable – talking and smiling more, interacting more in regular class discussions, and evening hanging out together on the weekends. Even though it was such a simple thing, I’ve received a visit from both of their moms, thanking me for uniting the two of them. And today, the principal caught up with me after class and told me he wants to hire me full time starting next Monday. MMT

Comments

I'm in a similar situation myself, being a peer tutor. I teach Spanish to kids that often have ADD and other such disorders but don't have the necessary medications. This post really inspires me!

As a fan of Pokémon, I love this story. You could see how Pokémon was a precursor of modern 'social' games, thanks to its trading mechanism. I'd beware of that casual use of "anti-social" though - there's another definition in that the person literally wishes to dismantle society, instead of just being shy. As a shy person, it's pretty painful when people confuse the two concepts, especially for a kid that doesn't realize why people are reacting to them in certain ways.

Thats such a cute story. You helped those kids each make a new friend, and you proved you're really great teacher material.

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