The Given
There are many more friends in the threes' class and in the fives' class. There are many more givers as well: the teachers, the staff, the parents, the list goes on...I just can't name one without naming them all.
The gifts
My friends decorated gift bags themselves, their parents supplied many of the gifts, staff and teachers did the rest. But I will mention one more giver—Ms Paula—because Ms Paula always brings her friend "music". And music has become a friend to us as well as a giver. Music bonds us together. Music is reliable and dependable. Music cheers us up when we are sad. Music communicates our feelings. It is beyond words, beyond signs...sometimes just beyond.
For example, what is love? Maybe music can tell us...
And, by the way, just what on earth is a Sensory Brush?
Today, I noticed one of our teachers gently brushing the arms, and then the legs of one of my more hyperactive friends. It was more than just brushing; it was like giving him a deep massage using a surgical brush—and it made him much calmer. I was told later that the soft-bristled brush is called a "sensory brush". It was introduced to our teachers by our occupational therapist Vicki DeMaster. A certain protocol is also involved: after the brush strokes are completed, a series of joint compressions are applied to the child. As to whom this entire procedure will help, it depends on the child and the type of disorder he or she has (i.e., autism, etc.).
So, you see? I learn something every day at the Frankie Lemmon School!
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