The main teacher is not in today so it is the aids and a substitute with our 7 students with autism. We get a phone call in the morning from one of our student’s mothers:

Me: Good Morning Mrs. (name removed)’s class this is Mr. Marc.

Mom: Hi this is (name removed) mom. I just wanted to let you know that we had some trouble this morning. He had a bit of a break down this morning because we didn’t have a frozen water bottle for him. Do you have a refrigerator/freezer in the room?

Me: Yes we have a small one. I will put it in there for him as soon as he gets here.

Mom: Thank you so much; what was your name again?

Me: Marc!

Mom: Oh ok so you’re his new teacher (aid)! His father he calls dad but every other adult male he meets, he calls Marc! Everywhere we go, everyone is Marc!

Me: I am pretty sure you just made my whole day!

The Conversation went on about what we have been helping him with, his work and eating habits.
There is a little boy running around Florida calling everyone Marc. I work with students with Autism from kindergarten to 2nd, some of them have other conditions, some of them can talk and some cannot. To hear that I have made such a big impression in such short time puts nothing but smiles on my face for the days to come. There are certainly good days and bad days, easy days and hard days, and progress can be slow. If you step back and see where the students had started to where they are now, that’s when you can fill your heart to know that you are making a positive change in their lives. His back story I cannot share with you but he has evolved quite a bit in our classroom.

I know everyone in Florida is now Mr. Marc, but there are plenty of other people that make this educational program successful. Being new I am very grateful to have made such a positive impact not only in my class room but around the whole school. I am fortunate enough to be able to take my students out of the class room and mix them with other student and I also work with the after-school program. All day with all the students in the school, I am tying shoes, helping them with art projects, helping them with homework, guiding them through games and exercises at physical education, fixing friendships, teaching them new words, growing their independence, playing tea parties, playing games with them that they just make up, and much more. Fortunately for you, all you will see is the rewarding parts of my job. My job is not easy there are many challenges, but If I can go home knowing I made just a little bit of a difference each day, it is enough to come back and do it again each day. It is enough to start each new day with a smile.

That is just what we need, start each day with a smile and make sure you love what you are doing. Working with elementary school kids has put an amazing spin on my life. There is much gratitude for all of you who have helped me on my journey but right now Mr. and Mrs. Maiden can take credit for helping me find this job.

I did not originally come down to Florida to work in a school at all. But one event lead to another and here I stand as an Elementary ESE Paraprofessional for students with Autism and the job has grown into so much more. Thank you very much Mr. and Mrs. Maiden for helping me fill Florida with so many Mr. Marc’s. 😉