This past year has been tough for so many of us. The monkey is no exception. He’s struggled a lot with virtual learning, going back to class, mask wearing, and now his phobia of going out.

But as this school year is coming to an end, I wanted to share the teacher’s note from few days back. I hope to show that with patience and love, kids can succeed.

“Good afternoon. The monkey had a great day. I could not wait until after school to let you know. He has been so independent in every area of his day. This morning after he was done with speech, he got up on his own to change into his underwear without any directions to do so. He has been doing great on going to the bathroom without following his schedule and has eliminated accidents throughout the day. During lunch, he is now cutting his chicken nuggets on his own to eat them with his fork. Usually teacher L would do this for him but he does not allow it. He has been expanding his menu more by trying items from the cafeteria. Today it was bread and sauce from the meatballs. For group work, He will grab his materials (pencil, highlighter, and keyboard) to write his name on his assignments. It has been amazing watching him grow. I bought him a pack of tortillas to see if he would eat them or if its only if they serve it from the cafeteria but as soon as I pulled them out of my bag he brought his hand to his chin. He had one for breakfast along with a juice. I hope he has a great evening at home. Thank you.’