My Best PD All Year... A Boy’s Message at Thanksgiving

Every year at AC we have a big Thanksgiving celebration. To newbies it seems like a bummer to have to work on Thanksgiving, but once you learn to embrace this gorgeous day you see how positive it is for our whole community. At the start of the day the entire school all comes together in the athletic center. Each grade level has two representatives to present what they’re thankful for and why. While I was watching this unfold, I saw my student trying to approach the stage with his one-on-one aide and eventually talking to our EC principal. I wasn’t sure what was going on so I checked in. Turns out the principal thought he was supposed to present that day so she told him he could get on the microphone. I was torn. I didn’t want him to think he could do what he wants when we wants to, but I also didn’t want to go against what the principal had just said he could do. I told him he could speak on the microphone if he first wrote and practiced (just like all the other kids had) what he wanted to say. What came out of his mouth was genuine, unrehearsed, and beautiful. His speech made Thanksgiving the best PD I had all year.

"