Wherever Tianna Thomson goes, her support corgi follows. Her first-grade special education teacher at Emerson Huff Elementary School is accompanied daily by her four-legged friend, Miss Leila. She makes life easier for her and her students just by being there, even if she sleeps during her class.
The 4-year-old Corgi is Thompson's loyal and extremely obedient service dog, and students throughout the school love her. For our special education students, Leila's presence at the beginning of her 2023-2024 school year has proven to be an easy way to begin building student-teacher relationships.
Especially when we learn how Leila helps Thomson with his anxiety and how she overcomes the labels and achieves success, even though she is sometimes negatively labeled as having a disability. This is the message Leila emphasizes to her students. Thomson said all of these conversations happened within the first week of her enrollment.
“Some of my colleagues might say that, but it's not really a good thing,” she said of the feeling of being labeled. “But I understand how they feel. I went through that too, and seeing them achieve so many dreams as teachers and as people and being able to live their own lives makes them feel so good.” relieved.”
At this point in the school year, Thomson's students are used to seeing Leila in the classroom and know that she is there to help their teachers when they are in trouble. For example, if Thompson is having a bad day, students encourage Leila to jump on her lap or do something to make her feel better.
This tells Thomson that students are becoming more accepting of the individual and seeing others and themselves as more than what appears on the surface.
“They were the most understanding people ever, and I think that shows in Layla,” Thomson said. “Throughout their lives, they refuse to see people for who they are. This is huge because I don't want my children to see themselves as just a label.”
In the classroom, Leila mostly sleeps in bed while the students interact with the teacher. Most people don't care about her. However, the students develop an attachment to Leila and make sure she is well taken care of. Even if her water bowl is empty or the water is out of her day, she will not waste any time refilling it.
Only a few kids were a little scared of Layla. On the first day of school, they were careful not to approach the pup and its handler. However, over time, they became more comfortable with Leila. Ms. Thomson recalled a recent breakthrough in which her students were able to trust Layla completely and let her sit next to them for a while.
“I thought, 'Okay, now I'm going to do something with Layla.' Do you believe me? And they're like, 'Yeah.' I thought, trust me, you’re safe,” Thomson said. “All I did was let Layla feel his shoes…He was backing away a little bit and I said okay, trust me. Then he let her… I forgave, and I was like, “Oh.” That's fine! '”
It took from the beginning of the year until April to reach that milestone. Thomson's patience paid off. Patience is a good trait for any type of teacher, but Thomson said it's especially true for a special education teacher, which is the career she wants to pursue. because It's very difficult.
To have the patience and determination to teach special education, Thompson said, everything must be done with love.
“So it’s not that difficult and it’s very positive,” she said. These skills that we work on as special education teachers require a lot of patience. And they need someone who believes in them and keeps pushing them. ”
Leila also works in the same way as Thomson, pushing her out of her negative headspace and making her feel safe no matter the situation.
There are times when students are going through a difficult time and feel like they can't be comforted. Leila at that moment just wants to go to the student and get a pet. Once Thomson felt okay, she walked up to her student and let Layla work her magic.
“Sometimes I think they need it right now,” Thomson said. “And it shows that she knows they feel that way and validates their feelings.”
Q&A with Tianna Thomson:
Why did you specifically aim to teach special education?
Thomson: I enjoy teaching in general. For example, if I have to go to a (general education) class, like kindergarten or something, I'm totally fine with that. But I love the special education aspect. Because it is difficult and not many people can endure that difficulty. Today I had three of her kids throwing things at me at the same time. That's how they communicate, but not many people can step back and see that behavior as communication.
Do you think that scenario might be difficult for some teachers?
Thomson: For them, support may not be available outside of school, but they come for it. That's the only way they get attention. Just knowing that I have the patience and understanding to step back and look at the whole child for what they are and separate their emotions from what they are, I think that's the real reason I came here. . It's difficult, and not many people become good special education teachers.
What impact did Leila's presence have on the school?
Thomson: She loves our co-workers! At the end of the day, she has those little moments of happiness that make her say, “Ah!” Can I have pets? Yay! “My kids were able to give her a treat as a reward or have her do tricks to make their day fun. She had a great relationship with them. Even if someone comes up to her, she doesn't do anything. Oh, if my colleague is gone, she knows. She walks into the (teacher's) room and goes, “Wow! Like saying. she's not here! ” It was really good.