<p>Robert Keller</p>
<p>Thank You
Tantrums could have been heard throughout. He wanted to get away. He wanted the music to be turned off. Never in my 15 years of life had a child been so bothersome. With what I believed to be a poor decision, I offered my hand to assuage him, not knowing what would happen next.
Until this moment, the idea of me was the only idea of concern. The thought of aiding another had never been a possibility. Then I awoke. On this autumn Saturday, I was with a sense of indifference. I begrudgingly got ready to go; I could only think of the dread building inside me. Although my parents said that I had to volunteer here, as soon as I arrived, I wanted to leave. As I walked toward the white, characterless building, the sign, North East Arc, came into view. As I opened the doors, the teenage response of disdain swept across my psyche. All familiarity had disappeared.
Handicap, at this time, was not part of my vocabulary. This would soon change. In this realm of stereotyped outsiders, I was the alien. The off-white colored walls, the unappealing carpet, and the minimal lights made my unease greater. Then, all the parents introduced themselves, and momentarily, I felt at ease. Soon after, the teacher instructed the children that the class was beginning. I followed the children to the end of the hallway, turned left, and entered the room.
Immediately, the soon-to-be familiar scream pierced my eardrums. As I searched for its source, the source found me. A head-butt to my shin began my wonderful experience.
He was a rough-houser, a case. Nobody desired to take him on; I felt no different. As luck would have it, I was given the honor of this case. My unease grew quickly (I could not relate to him). However, I determined this boy, Manny, was also an alien, also seeming to be at unease. I thought, Maybe I can relate to him.
The teacher then instructed the children to get into a circle, sit down and introduce themselves. Everyone then sat down, and the first boy, Danny, introduced himself. The other children followed. Before I went, Manny was told to introduce himself. He responded with a wail. The teacher asked repeatedly, but his response did not change. The teacher moved on. I then said my name, but I could only think, I WANT TO LEAVE!. The teacher then told the group that it was playtime, and led the children in playing various games. As the group would follow along, with Manny, with every step forward, it was not 2, but 2,000 steps back.
And then the teacher turned the music on.
Tantrums could have been heard throughout the building. Manny, I would soon learn, was not a music lover. He wanted no part of anything musical. He walked over to the far corner and began to hit the ground and scream. He was in complete distress. For some reason I am still unable to understand, I walked over to him. </p>
<pre><code> With what I believed to be poor judgment, I reached out to him with an open hand, not knowing what he would do. I only wanted to calm him. At first he refused. Eventually, I took his hand, and we went back to the others. As the group continued with its current task, a Walking Circle, Manny continued his ways. I decided to walk with him, as a way to soothe him. Initially, it had no effect. However, mid-song, a switch had flipped. I heard him laughing. Something had made him happy. For a moment, Manny wasnt a foreigner. But then time was up. It was time for the children to go back to their parents.
Once the group left, I began to pack my things when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and saw a blonde, middle-aged woman, whom I would find out to be Mannys mother. Before I could say anything, she said those two words. Thank you. At the moment, I believed that she was thanking me for dealing with her son, but my perspective soon changed. Nearly crying, she left the room. I then thought that I must have done more. The connection that was made by this gesture was immense. The room transformed into a place of home. North East Arc was no longer a place of unfamiliarity.
I soon understood the true meaning behind those simple words. Manny had become a music lover.
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