Since I was off visiting my new little granddaughter in Colorado these past few days, I wasn’t able to post Coco’s report this weekend. I don’t want to disappoint Coco’s readers by skipping a week of reading about the remarkable work she does with the students at the Robert E. Melican Middle School – so, better late than not at all:
Here’s Coco…
It looks like I am officially working at school with Mom three days each week. I enjoy my time with students and staff there, and I feel very comfortable being there. One sixth grade girl, who is working on responsibility and sharing, takes me for a walk each day I am there as part of her plan. Her guidance counselor says she is doing much better because of me.
On Monday, Mom and I opened the school, set up coverage for the day, and delivered classroom coverage slips. As usual, we also practiced obedience in the hallways, which I always enjoy. I met with several students throughout the day, helping some of them calm down, working though some social issues with others, and providing comfort to students as they completed work and studied for assessments.
On Wednesday, I also worked with many students. I worked mostly with the guidance counselor and the behavior specialist throughout the day. As usual, I spent time in small group studies, and in one-on-one and group counseling sessions. I also spent some time in the halls between classes so other students could pet me.
At the end of the day, Mom and I presented – well, Mom presented and I laid on the floor at her feet – to a group of business directors from local school districts. Mom talked about preparing the school community for having a therapy dog in school, the kind of work I do, my history, and our journey together with therapy work. People seemed impressed by the work, and they loved me. After the presentation, one woman asked if she could pet me – she said she had had a difficult meeting earlier in the day. As the others watched her, she said, “I really needed this.” After the meeting, Mom and I traveled to Greenfield for our weekly class. Despite all the distractions, Mom says I did pretty well in class.
On Friday, Mom did not have any classroom coverage slips to deliver before school started, but we walked the halls and practiced obedience before everyone arrived. After that, I laid at Mom’s feet while she and the principal met to catch up and debrief. Next, two of my sixth grade friends took me for a nice walk with the guidance counselor.
I met with many students throughout the day as Mom checked in with them one-on-one, asking them how they were doing, what their plans for the weekend were, etc. I also spent some time in small group studies, and working with a girl who was having a particularly rough day. Spending time with me off-and-on throughout the day helped her feel better. She and I know each other well, and I can tell when she needs some attention from me. One of my Friday regulars came into Mom’s office after lunch to see me. I gave him lots of kisses, and he was very excited to talk about his birthday weekend plans. He also told Mom that, because of me, he is getting a puppy in June.
Mom got immersed in a behavioral issue, where she had to call eight parents and talk to eight different students. The students were very respectful to Mom, but she had to talk to them about being kinder to one another – I guess they had been making fun of someone. Two boys came to take me for a walk after homeroom connection. They were very funny, joking around with each other and with Mom. One teacher came down to spend some time with me and, as she was leaving Mom’s office, she said, “Thanks, Coco, my batteries are recharged now.”
Last period, Mom and I spent time in the TLC classroom with the four students and three staff members who were in there. When we first arrived, they were dancing and warming up to get their brains ready for learning. Mom and I joined in and, though I am not very good at dancing, the students got a kick out of me. After the dancing, Mom and I watched the students play a game about verbs.
After school I spent time with Mom as she worked on paperwork. She says she enjoys having me with her while she works alone. A few teachers stopped by to say hello to me. As usual, they did not care much about seeing Mom – they mostly just wanted to see me.
Mom says I could be at school five days a week and it wouldn’t be enough. Students and staff enjoy having me there, and I absolutely love being there. ~Coco