It couldn’t get any better than this…. as one boy put it:
Dogs are like the opposite of bullies. No matter what your past is like, or what your problems are, or what kind of clothes you wear, dogs don’t care. They just care if you are nice to them…
In her own words, Coco recaps the meaningful work that she and fellow Bright Spot Therapy Dog Molly did this week…
Last week was an interesting one because we had two snow days. Although I enjoyed spending extra time with Mom at home, I missed the students and staff members at Mom’s school. Molly went to school one day, and I went to school one day. In only two days, we had a significant impact on students and staff members.
Molly went to school with her mother, Julie, on Thursday. She was greeted by lots of students as soon as she approached the building. Molly got a lot of hellos and waves and pets even before she walked into the school building. What a great way to start your workday…we should all be so lucky!
Molly spent her day on Thursday in Julie’s office and in the behavior specialist’s room (room 116). When Julie walks into room 116 to pick up Molly after she has spent time there and sees her lying close to a student who is reading or working, it reminds her about the important role Molly and I play for the students who spend parts of their days there. It makes Julie feel good when the students say, “Awwww, don’t take Molly! Bring her back soon!” Of course, Molly also loves the attention she gets in there.
Molly was very happy to see one of her “regular” student friends on Thursday. The student is so good to Molly and really enjoys his time with her. He usually spends most of his meeting time on the floor, sitting near Molly and petting her while he talks. This week, like many other times, the student spent a few minutes talking about why he loves dogs so much. He often has a lot of thoughtful and interesting things to say about the subject. This week, he said, Dogs are like the opposite of bullies. No matter what your past is like, or what your problems are, or what kind of clothes you wear, dogs don’t care. They just care if you are nice to them. And I think they understand if you are having problems. It’s almost like they are nicer to you if you are having more problems. And if you care about them, they will care about you. That’s why I love dogs so much. I couldn’t agree more with his thoughts!
When Molly and Julie were getting ready to leave on Thursday, they went to check in with the principal. Someone must have seen Molly poking out of the office, because Julie overheard, “Is that a dog? Can I go pet her?” and the person walked closer to pet Molly. She is someone who does work in the school from time to time, and she was very impressed to see that we had a dog in school. She spent some time asking me about Molly and seemed very interested in learning more about the process, classes, getting certified, etc. It was a great chance to tell her about the great work Bright Spot is doing in our community! She stopped in to see Mom after that and Mom gave her some information about Bright Spot.
I went to school with Mom on Friday. I hadn’t been since the previous Friday because of the snow days in the middle of the week. As usual, one of the custodians came to see me and pet me and let me give him kisses before many people had arrived at school. As the adults who work in the office arrived, each one greeted me and seemed happy to see me. I spent the time before school with students in room 116 – it was nice to see them and listen to their conversations while they petted me.
Throughout the day, I spent time in the behavior specialist’s room (room 116) and in Mom’s office. I met with students in groups and individually. Even though it was snowing, I got to take a few walks outside with students, which was awesome. After students left for the day, I spent an hour in Mom’s office listening to her talk with the principal and school psychologist about some students and their struggles. It certainly is interesting and rewarding to be part of such a welcoming community who values individuality and works tirelessly to help students and their families.
On Sunday, I went to Greenfield with Mom to visit with our friend in a nursing home. As we typically do, Mom and I also visited with other residents and with staff members as well. Mom and I always enjoy our time visiting there with our friend. She has become very special to us. ~Coco