Until Monday, I could only imagine what it was like being at a middle school with over 600 sixth through eighth graders and an assistant principal who has the foresight to incorporate her Therapy Dog named Coco in her work at that school.
I read Coco’s report with great interest each week. Those of us who follow Coco’s weekly reports know that, in the course of a single day, she interacts with a vast number of students with special needs and behavior issues. She calms them down so they feel relaxed enough to return to class. She is there for staff members who need a break from the rigors of the school day. They come to Michelle’s office where Coco has her own special area set up on the front side of Michelle’s desk where she is easily accessible for petting and a hug.
It’s one thing to imagine all that Coco accomplishes through the power of the human-canine bond, but quite another to actually be present with Coco as she delivers her own special brand of canine comfort and caring for all who seek her out at the Robert E. Melican Middle School. What a treat for me to spend last Monday with Coco and Michelle on the job.
My head has been spinning from all that I witnessed in one day’s time. I am still sifting through the details of what I observed. So much to take in. The students love Coco, and the staff, mainly the specialists who work with special needs students, embrace the use of a Therapy Dog as a facilitator in helping at risk children find happiness and a sense of self-worth.
Some students came to Ms Karb’s office one-at-a-time. Some in pairs. They came to spend five or ten minutes with Coco. One boy gets very stressed out in science class. One girl has trouble in English class. This short break spent talking with Coco and petting her sleek chocolate brown fur enables them to head back to class feeling far less anxious. One boy came to read a book to Coco. Two ELL students came to read stories they had written themselves to Coco. During the day, Coco slowly strode through the corridors, Michelle leading her to the learning center and other areas of the school where specialists work with groups of students. I got to see these areas Coco talks about in her reports. The areas she spends time in visiting with students each day.
I think my favorite part of the day was taking Coco for a walk. Several times during the day, Michelle would ask students who came to her office for a Coco visit if they would like to take her out for a walk. It’s a perfectly natural thing to take a dog for a walk. Coco certainly needed a break from being on-call every minute of the day. Coco could use a bit of exercise. Would you like to take Coco for a short walk with me? Michelle would ask. The walk included casual talk. School troubles were not discussed. Since it was a Monday, Michelle would ask, How was your weekend? Did you have any special plans? or How was your game this weekend? Her questions were met with a flood of conversation regaling the events of the weekend. All the while Coco walked slowly along, the student holding her leash, Michelle by their side. The dog acting as a conduit for building a relationship of trust between student and educator… a person who cares about them, is interested in their life.
At the end of the school day, Coco and Michelle stood outside on the curb to say good-bye and offer a final opportunity to pet Coco one more time. At two-thirty, when all the buses had left, Michelle and I sat down to eat our lunches. We had missed lunchtime. How do you do it all? I queried. Having Coco here makes me better at my job, Michelle replied. I see how much she helps the students. She makes me a better person. Her sentiments were echoed by the other specialists I had the pleasure of talking with during the day. I learned that parents have called the school asking Michelle if their child could spend time with Coco, too. One family with a special needs child moved to Northborough for the education and because they saw on the website that the school had a Therapy Dog.
As I drove home on I-90 W, I marveled at all the good one special dog could accomplish for so many. Imagine, I said aloud to myself, how great it would be if every school had a Coco.