Jane Doe, age 5
Her parents were very hands-on. I could tell that they cared for her very much and were always concerned about her well-being. They’d always come in with her, right to her seat at the front row.
“Jane, here’s your water bottle and your snack. Remember to drink your water, and you can have your snack later during the break. Do you need to go to the bathroom? Jane, look at me, do you need to go to the bathroom? Okay, if you need to go later, just raise your hand and ask. Look at me, Jane. Here’s your pencil box. I’ll be waiting for you outside later, okay? Hug? And a kiss?”
They’d repeat themselves to her, and I could see her squirming and retreating into herself. They voiced some of their concerns to me, and explained that she’d have difficulty following instructions. I smiled, nodded, told them I understood, and tried to assure them that it would be okay.
It took me a while that first day to comprehend her language, and to speak her language. I tried smiling and talking softly to her, in an effort to coax her out of her shell and to help her feel more comfortable in her new surroundings, but she’d squirm and retreat further into her shell. So without making any eye contact with her, while I was busying myself at my desk, I gave her some instructions to which she carried out immediately and flawlessly. I’d give her short praises to which she’d squirm at but she still smiled and seemed pleased with herself.
The classmate that sat beside her — they made a great pair. Jane was smart; she’d do her work quickly and point out the mistakes of her buddy. The girl who sat beside her was a quiet and sensitive child. She was first hurt and annoyed by Jane’s corrections, but I explained to her that Jane was just trying to help. She understood, smiled and apologised to Jane, and happily amended her mistakes. From then on, that was their dynamic and the two of them grew closer to each other — going to the bathroom together, having their snacks together, greeting each other happily.
Jane’s mother would often wait somewhere nearby and listen in to how she’s doing. She was amazed that Jane could follow instructions so easily, and that she was helping a friend — a phrase and terms that seemed so foreign to and unlike her child. She was really pleased with her progress.
John Doe, age 10
He was vivacious and incredibly intelligent. Astronomy was his forte. He talked to me enthusiastically about how Pluto was no longer considered a planet, why it was so, and the exact date of the conference that was held to make this announcement. He was like a walking encyclopaedia, dishing out facts with ease. And I would let him educate me on the subject, fascinated by his knowledge.
Children at this age can start to become a little rowdy. There was another vivacious and intelligent boy in his class, and they would butt heads sometimes, hurling childish insults at each other. It would frustrate him at times, and it was sometimes challenging handling the two of them. But their intellect never seized to amaze me.
Because John could be quite a handful with his constant hyperactivity, I could tell that it was a relief for his mother to drop him off there, so she could have some peace of mind for at least a short while. I empathised and could only imagine how draining it could be for her.
Rick Roe, age 11
He joined the cohort later, and this cohort I’d already been with the previous year as well, so we were already a close bunch, and he was the newbie. The others could tell that something was different about him, so he tended to stick out like a sore thumb. I tried to get him assimilated, but he seemed to prefer being on his own, doing his work dutifully and correctly. He was a courteous boy, which I found to be an amusing juxtaposition to my lack of courtesy.
He would get frustrated when the others made fun of him and laughed at him. I always tried to handle the situation to the best of my ability, and one day when he was feeling particularly exasperated, I told him to inform me whenever something like that happened again and I would deal with it. He calmed down and agreed.
Some time later, he approached me and it took me a few seconds to gather that he took what I said literally (and why wouldn’t he, it later dawned on me). I then had to defuse the ‘tattletale’ situation that was going on.
Rick was smart as well. He would often ask thought-provoking questions that the others sometimes laughed at, but I would always affirm that it was a great question and would always be excited to answer and explain. His mind worked in a similar way to mine — if two words were similar, then what exactly was the difference between them was a frequent question he had, which was amazing. He picked up on and started using the higher-level vocabulary that I had used and explained only once. It was almost as if I could see the gears churning in his mind.
INTJargon 