Teacher Sent A Letter Home To Parents After Boy With Autism Fails Exams And It Went Viral Immediately

Jun 21, 2019 by apost team

Raising kids in the current day and age can be a real challenge for any parents out there. Parents of special needs children could potentially face even more of an uphill battle than other parents. In spite of the difficulties, however, parents of children with physical or mental limitations can still find plenty of reasons to feel pride and satisfaction in the day to day accomplishments of their children.

It sometimes just takes more patience and effort to see to it that these unique children have the tools they need to thrive. Teachers and school staff members who understand these kids and lend a helping hand to their parents can make a huge difference. 

Parents of autistic children have all sorts of pressures placed on their shoulders. Aside from the everyday parenting issues such as figuring out homework and planning lunches, these parents have to decide how to best handle all the complicated emotional and psychological needs of their autistic kids. Depending on where their child lands on the autism spectrum, an autistic child could function close to the same way any other child does, or they could have moderate or severe learning and emotional deficiencies.

That's one reason why autism's symbol includes puzzle pieces. Learning how to best help a child with autism is like figuring out how to solve a complex puzzle.

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Autistic children themselves usually feel a certain level of anxiety when it comes to functioning at school and out in the world. Much of their condition has to do with awkwardness in social situations. Being at school can really put these children out of their natural comfort zone. They can sometimes get discouraged when their limitations make it difficult for them to achieve social or academic success.

Such was the case for one young man.

His mother opened up about a heartwarming letter she got from his teacher during a time which would normally prove to be extremely discouraging for a special needs child and the internet world quickly took notice. This teacher's thoughtful words were nothing short of amazing.

This story goes to show how powerful our words are. They have the ability to either tear others down or lift them up. Thankfully, this wise teacher used the power of her words to lift her autistic student up in a tremendous way.

Ben Twist, who is an 11-year-old autistic boy, found out that he had failed his SAT test. His mom, whose name is Gail, got a letter in the mail about how Ben had done on the test. This note that was sent home from school explaining that he hadn't passed the SAT wasn't any ordinary teacher's note. Instead of being generic, it was completely individualized. The touching and encouraging tone and content of the letter was completely unexpected.

It impacted both Ben and Gail in a significant way.

Ben is a student at the Lansbury Bridge School and Sports College in St. Helens, Merseyside. The letter that the school officials decided to send is a testimony to their deep level of empathy for people with families who are living with Ben's condition on a daily basis. They didn't want him or his mother to be overly discouraged about his failure to pass the SAT test.

So instead of just a form letter or some kind of a shaming letter, they sent home an extremely positive letter that was filled with encouraging messages meant just for Ben.

Ben's teacher, Mrs. Clarkson was the one in charge of composing the letter. She included a whole host of supportive words about this special student whom she so highly regards and loves. Anyone who reads the letter can tell that this woman is truly devoted to Ben and that she believes he is capable of great things. She seems to be one of those people who is genuinely called to work with special needs kids. Her passion for helping Ben feel good about himself and be the best that he can be shines through in every sentence of the letter. Ben and his family will probably cherish this caring note as a keepsake for years to come.

When she began the letter, Mrs. Clarkson commended Ben for having a great attitude and for completing the test. Rather than even mention his score, she wants him to understand that just completing such a long, complicated test is an achievement in and of itself!

Next, she took note of the great progress Ben had made throughout the year in working with the various teacher's aides who had had the privilege of working with him. Each one of them was thrilled to get to spend time with Ben each and every school day. He is the kind of student that brightens up a classroom.

Then, to prepare Ben and his family for reading about the disappointing test results, Mrs. Clarkson reminded Ben and his parents that these kinds of tests can only show a very small glimpse of a person's overall abilities. She reassured him that at the school he went to there were many other ways his success in life was being noticed and measured rather than on this one academic test.

Simply highlighting the many other ways Ben was achieving success probably really lessened any feeling of disappointment he and his family would feel when they found out that he hadn't passed the SAT.

When Ben's mom started to read the letter she was overcome with emotion. It brought tears of gratitude to her eyes to recognize the sensitivity of this kindhearted teacher. She felt so extremely blessed that her son could be under such a positive influence throughout the school day.

The letter proceeded to mention a long list of the different ways Ben's teacher felt that he was succeeding in the classroom. These included such important accomplishments as working well with others, learning how to work independently, learning to improve in sports, learning about design, increasing in his musical and artistic abilities, and showing friendliness to other students. She even wrote about Ben's ability to observe and remark on his own progress in various areas of his life.

It seems that this thoughtful teacher left no stone unturned when it came to looking for areas of this young man's for which she could shower him with praise!

Next, she went on to tell Ben how his abilities and gifts made him unique and how pleased she and the rest of the school staff were with all his accomplishments. She told him he was a "lovely, bright young man" and ended by expressing how proud they all were of him. Her words of affirmation practically covered Ben and his mother like a warm blanket in a harsh, cruel world.

As you can see, this wasn't a typical letter letting a student and their parents know whether or not they had not passed a standardized test. Instead, this was a very personalized expression of gratitude from a teacher for all the ways this autistic boy was excelling academically, relationally, and skillfully in school and in life. It was a celebration of who Ben Twist was as a person. Rather than berate him for not passing the SAT test or pile guilt upon his mother for not striving to better prepare him for it, she chose to help bring out the best in him by focusing on all he had already been able to accomplish.

This teacher provides a powerful example for every one of us about learning to focus on what is positive in other people. She shows how when you learn to creatively and compassionately express words of affirmation you can serve as an inspiration to those you love. When we each learn to do our best to help people understand their strengths they can start to feel better about themselves.

This can, in turn, give them wings that will help them soar to new heights!

Are you as impressed by this teacher's encouraging note as we are? Do you think her words will have a long-term, positive impact on the life of this autistic boy? We'd love to know your thoughts!