Thank you for taking the time to learn more about The REACH School, a special purpose pre-school in South Portland, Maine.  This school services students from Cumberland County who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.  For many of our students the most common elements of our lives, the ones we take for granted, are the most difficult.  Students in my school struggle with their senses, their emotions, their friendships, their play and their learning.

Our job as members of the REACH school community is to provide the means for our students to learn and develop the skills they need to cope with their environment, to engage with the world of their peers and the world around them.

Both Andrea and I are devoted members of the REACH community.  Andrea serves as a member of the board of The Friends of The REACH School, raising money to support and enhance the programs at the school.  I am one of four teachers in the red star classroom, working with 15 students with disabilities and 9 typically developing students each week. 

My job is more than your standard pre-school teacher, I work everyday to help my students get the full experience of being four.  This means I get to help my students play pirates vs. zombies on the playground and work up the courage to holler out the lines from Caps For Sale in front of their friends and families in a classroom performance.  But beyond these measures of being four in a pre-school world, my job is also to help my students live their everyday lives- stand in line at a grocery story, trick-or-treat on Halloween, sit in a barber shop chair.  These activities can be confusing, even terrifying, for children with autism.  

The work is difficult but getting up at six in the morning to scrub the sleep out of my eyes and prepare myself for a day of work has never been easier.  Built into my day is two hours of play and another thirty minutes of recess, that's hard to top.  But the real joy comes from watching my students grow.  Each day brings its own moment.

This week, on Monday a student was able to say "oh well, that's okay this time," when he didn't get the seat he wanted.  On Tuesday three students created their own game around the tire swing.  On Wednesday a student with intense anxiety was able to dance before all of his friends and enjoy himself thoroughly.  On Thursday a student struggling with life and death at home enjoyed a bright moment as the star of a class play.  On Friday a student who struggles with pretend play and the difference between real and imaginary, knocked on the door to my house dressed as a cat and asked me for candy.  These events, each monumental in their own way would have been impossible if not for the dedication and work of the REACH school community.

We invite you to take a role in the REACH school community, supporting the children of the REACH school and the dedicated staff who work with them everyday. 

Consider making a donation to The Friends of The REACH School. 

Join us in teaching our students how to experience being four!