Starting the New School Year with Gannon

Gannon is in a 3rd grade mainstream class with a 1:1 nurse/intervener. He is unlike any student in his class or school building, for that matter (in regard to his different abilities and medical needs). One thing I always notice is that he really is more like his peers than different. Each school year, I approach his teacher and offer to do a quick discussion on Gannon, his equipment and special needs, and also take the opportunity to share his interests and things that make him similar to his peers. While Gannon is young and students are certainly more accepting now than they may be in the future, I am always blown away by how beneficial these discussions are with his classmates. Gannon participated heavily in the discussion this year, the kids had really great questions, showed compassion for Gannon, and Gannon was proud to share who he is. Gannon shared almost immediately that he has a YouTube channel and also shared later that he was very sick as a baby. This is something I plan on doing as long as Gannon would like me to. It really seems to get his school year started off great and helps facilitate socialization with his peers.