A little "Kung Fu Fighting" and all is right with the world.

So I have this two year old little boy in my class. Will call him J. Well I was soooo annoyed by him at first. I know annoyed by a two year old, who isn't right? But usually I love most of the two's in my class it's only very rarely that I just really find myself having a hard time liking a kid. Anyway. So J doesn't talk... he doesn't follow any direction... doesn't play with toys unless you count throwing them or knocking them off shelves playing with them. He doesn't play with the other kids unless of course you also count pushing, hitting, or trying to scratch the other kids "playing with them." And of course this week at the lovely old age of 26 I finally started back to school to finally finish what I began so very long ago. Which is pretty huge for me because school has never really been my thing... I was never one who just loved going to school. To say I was exhausted, grumpy, easily annoyed by everything this past week would have been a definate understatement. By Wednesday I was so over it. Pretty much thinking that I had gotten myelf in over my head by trying to work full time and go to school full time to. Yeah I know people do it all the time... I just never have... so I was feeling pretty overwhelmed and stress by it all. Let's insert J back into the story. Over the past two weeks I have been making a huge effort to spend lot's of one on one time with J. Trying to teach him words, get him to follow simple directions, not throw every toy he picks up across the room and not to full on attack all of his classmates that get to close to him. All my efforts seemed to be for nothing. Except that now J thinks I'm his best friend and follows me everywhere and screams any time I leave the room. FML... all I've done is make things more difficult and stressful for myself... not to mention that sadly I still can't really stand the kid. (Horrible I know!!!) Atleast this was before "Kung Fu Fighting." We have this Disney move it cd that has all of these old school songs on it. There's "Shout", "We will Rock you", "ymca" and of course "Kung Fu Fighting". The kids love this cd. Anyway. Wednesday I pop in this cd and here I am dancing around with the kids, looking like a hug idiot I'm sure, and carrying around J my new thirty plus pound best friend on my hip when Kung Fu fighting comes on. So now to totally add to my coolness factor I'm karate chopping and kicking with the best of them. All of a sudden J begans to laugh hysterically!!! No big deal right? Well this kid has been in my class for two or three months now and I hardly ever see him smile and I've most def never heard him laugh. Yet here he is with the biggest shit eating grin on his face... cracking up everytime I karate chop and follow it up with "Hii-ya" (Complete dork, I know) Suddenly I'm laughing with him and hitting repeat on the CD player and we're "kung fu fighting" over and over again. Then he raises his arm... does a little karate chop of his own... and says "hii-ya!!!!!!" And just that easy suddenly all is right with the world. My little J that never talks that never does anything just said a word other than bye-bye. And yes I'm counting "hii-ya" as a word I don't care what anyone says. Just to hear him laugh and actually process and learn something I was doing with him... one of the greatest feelings in the world. Suddenly I love this kid... this kid is the reason I do what I do... this kid is the reason I am exhausting myself going to school along with work. One little karate chop and I'm reminded that this is one of the things I want to do with my life. Working with special needs kids and being able to help them, teach them something, improve upon their life somehow. I don't care that I'm exhausted, that I have such a long way to go until I'm done with that hated thing called school. This is what life is all about. It's not just about me... it might sound corny but it's about doing what you were put here to do. And I guess in the grand scheme of things teaching one kid something as simple as a make believe word and yet another way to beat up on his friends with his new found karate chop ability doesn't mean much. But to him it did. To his family and speech therapist it did. To me it did. Of course now I am sick to death of hearing that stupid song but I'll continue to play it just to hear him laugh, say "hii-ya" and karate chop like a champ! Isn't it crazy that a little song like "kung fu fighting" can turn your whole outlook around! I suppose life is just funny that way