Birthday Club!

How great does it feel when a group of people comes to sing you, "Happy Birthday" on your special day? It's even better when that group is a class of kids with autism, with the greatest smiles, singing at the top of their lungs.

After a few different people getting the opportunity to experience the ASD class belting out Happy Birthday and delivering handmade cards during a grand serenade, I discovered what a great way it was to "get my kids out there." The adults love having kids sing to them. My kids are just a perfect example of pure joy. How can you not smile after something like that?

I decided that I am going to start a Birthday Club. I will have teachers sign up and write what period is their prep period. We will have a master list of staff birthdays (not just teachers!) We will make a huge batch of generic Birthday cards, and on Birthday Club members' birthdays, we'll make a personal delivery with a song.

It's okay that they don't know the real words and only sing matching syllables and sounds to the ever-so-famous "Happy Birthday" tune. It's okay that they shout the song at the top of their lungs, sometimes to the point where other teachers come in the room to make sure everything is okay. It's okay that we're not in the choir. It's okay that I have to say, "Hands up" in the middle of the song to the kid who is putting hands where they don't belong (gross). The fact of the matter is, we're spreading birthday cheer. The kids are getting major social skills out of the experience. They feel good about themselves because it's something they are confident in being able to do. Not only that, but we get to leave the classroom, which doesn't happen very often. People have talked about our birthday songs WEEKS after they've happened. I just want to be sure that we share the joy with everyone.

Pretty soon, people are going to be lining up to be in the Birthday Club. Wouldn't you?