(Louise's POV)
I've been teaching special needs children for eight years, and I thought I'd seen everything.
But Charlie Daves is proving me wrong.
It's Tuesday morning, math time, and I'm working with my small group of ten students on basic number recognition. We're using foam number tiles spread out on the carpet—colorful, tactile, easy for small hands to manipulate.
"Can someone show me the number five?" I ask the group.
Three hands shoot up. Rose picks up a yellow five and shows it to me, her face serious.
"Perfect, Rose! Good job."
Charlie is sitting slightly apart from the group, as he often does. He's come so far in two weeks—joining activities, responding to questions, even initiating conversation with Rose—but he still needs his space sometimes.
I'm about to call on anothe
