Special education teacher and her service dog create more accepting culture

Everywhere TiAhnna Thomson goes, her support Corgi follows. The first-year special education teacher at Emerson Hough Elementary School is accompanied every day by her four-legged friend Miss Layla, who makes her life and her student’s lives easier by just being there — even if she is sleeping during class.

The 4-year-old Corgi is Thomson’s loyal and very obedient service dog, and students all over school just love her. For her students in special education, Layla’s presence at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year turned out to be an easy way to start building those student-to-teacher relationships.

Even more so when they learned how Layla helps Thomson with her anxiety and how she has overcome labels to succeed, a message she emphasizes to her own students who are sometimes negatively labeled as having a disability. Thomson said these conversations all happened within the first week of school.

“Some of their peers might say that to them and that’s not the nicest thing,” she said of how it feels to be labeled. “But I know that feeling. Them seeing that I have also gone through that but have met so many of my dreams as a teacher and as a person and that I get to live my life — that is so reassuring for them.”

At this point in the school year, Thomson’s students are used to seeing Layla in the classroom and they know that she is there to help their teacher when she is in need. If Thomson is having a bad day, for instance, students will often encourage Layla to jump on her lap or do something to make her feel better.

Which tells Thomson that her students are becoming more accepting individuals, and seeing others and themselves as more than what is on the surface.

“They have been the most understanding people ever, and I think that shows with Layla,” Thomson said. “Throughout their whole life they will not look at the person as just who they are on the outside. That is so huge because I don’t want any of my kids to think they are just a label.”

In the classroom, Layla is mostly sleeping in her bed while students interact with their teachers. Most hardly pay any mind to her. But students have grown attached to Layla and make sure she is well taken care of. When her water bowl is empty or the water is a day old, they waste no time in refilling it for her.

Only a few kiddos were a little afraid of Layla. The first day of school they made sure to steer clear of the pup and her handler. But over time they grew more comfortable around Layla. Thomson recalled a recent milestone in which the students were able to fully trust Layla and let her sit beside them for some time.

“I was like, OK, I’m going to do something with Layla now. Do you trust me? And they’re like, ‘Yeah.’ I was like if you trust me you’re going to be safe,” Thomson said. “All I did was have Layla go touch his shoe … He was inching back and I said it was OK and to trust me. Then he let her and was like, ‘Oh. This is OK!’”

It took from the start of the year until April to reach that milestone. Thomson’s patience paid off. Patience is a good quality to have for any kind of teacher, but Thomson said especially so for a teacher in special education, a profession she wanted to serve in because it is so difficult.

In order to have the patience and the resolve for teaching special education, Thomson said she has to do everything with love.

“So it’s not that hard and I’m very positive,” she said.” These skills that we work on as special education teachers takes a lot of patience. And they (the students) just need somebody that believes in them and that will be there to keep pushing them and pushing them.”

Layla works in much the same way for Thomson, pushing her out of a negative head space and putting her at ease no matter the situation.

Every so often there have been times where a student is having a rough moment and is nearly inconsolable. Layla at those moments just wants to go over to the student and get pets. When Thomson feels its OK she has let Layla walk over to the student and work her magic.

“Sometimes I think they need that in the moment,” Thomson said. “And it shows that she knows they are feeling that way and it validates their feelings.”

Q&A WITH TIAHNNA THOMSON:

Why did you specifically seek out teaching special education?

Thomson: I also just enjoy teaching in general. Like if I had to go to a (general education) class like kindergarten or whatever, I would be perfectly fine with that. But I love the special education aspect because it’s hard and not a lot of people can take the hardness. Today, I had — all at the same time — three kids that were throwing things. That’s just how they communicate, but not a lot of people can take a step back and look at that behavior as communication.

Do you think that scenario might be difficult for some teachers?

Thomson: With them they might not be getting support outside of school and then they come and they seek that. That’s the only way they can seek that attention. Just knowing I have the patience and the understanding to step back and see the whole child as they are and separate their feelings from who they are, I think that’s really why I came here. It’s hard and not a lot of people get a good special education teacher.

How has Layla’s presence impacted the school?

Thomson: She loves our co-workers! She gets in these little happy bursts at the end of the day where she is like, “Oh! Can I get pets from you? Yay!” My kids have been able to give her snacks for rewards and have her do tricks to help make their day. She has been awesome with them. If any kids come up to her she won’t do anything. Oh and if any of my co-workers are gone she knows. Like she’ll go into (a teacher’s) room and be like, “Ugh! She’s not here!” It’s been really good.