Year of the Heart at Achieve School for Autism
- Achieve School For Autism
- Aug 26
- 6 min read
Some school year themes sound good on a T-shirt or look nice hanging on a bulletin board. Others come from something deeper. At Achieve School for Autism, this year's theme grew out of a story nearly 30 years in the making, one that served as a powerful reminder that the relationships educators build with students can last far beyond a single school year.
This year is the Year of the Heart, a theme centered on connection, compassion, courage, empathy, and the lasting impact people can have on one another. For Sandy, Achieve's superintendent, the idea took shape after she received an unexpected message from a former student named Jesse, whom she had taught during her first year in the classroom in the late 1990s.
A Message Nearly 30 Years in the Making
That first year of teaching was not exactly easing Sandy gently into the profession. Before she had even met her class, she heard plenty about how difficult the students were supposed to be. She was given warnings about behavior, personalities, and challenges, enough to make a brand-new teacher wonder whether she had any idea what she had gotten herself into.
Then she met the students.
What she found was much more complicated, and much more human, than the reputation that had arrived before them. Sandy quickly connected with the class and began seeing strengths that were easy to miss if someone focused only on behavior.
One of those students was Jesse. He was guarded, angry at times, and not especially interested in immediately trusting a new teacher. But Sandy began to recognize something underneath all of that. Jesse cared deeply about other people, had a strong instinct to protect those around him, and possessed an incredible talent for drawing.
That artistic ability became one of the ways Sandy connected with him. Jesse could express things through drawings that he might not have been able or willing to explain out loud. Sandy saw the talent, encouraged it, and most importantly, took the time to know the student behind the behavior.
Years passed, and eventually decades passed. Then Jesse reached out. For Sandy, the message was unexpected. Like many educators, she had often wondered whether former students remembered the time they spent in her classroom or understood how much those relationships had meant to her. Jesse's answer was clear. He had not forgotten. In fact, he had spent years trying to find her.
What Students Actually Remember
When Jesse joined Sandy during the Year of the Heart presentation, he spoke about what that school year had meant to him. What stood out most was not an assignment or a particular lesson. He remembered having an adult who cared about him, listened to him, spent time with him, and was willing to stand up for him when he felt he deserved to be heard.
For an educator, that is a powerful thing to hear nearly 30 years later.
We spend so much time thinking about whether students understood the lesson, completed the assignment, reached the benchmark, or checked the appropriate box. Those things matter, of course, but they are not always the things students carry with them.
Sometimes they remember who noticed them. Sometimes they remember who believed them. Sometimes they remember who made school feel a little safer, a little more manageable, or simply a little less lonely. And sometimes an educator doesn't find out until decades later that any of it mattered.
What the Year of the Heart Means at Achieve
Jesse's story became the starting point for a larger conversation with the Achieve team. Sandy asked staff members to think about an educator or another important person from their own lives who had made a lasting impact.
The stories that followed were very different, but they all had something in common. One staff member remembered a theater teacher who helped him find his voice and become more comfortable speaking in front of people. Another remembered an educator who provided a safe place during difficult days instead of simply labeling him as a problem. One staff member shared that she reached third grade struggling to read until a teacher helped make reading finally click for her. That experience eventually grew into a love of books, and today she reads regularly and has even begun writing a book of her own.
Another staff member remembered the person who simply noticed that he needed additional support. That one act of noticing changed the direction of his educational experience and ultimately remained important enough that the two stayed connected years later.
The details were different, but the pattern was remarkably consistent. Someone paid attention. Someone took the time to understand. Someone connected with the person in front of them rather than making assumptions about who that person was supposed to be. That is the heart of the Year of the Heart.
Looking Beyond What We See First
Students do not always walk into a classroom able to clearly explain what they need. Sometimes they communicate through words. Sometimes through art, music, movement, silence, frustration, or behavior. Sometimes what an adult notices first is not actually the most important thing happening. That makes curiosity incredibly important. Instead of immediately asking why a student will not behave, participate, sit still, communicate, or respond in the expected way, there is another question worth asking: What does this student need right now?
That question creates space for understanding. A student might need movement in order to focus. Another may need additional time to process directions. Someone else may communicate more effectively through drawing, music, or another creative outlet. A student who appears angry may be frustrated because communicating what they are actually feeling is difficult. A student who seems distant may simply need more time before trusting the people around them. The goal is not to lower expectations. It is to better understand what each student may need in order to meet those expectations.
When the Head and the Heart Disagree
During the presentation, Sandy also talked about the tension between listening to our heads and listening to our hearts. Our brains are very good at remembering difficult experiences. They remember disappointment, frustration, broken trust, and moments when taking a risk did not turn out well. That instinct can protect us, and sometimes we absolutely need it. But protection can also become a wall.
For students who have experienced challenges in previous educational environments, opening themselves to another teacher or another school may not happen immediately. Families may arrive carrying years of frustration from advocating for their children or trying to find an environment where their child can thrive. Educators and staff bring their own experiences into those relationships as well.
The Year of the Heart is not about pretending those experiences do not exist or ignoring good judgment. It is about recognizing when past experiences are keeping us from building a new relationship in the present.
Sometimes the head says, "Be careful." The heart says, "Try again." The real work is learning how to use both.
Celebrating What Comes From the Heart
This year, Achieve plans to make the Year of the Heart something students can experience, not simply something they hear about.
Staff members will be encouraged to notice and celebrate acts of courage, empathy, compassion, kindness, and connection throughout the school year. The emphasis is not simply on rewarding compliance or perfect behavior. It is about recognizing moments when students demonstrate something meaningful toward another person or take a positive step that comes from the heart. That could mean showing concern for a classmate, demonstrating courage in a difficult moment, trying to understand someone else's feelings, or making an effort to connect.
These moments may seem small, but small moments have a way of becoming important ones.
The more intentionally adults look for those moments, the more opportunities there are to recognize them. Just as Sandy noticed Jesse's artwork years ago and saw something worth encouraging, educators have opportunities every day to notice strengths, growth, and connection that might otherwise go unseen.
The Heart of Achieve School for Autism
Ultimately, the Year of the Heart is bigger than any one classroom or student. It's about the culture of the entire Achieve community. Students arrive with different strengths, needs, communication styles, experiences, and personalities. The same is true of teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, support staff, and families. Those differences are not something to work around. They are part of what makes a community work.
The goal is not for everyone to think, communicate, teach, or connect in exactly the same way. The goal is to recognize what each person brings and find ways to build relationships across those differences.
That was one of the clearest lessons in Jesse's story. Sandy didn't know in the moment exactly what that year would mean to him. She was simply a first-year teacher trying to connect with a student who needed someone in his corner. Decades later, she learned that the relationship mattered more than she realized.
That may be one of the most important reminders an educator can receive. You will not always know when you have made a difference. You may not see the result by the end of the day, the end of the semester, or even the end of the school year. Sometimes the answer comes nearly 30 years later.
At Achieve School for Autism, the Year of the Heart is a commitment to keep making those connections anyway.
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