Cindy Pruitt is one of my favorite people in this world.  She has the patience of a saint, and is always – and I do mean always – smiling.  She’s smart, inventive, loving and dedicated.  Our family owes her a lot.  Cindy was Bear’s teacher for six years, first grade through fifth (we chose to have him repeat 5^th grade).  She was a brand new autism teacher when Bear first entered her classroom at the age of six – and he was quite a handful.  I’d just given birth to my fourth child and was exhausted.  Cindy knew that, so she didn’t really bother me about his transition to her classroom.  As I found out later, when she finally did share all the crazy details, it wasn’t easy.  I should also point out that this was Barrett’s fifth classroom in five years (moving and redistricting) and three of his former teachers coincidently took “sabbaticals” or job changes after their year with him.  He was cute, but he could be trouble.  By Christmas of that first year, Cindy had broken through – but not before he put her through quite a hazing period (she shares one of these stories below).  I’m so grateful for this woman and we love her almost as much as our Bear-Bear does!  Without further ado, I’d like to share Cindy with all of you…

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