Creative Ideas. For special children. Dina Veksler

the photos taken during the day.

      «Jane, why are you putting in all this effort?» Alina sighed. «Chesky is who he is. You can’t change him. I’m exhausted.»

      «Why are you so sure? I’ve heard stories about people changing, even learning to do something.»

      «Stories are one thing; real life is another,» Alina shrugged.

      Jane knew her sister had tried at first but had quickly become too tired. She thought Alina had given up too soon.

      «Alina, you know I use my friend’s printer to print the photos. There are so many now, and it’s not convenient for me to keep asking Eva. Maybe we should get our own printer?»

      «That’s actually a good idea. Chesky has calmed down a lot thanks to your projects. I’ll talk to my husband; I’m sure he won’t mind.»

      Chesky embraced his role as a teacher, diligently preparing for each lesson. He no longer had time for pranks; it wasn’t fitting for a teacher to behave poorly. During lessons, Jane was actively involved, asking questions and sometimes playfully scolding the «students» for not paying attention.

      New lesson topics required new materials. Jane and Chesky collected them during walks, photographing trees, houses, cats, dogs, and children playing in the park. They prepared textbooks about flowers, trees, pets, and even created a guidebook from pictures of the buildings and park near their house. Next, they planned a book about the seasons and a manual for physical education, featuring a series of photos of Chesky performing various exercises.

      READING LESSONS

      Alina often complained about how difficult it was to read to the children. Chesky would lose patience quickly, interrupt, shout, jump up, and run around. Nina would often be upset because she wanted to listen to the story, but her brother wouldn’t let her.

      One day, Jane decided to read to the children herself. She chose «The Three Little Pigs.» As soon as she started reading, Chesky shouted, «I know! I can read the word wolf!»

      «Then you will be responsible for reading «wolf’ every time we see it,» Jane said, accommodating her nephew’s eagerness to show off his new skill.

      For the first time, Chesky listened attentively to the entire story, waiting for his turn to read. These reading sessions became regular, and gradually Chesky started listening carefully and reading familiar words from the text.

      WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

      One of Alina and Jane’s relatives was getting married, and the whole family was invited. Alina was excited but worried about Chesky’s behavior.

      «I can’t imagine who to leave Chesky with on the wedding day,» Alina said, not considering taking him along.

      «Don’t worry. I promise you won’t have to blush for Chesky’s behavior,» Jane assured her sister. «I’ll take care of everything.»

      On the wedding day, Chesky, dressed in a festive suit and armed with a camera, looked very handsome. He approached guests politely, asking to take their pictures. His charm and politeness won everyone over, even the newlyweds posed for him. Throughout the evening, guests complimented Alina on her wonderful son. Jane, as promised, spent the whole evening with Chesky, marveling at how well he presented himself.

      When they returned home, Jane whispered to her nephew, «Well, teacher, you have a topic for a new lesson: „How to take wedding photos.“»

      LIVING PHOTOBOOKS

      A few months later, the work at the School Named After Chesky continued with unwavering success. Jane and her nephews kept creating new textbooks and improving the old ones. Chesky’s parents also joined the process.

      The father of the family, who often had to travel for work, was only home on weekends. Sunday lunch became a special family tradition: Chesky would tell his father about the new subjects at his school and how the students behaved. His speech was now clear and coherent, sensibly narrating the news and showcasing his educational materials. Dad cherished these family gatherings, finding comfort and warmth in the memories during his long trips. In gratitude, he would bring gifts useful for the school or new materials. The biggest gift came on Chesky’s birthday: a real camera. Jane had returned to live with her mother, and Chesky needed his own tool.

      People who knew Chesky from before were amazed at the changes in his character and behavior. He had become a very responsible boy, clearly distinguishing between «good» and «bad.» He no longer stooped to pranks, now proudly bearing the title of «Teacher» and setting an example for his students.

      Nina occasionally brought her friends to lessons at the School Named After Chesky, expanding the circle of students. Chesky directed his boundless energy into inventing new subjects, compiling new photobooks, and reworking old ones: adding and removing pictures according to his ideas.

      «Our photobooks are alive! They either get fat or lose weight,» Chesky commented on the changes.

      He was especially pleased that the white folder «Good Deeds» was getting thicker, while the black one was losing weight day by day. Jane played a part in this: during her visits, she always photographed her nephew’s progress.

      The days spent with Chesky profoundly impacted Jane as well. After successfully passing her final school exams, she decided to study to become a child psychologist, convinced that Chesky had helped her make this choice.

      FAILED PLAN

      «Elina, what do you say if we go out for a walk on Saturday? Let’s go to the movies, gorge ourselves on popcorn, and watch some sweet female melodrama, huh? Or vice versa, a raunchy comedy? And then we’ll go to a restaurant and try different goodies until we get bored. I understand that you have John, but you can ask your babysitter to sit with him.»

      Elina thought. Few people could understand how much she wanted to accept Irene’s invitation. Put on a beautiful dress, high-heel shoes, and stroll in a restaurant or even just in the lobby of a cinema, attracting the eyes of others. After all, she devoted most of her time to her son, completely forgetting about herself. And she had a nanny in mind: she used her services when she urgently needed to leave for work or other matters.

      «You know, Irene… I agree! Let’s go! I’ve wanted this for so long. Tomorrow I will call Mrs. Jones and ask her to look after John.»

      «Elina! You have no idea how happy I am to hear that! To be honest, I didn’t have much hope. I’ll pick you up at eight tomorrow, okay?»

      The next day passed for Elina in pleasant anticipation. She seemed to fly, preparing a dress, picking up shoes, and doing her hair. She imagined how she and Irene would walk together, laughing at some funny stories, remembering their fun student or school years…

      But at five o’clock in the evening, the phone rang:

      «Elina, darling, I know I promised to come, but it just so happened that my grandson fell ill. Sorry, there’s no way I can look after John today,» Mrs. Jones said, obviously upset.

      «Yes, of course. It’s okay,» Elina answered in a fallen voice.

      As she hung up the phone, she nearly burst into tears. Why is that?! Why on the one day she decided to arrange a little holiday for herself, did everything turn out this way? Holding back tears rising to her throat, she began to dial Irene’s phone number.

      «Elina… Nothing, just don’t get upset. Well, not the last day we live, well, what are you… You know, I have a great idea. What if I come to you? I’ll go to the store for a cake, and we’ll sit with you. And John will play in his room. What do you think?»

      Elina agreed reluctantly. Knowing her child, she knew perfectly well that just sitting and chatting would not work for them.

      Of course, the evening did not go at all as Irene had hoped and imagined. As soon as John saw her in the hallway, he began to pull