Faces, smiles, places to sit, songs and names on a Christmas card.

Who are our class members?
I got 100% in the exam for the ‘knowing your clients’ module.
But, who are they? 
Yesterday a beloved class member passed away.
Who was she?
Was she a  name on a list?
Was she a tick on the register?
Was she a medical history engraved in the mind?

She was our friend. 

Class members are more than a name, a form and a tick. 

They are the sound of their voice, the way they hum and sing along.
They are the teaching point you give ‘just for them’.
They are the chair they sit on, their place in the room.
They are the good afternoon and thank you.
They are the kind smile and the frown of concentration.
They are the song you play because it makes them smile.
They are a special combination of movements because they enjoy them.
They are the wink, the nod, the ‘follow this lady as she knows what she is doing’.
They are a name on the Christmas card.
 
They are the class.
 
Being part of a class isn’t just being in the space as everyone else.
It isn’t about being in time with the music.
They are not just a name on a piece of paper or a safe to exercise form.
Being part of the class is being part of the chemistry,
They are the cement that holds the class together
The ingredient that makes it special and unique.
 
They thank us for a good class and we say thank you to them.
BUT, they are not ‘them’ they are people with names, stories, jokes, smiles, quirks and sense of humours.
Without our class members we would be nothing.
They shape and mould us.