By Cindy Adams

What would bring you back, day after day, to a job where, truth be told, you might be bitten, scratched or hit at any given moment? Ask the staff of the adapted program at enCircle's Wytheville Minnick School, and the answer comes quickly. They say it’s the students and each other.

Building 10, as the adapted program is familiarly known, is home to the Minnick Schools programs for students on the autism spectrum. The work is hard. The staff there wouldn't have it any other way.

"Building 10 is the most unique building," said Minnick teacher James Smythers. "It has a lot of challenging behaviors. But without Building 10, these kids wouldn't have anywhere else to go and be successful. They need this support. For a lot of our students, this is it. If it doesn't work out here, it doesn't work out."

And somehow, again and again, it works out here.

Take one student whose individualized education program (IEP) goal was to sit in a classroom for two minutes. When the staff began working with him, 15 seconds was counted as a win. In his public school, he couldn't be in the same room as other students. Today, he sits with his peers through a 30-minute lesson.

"We are not saying he is perfect the whole time, but that's huge," James said.

The progress didn't come easily. Along the way, this student has physically hurt three of the Minnick School teachers. Yet, they love him and they're sure he loves them back. They're already dreading the day he ages out of Minnick education programs, because they’ll miss him and, more importantly, they know he'll miss them.

The staff will tell you that the students who challenge them the most are often the ones they adore the most.

"This staff is truly some of the most dedicated people I've ever had the privilege of working with," said Alex Hazelwood, Program Manager and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) for Building 10. "They give 110% every single day and are incredibly committed to the students they serve. I've observed our students learn, grow, and develop significant new skills, and so much of that progress is a reflection of the staff's consistency, patience, compassion and knowledge."

Down the hall, Yana Blevins teaches six students using an adapted curriculum. Walk past her classroom and you’ll see them engaged and learning. These are students whose behavior kept them out of a public school setting. But something is just different here. Something is special.

Building 10 currently serves 18 students, ages 9 to 22. For each of them, success is measured in steps  the rest of the world might overlook.

"I wish everyone could see all the hard work, love and dedication we put into each of our students every single day," said teacher Trina Felts. "We genuinely get excited about the little things they accomplish. Tiny steps matter here. Most people don't understand how great these steps really are."

Who holds this all together? The staff.

"We bleed together," James said. That's likely no exaggeration.

Their longevity would be remarkable at any workplace, let alone one this demanding. The longest serving staff member has been there 24 years. Many have put in 13, 14 or 15 years. None of the core group has been there fewer than six.

"We are not afraid to do this work," Trina said. "We work through it together. Sometimes it's a lot of hits and misses, but our behavior data shows that we are doing something right."

If there is a problem anywhere in the building, everyone comes running. They share their lives, they pick on each other, and they stand firmly for one another. At the end of the day, they head out the door calling, "Love you!" They really are a family.

Spend an afternoon in Building 10 and you’ll find plenty of laughter, deep care for students and just as much care for one another.

"You also might think we are nuts," Trina said. "But we love our students. They are imperfectly perfect."

These teachers have given years, and in some cases decades, to make sure their students have a place where things work out. They've watched it happen; sometimes 15 seconds at a time. But it happens. And they show up every day with the intent of that day being the one when it does.

Ask what's on the top of the wish list for Building 10 teachers, and the answer is for the kids. They really want a playground for their students. Click here to support the Minnick Schools Capital Initiative.