Hope for students with disabilities, all in a morning cup of coffee

A recent story from the New York Times profiles a remarkable group of students at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in New Jersey, who are fighting autism by running a coffee shop on the school's premises. The kids are all part of a special class for students with autism or other learning disabilities, and the class is in charge of operating the middle school's coffee shop every Friday.

The experience is great for the students, who are forced to step outside their comfort zone and interact with customers, serving lattes and smiles in the process. The coffee shop is a nice addition to the school itself, as it strengthens community by bringing teachers and students - those with and without disabilities - together over doughnuts and coffee. Most teachers are regular customers, and some regularly donate homemade cupcakes and pastries to the menu. The coffee shop is the brainchild of 26-year-old teacher Thomas Macchiaverna, who wanted to give the students a chance to learn more about social interaction and business skills in a real-life setting.

Macchiaverna's experiment is yielding great results - the students with diagnosed disabilities are becoming more and more comfortable working in the public arena. Students like twelve-year-old Norman Shamy look forward to the days of work serving coffee, and parents are equally pleased with the results. These happenings at Woodrow Wilson Middle School demonstrate how crucial learning outside the classroom truly is for students' development. Learning by rote and other traditional instructional methods that prepare students to crunch numbers just aren't cutting it anymore. Let's give students a chance to challenge themselves socially as well as academically - after all, today's middle-school barista could be tomorrow's Bill Gates.