Teacher visits ESY students with a special story and a furry friend

Students in the Colonial School District’s Extended School Year (ESY) program recently welcomed a visiting author. The guest writer was also someone they knew well—Kelly Conway, a Speech-Language Pathologist who works at Colonial Middle School and Plymouth Whitemarsh High School.

Ms. Conway read her recently published book, Each Day Is A Gift, about opening her heart to a new dog after her dog Georgia passed away. 

“I did like the story,” said student Aidan Scoble. “It was about a dog that went to heaven, and then, afterwards, she got a new dog at the airport and brought it home.”

One of the stars of the story—Ms. Conway’s dog, Finni Roux—also made a special appearance for the visit. Student Kamiah Littlejohn was excited to see Finni. “Her dog was in the pictures,” said Kamiah. “I love her. She’s cute.”

Finni isn’t just the subject of the book—she’s also a familiar face in Ms. Conway’s work with the students. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel helps support social thinking and communication goals. “Finni is a big part of what we talk about to create friend files and to work on storytelling, answering questions, and staying on topic,” Ms. Conway explained.

The visit also served as a lesson in persistence and following a dream. “I told some of the kids back when they were in fifth grade that I was going to write the book—and they still ask me about it,” Ms. Conway said. “Now they’re going into 11th grade, and I can finally say I did it!”