Why Bridgeway matters - Noah's story

We would love to live in a world where schools like Bridgeway aren't needed.  But after thirty years, the demand for our programs are going up instead of going away.  Here's another story on how Bridgeway is making a difference in the life of a child.  Thanks to Kelly and Noah for sharing their experience.

The Bridgeway team.

I am writing on behalf of my son Noah, he is a 12 year old grade 7 student at the Truro location of Bridgeway Academy. Noah is in his 3^rd year at Bridgeway, and has come so far with the support he receives on a continual basis. As a parent not only do I see the accomplishments he has made in the classroom, however the improved sense of self-worth and new found self-esteem.

Going from a school where he struggled on a daily basis with his academics, which in turn led to frustration and complete discouragement. Noah now  leaves his school day with a sense of pride and ease. He spent more time being frustrated than he did learning. He had wonderful teachers in the public system, however their resources were so terribly limited that no amount of time they spent with him could even touch the experience he has had thus far at Bridgeway.  

It is completely unjust for so many children to struggle with their education. How will they ever move on in life and become productive members of society if they can’t have the support they so deserve right now. Our children have the right to a proper education, whatever their needs may be. When the answer is so obviously sitting in front of them , how can the government blatantly ignore the answer to this growing problem? If it boils down to cost, would it not make sense to provide children with a learning disability the proper education now, opposed to paying for it later.  

Sincerely

Kelly

Why Bridgeway Matters - Supporting Mental Healt needs

Often, our students are dealing with more than learning disabilities.  Anxiety, depression and mental health concerns often come along with the struggle to learn.  It's amazing the difference a small but dedicated and trained staff can make!

The Bridgeway team

I would like to share with you the positive impact that Bridgeway Academy has had, and continues to have on the realization of an education for my oldest daughter , 19 years of age, diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and a Language Based Disorder of Written Expression. My daughter has spent her life healing from the trauma of her early repeated childhood abuse prior to adoption. Her education has been interrupted by intermittant, and longterm inpatient stays at the IWK Healthcare Psychiatric Unit. Homeschooling was the only option feasible for her during her most challenging years, until I moved my family closer to Bridgeway Academy. The tuition supports have allowed my daughter, and her younger sister with ADHD, and other learning issues to attend this wonderful school. My daughters both have a chance, because of Bridgeway to earn a high school education which will see them both ready to attend a post secondary education. It is my oldest daughters dream to attend university, and then continue to set up a theraputic ranch to help youth, much like herself to recover from childhood trauma.

I do not believe it is possible to mix children with these complex learning, and behavioural/mental health issues with students whom do not understand their personal struggles. The years of adolescence are challenging enough, without the added issues of the burden of misunderstood disabilites. These children, and all children in our province, deserve the special attention to their education and mental health needs in schools like Bridgeway. These children deserve a place to heal their devistated self-esteems and rise to the top with the helping hands of teachers and behavioural support instructors like Bridgeway offers. In my experience of raising children with special needs, forcing children to stay in the public school system married with the lack of youth mental health services, is the reason for teens in the age group of 14-19 years, to to have suicide the second highest reason for death in Nova Scotia, according to Statistics Canada . It is time the province assist with supporting the needs of this fragile age group children, and schools like Bridgeway are an important step to realizing a positive future for our troubled youth.

Sherry

Why Bridgeway matters - A Mom's perspective

Another Bridgeway parent shares her perspective on the need for schools like Bridgeway. 

My son, now in Grade 11 at Bridgeway Academy, has a physical disabiltiy as well as a learning disability,  which effects learning all skills related to organization, spacial perception, mathematics, and interpreting social skills. He is a gifted young man in terms of all areas related to language and reads, comprehends and expresses himself at a University level.

It became more and more apparent as the school years went on, that the great talents he does possess would be of little benefit to him, if he didn't develop the self awareness and tools to work around the deficits that were holding him back in terms of relationships and organization. Even if you have a lot of knowledge and alot to say,  it does you no good if you don't have the skills to have a reciprical conversation and make proper eye contact. 

While in grade 7, the result of his mounting frustration culminated in a severe anxiety disorder resulting in months of hospitalization. Then we discovered Bridgeway Academy.

Bridgeway has given us our son and family back. They take complete responsiblity for teaching your child. You no longer have to play teacher at home, for your child to pass.  For instance, the parents sign an agreement that they will not help their child with homework, and if the child can't do it independently, the teacher will go over it with them again. What a concept! ! Sooo different from the hours and hours per night we used to spend at home re-teaching him each evening, resulting in meltdowns for everyone.

Our son is now a very happy, well adjusted young man, who no longer meets the criteria of an anxiety disorder, his confidence is soaring, he has perfected so many social skills that needed to be taught, just like a math problem, step by step.

Schools like Bridgeway are essential to many students, who fall through the wide cracks in our public system. These kids need teachers who are highly trained and an environment that is tailored for them. Society will benefit from the productive competant citizens that are a product of Bridgeway. It should not only be for the priveledged few who live in HRM. Integration is a noble concept, but at what cost?

Tamara

Why Bridgeway matters - Tim's story

While the recent report from AIMS on the expansion of tuition support and Designated Special Education Private Schools like Bridgeway has received much media attention, the human stories about the impact Bridgeway has hasn't.  Bridgeway isn't here to destroy the public education system, we're here to partner with it.  We believe that inclusion means being surrounded by your true peers, which in our case are students with LDs.  We don't want to keep students forever - we want to remediate their skills and send them back to the public school system.

We're going to give our parents and students a voice on our blog, and hope you'll share them with others.  Here is one parent's letter to the media about his son, Tim.

I am writing in response to your interview with Paul Bennett of AIMS about his report recommending expansion of the Tuition Support Program.

First in the interest of transparency, I will tell you that I am the Vice Chair of the Equal Education Association Of Nova Scotia. Our group has long advocated the kind of changes that Mr. Bennett recommends in his report.

My letter is however, as a parent of a Learning Disabled Child, whose life was dramatically changed by the Tuition Support program. Our son Timothy has a severe Learning Disability. Learning disabilities are called the invisible disability because they are not readily apparent in the same way as someone in a wheelchair, and so often get overlooked. They also do not mean that the child is stupid, they affect individuals of average to above average intelligence, who just learn in a different way, and as such are able to be productive members of society if their disability is addressed in a proper way.

Our son’s learning disability was apparent before he started school. He received a tremendous level of support throughout elementary school. By the time he was in grade 5, he was in the SLD (Severe Learning Disability) program, receiving one on one instruction from a SLD teacher 3 times a week. He was also pulled out of class twice a day for learning centre, one on one in the morning and group in the afternoon. He was also assigned an EPA in the classroom for 4 hours per week. His principle at the time told us his extra supports were costing the school in the range of $25,000-30,000 per year over and above what it cost for basic classroom instruction.

 The supports that Timothy received were not very successful, and not very inclusive. He was spending more than half his school day outside the classroom and was seen as different or “special” by his peers. He once told me between tears, “ Dad, I don’t want to be special, I just want to be the same as everyone else.” At the end of grade 7 he was still only reading and writing at an early grade 1 level, fully 7 years behind. The school having exhausted its resources, pulled SLD support. He was to go into grade 8 with only limited resource support.

As parents we didn’t know what to do. If we kept Timothy in the public system, this extremely bright boy would probably drop out of school, and have little in his future other than a minimum wage job or social assistance. On the advice of his SLD teacher we applied for the TSP (Tuition Support Program).  Our application for the TSP was returned because we missed the February 15^th deadline by one week. We were determined that our son would have a future, so we bit the bullet remortgaged our home and enrolled Timothy in Bridgeway Academy.

This was a life changing decision. Timothy flourished at Bridgeway. It was an extremely inclusive environment, teaching Timothy in ways that he learned and being surrounded by others who learned the same way. He no longer felt different, he was recognized for the bright individual he was.

After his first year we applied again to the TSP program and received the transfer of the basic funding unit. This enabled Timothy to continue at Bridgeway until High School graduation. In June 2010, we saw a day that a few years before we thought was impossible, our son Timothy Graduated with honours in a regular academic program. Bridgeway made the impossible, possible.

Timothy is currently enrolled in the Pipe Trades program at NSCC and will be graduating in May as a Plumber/Pipefitter.  This extremely bright boy, who was abandoned by the public school system, was a Bronze Medalist in the 2011 Nova Scotia Skills Competition for skilled trades. Because of the Tuition Support Program and Bridgeway Academy, Timothy will be a successful contributing member of society. He will be working hard and paying taxes, instead of being supported by the public welfare system. This low cost program clearly pays off in big ways.

It is unfortunate that the Tuition Support Program is not available to everyone who needs it, in all areas of the province. Another concern is that the present government has capped it at a maximum of 4 years, rather than looking at how long the student really needs it. Learning Disabilities are lifelong, and many students enter the program more than 4 years behind.

This truly is a life-changing program. In a time of fiscal restraint the government should look hard at expanding this program that both delivers results and saves the taxpayers money.

Kevin Burrell

Bridgeway success story - Equilibrium Youth

We love it when former students drop in and update us on what they have been up to.  Last week, Peter Vaughn dropped by.  He's currently a student at NSCC, but he's also involved in a wonderful organization he started called Equilibrium Youth.  We asked him to share the story of his organization for our blog, and we're delighted he was able to provide us with it so quickly!

The Bridgeway team

By Peter Vaughn

Equilibrium Youth is a non-profit organization that fights against various sorts of stereotypes against teenagers and young adults. Equilibrium, by definition, is the state of equality of weights or forces. Through interpretation, this is what we plan to bring forth. Our mission is dedicated to raise public awareness on various sorts of stereotypes against teenagers and young adults, to stop youth classification through mutual understanding of each other and to explore the numerous ways of helping youth overcome obstacles. Two concepts that we work with is youth classification and mutual understanding.

Youth classification: This is a term used to describe the manner in which youth are judged; that being any form of categorization based on image, interest, upbringing, peers, age, gender, character, or personality. This usually takes place as negative stereotyping manner; however we are trying to change this way of thinking into positive thinking.

Mutual understanding: This is the ability to relate to others, by knowing who people are and how they got there. To achieve this, one must be willing to meaningfully expose themselves to things that are sometimes painful to see or hear. In doing so, individuals will start to realize who they truly are, understand their full potential and embrace a more humble life. Since many prejudice accusations towards youth are formed due to misunderstanding, making the transition from misunderstanding to exposure becomes of the utter most importance.

The message Equilibrium Youth, injunction with our two concepts is sharing with people is that judging youth needs to stop and to start helping these individuals. We have three messages for the public: The Comfort of Self, The Development of Others and The Balance of Society.

The Comfort of Self: We want youth to feel comfortable with their own personal circumstances that they can’t change. These may include living environments, physical and mental limitations, lack of resources, etc.

The Development of Others: We want youth to learn not to judge others without taking into account how that person came to be the way they are. This could refer to someone’s attitude, performance, decisions, etc.

The Balance of Society: We want youth to realize the importance of everyone around them and how their roles are so valuable to society. This pertains especially to those who have made wrong choices, do not participate in ideal conduct, etc.

Peter Vaughan is a student with a learning difference who attended Bridgeway during his Jr. High years then graduated high school from the Halifax West High School alongside Isaac Adams in June 2010. Isaac Adams is the founder of Equilibrium Youth. Currently, Peter is enrolled at NSCC as an Electronic Engineering Technician and Isaac Adams is majoring in Music at Mount Allison University.

In September 2009, Peter joined Isaac with his campaign for equality among youth. Peter goes behind the scene with his computer-based skills. He designs most of the group’s videos and is currently designing a website for the non-profit organization, which he expects to be up this spring. However Peter is not always behind the scenes, one of his ongoing projects is to teaching youth how to ballroom dance. He believes it helps to create strong communication skills between two people and the whole class and to promote other important socials skills.

Why the Bridgeway model works for students with LDs

A new report endorsing the extention of the tuition support program and specialized schools for students with learning disabilities, modeled after Bridgeway.  It's a great endorsement of what we do, but we're not sure that everyone really understands why it's so important. 

Our Executive Director has written the following editorial to share with the newspapers in the province.  We thought we'd share it here as well.

The Bridgeway team

Why the Bridgeway model works for students with LDs

By Lucinda Low

Founder and Executive Director, Bridgeway Academy

I would like to applaud the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies for its endorsement of Nova Scotia’s Tuition Support program in its new report, “A Provincial Lifeline: Expanding the Nova Scotia Tuition Support Program” (www.aims.ca).  For the last eight years, TSP funding has indeed supported hundreds of students with learning disabilities access the specialized education they need at designated special education schools, including Bridgeway, Churchill Academy and Landmark East.

I wanted to share some information about why a school focused on the needs of students with learning disabilities is different than what is offered in the public school system, and why we should be a partner in the continuum of services offered to students in our province.

First, let me tell you a little bit about learning disabilities.  A child with a learning disability has average to above average intelligence.  That’s important to remember, because although they struggle with a specific skill or skills relating to listening, speaking, reading, writing or math, they are very aware that they are having more difficulty than those around them.  This can lead to poor self-esteem, anxiety and depression.

In a public school classroom, these students are being supported by teachers who are trying their best, but may lack the training or be overextended trying to meet the needs of several other students.  Although resource support is often made available, it’s often not enough, which means the student with learning disabilities fall further and further behind their peers.

At Bridgeway, we have teachers trained to help students with specific skills, and we keep our classes to no larger than 8:1.  Students are placed in classes by skill level, not by age or grade.  Being surrounded by students who are at the same level is important to an individual’s confidence and skill development. 

We also pay attention to social skills development, offering classes that help students communicate more effectively, develop and maintain friendships, and problem solve. 

In our school, our students feel more included and more comfortable than they have ever felt in any other classroom.  They also learn.  We are accredited and monitored by the NS Department of Education, and our students are meeting the curriculum outcomes that the Department prescribes.

And we’re not a forever school.  We bring students in, help them with intense support over a few years, then assist them with the transition back to the public school or post-secondary school system.  Many of our students have gone on to complete their high school education, college or university and are now working in careers and raising families.

Although we must charge tuition, we work very hard to keep our costs at a minimum.  We are a registered charity, and fundraise year-round to keep our costs down and build our bursary and endowment funds.  We are extremely thankful that most of our families are receiving tuition support funding from the province of Nova Scotia, but we are doing everything we can to make sure no child who needs our help is turned away.

We are also looking to expand our program to communities in other areas of Nova Scotia, starting with Sydney this September.  But to help as many students as possible, we need to find a way to get students timely access to psycho-educational assessments.  There are students across our province waiting several months to years for psychological testing to identify their learning disabilities.

 We also need a common understanding around Individualized Program Plans (IPPs) in Nova Scotia.  To qualify for tuition support funding, a student requires an IPP from a public school.  However, interpretations of what an IPP is and how it should be used varies widely from school to school and district to district.  A better understanding, or better yet, a change in the criteria for tuition support funding, is needed.

We want to help eliminate those barriers, and we would be more than happy to work with parents, school board officials and the Department of Education to place a school in every district of our province.

We know that we cannot help every child with a special need, including children with autism or intellectual disabilities.  That’s why we have extended our services into the communities through our Turning Tides Community Outreach division, offering programs for those students and others who need support with social skills development and tutoring. 

While we are doing everything we can to help students with learning disabilities, we know there is more than can be done.  Extending the tuition support program and specialized schools for students with learning disabilities is a good first step, and we look forward to working with our partners in education to come up with more solutions that work for all students.

A Provincial Lifeline - Expanding the Tuition Support Program

An important conversation has started today on education and the place of schools like Bridgeway in the continuum of services to students.  The Atlantic Institute for Market Studies has released a report called A Provincial Lifeline - Expanding the Tuition Support Program, which calls for the expansion of schools that provide services to students with learning disabilities to all regions of Nova Scotia, along with the Department of Education tuition support funding that helps so many students get access to this education.


We are ready to work with our partners to bring individualized education for students with learning disabilities to all areas of Nova Scotia.  Let's talk, and then let's get started.


The Bridgeway team

A Provincial Lifeline

Expanding the Nova Scotia Tuition Support Program

Dated: 23 Feb 2012

Paul W. Bennett

One in ten Canadians reportedly suffers from some kind of learning disability, and between 2% and 4% of Nova Scotia’s public school students – numbering 2,500 to 5,000 – are struggling at school with serious learning challenges. In this paper, Paul W. Bennett of Schoolhouse Consulting writes that rescuing and properly educating learning disabled kids has proven a challenge in the province’s regular Primary to Grade 12 schools. Demand for such schooling grew to the point where the Nova Scotia Department of Education looked at implementing a provincial tuition support program serving students with more acute learning difficulties.

The Tuition Support Program (TSP), initiated in September 2004, provides an option for students with special needs who cannot be served at their local public school. It was intended to be short-term and assumes students can eventually be transitioned back into the regular system. The TSP provides funding to cover most of the tuition costs to attend designated special education private schools and any public alternative education centres.

This AIMS research report explores the origins of Nova Scotia’s TSP, assesses its current status, and examines the potential for expanding in Nova Scotia outside the Greater Halifax-Truro region. It reviews the successes and challenges facing the TSP and discusses the increasing demand for such services throughout the province.

In A Provincial Lifeline, Bennett recommends a robust provincial policy initiative to close the service gap by expanding the program and extending an educational lifeline to hundreds of students currently marginalized in the public school system.

Click here to read the full paper.

A new approach to the Bridgeway blog

After spending the last several months blogging every day, we're going to take a slightly different approach.  First, we won't be posting quite as often.  Instead of sharing really interesting articles from other websites on our blog, we'll start Tweeting out links to those articles through our Twitter account - @BridgewayNS. 

On our blog, we'll be focusing on original writing, advice and observations from our own staff or friends in our community, bringing our posts down to one or two a week. 

As always, we welcome your feedback and suggestions on what you would like to see us writing about.  You can add your comment to the page or email your suggestions to rhonda.brown@bridgeway-academy.com.

Thanks!

Rhonda & the Bridgeway team.

Living with an LD sibling - The impact, and how you can help

Parenting a child with an LD or AHDH takes a lot of energy.  Sometimes, that can leave other children feeling left out or fighting for attention.  Here's another great article from Smart Kids with LD on the impact that LDs have on siblings - along with some suggestions for strategies to manage sibling issues.

Rhonda & the Bridgeway team

The Impact of LD on Siblings – Smart Kids with LD « Smart Kids With LD

By Judy Grossman, DrPH, OTR

We all know that sibling relationships run the gamut from best friends to worst enemies. Who hasn’t been jealous of a brother or sister? Although sibling rivalry is normal, it may become problematic if one child has learning difficulties, and the parents devote a great deal of attention to that child.

Even in families where parents have the best intentions and conscientiously attend to the needs of each child, siblings of a child with LD or ADHD often report that they experience unfair treatment and are troubled by sibling relationships.

Unfair Treatment
Sibling reactions differ depending on age, family dynamics, and individual characteristics of the children involved. Often sibling rivalry may stem from the behavior of their parents. A sibling may become angry or jealous because of the attention—positive or negative—that the child with LD or ADHD receives. Resentment may increase if the sibling feels pressure to perform a certain way to make his parents feel better.

Brother’s Keeper
Parents may expect more from the non-LD/ADHD sibling and give him additional responsibilities to help his brother or sister. In some families the sibling becomes protective and assumes a caretaker role because he is sensitive to his parents’ frustrations.

The pain and resentment experienced by the non-LD/ADHD sibling may not be apparent because he seems to be functioning well. In contrast, a non-LD/ADHD sibling who feels rejected may become withdrawn or hostile. If the situation persists, he may feel alienated from the family and develop problematic high-risk behaviors to get the attention he craves from his parents.

Provoking a Reaction
Sibling issues may also stem from direct interactions between children. A child with LD or ADHD may provoke or overstimulate his sibling. The child with LD or ADHD may be impulsive, disorganized or moody at home and the sibling’s response may be confrontational or distancing. He may join the scapegoating process that is part of the family dynamics.

If the child with LD or ADHD has problems in school or with peers, the sibling may act protectively or may withdraw because he is embarrassed.

It is equally important for parents to recognize that the child with LD or ADHD may resent how easy it is for his sibling to complete assignments, make friends, excel in extracurricular activities, manage time, and receive praise from parents.

Managing Sibling Issues

Use the following guidelines to examine issues that may be contributing to tension between your children:

Communication. Really listen and acknowledge your children’s feelings. Even if you think the comments are unjustified, they reflect his or her experience. Encourage each child to express the anger and frustration she may feel toward her sibling.

Education. Educate the entire family about LD or ADHD. Explain the practical effects of the disorder on everyday life. Share information about learning differences and explain why you spend more time with one child helping with homework, attending school conferences, and going to appointments. Describe the ways you give each child the support and attention he needs and deserves. Give examples to clarify misunderstanding. Focus the conversation on strengths and differences, not on problems.

Individual Needs. Treat each child according to his individual needs, rather than worrying about treating each child the same. Siblings may differ significantly in personality, abilities, special attributes, and coping styles. Do not brush aside the needs of the non-LD/ADHD child even if they seem less important or serious. Do not make comparisons. Instead describe the behavior that you see, how you feel, and what should be done.

Roles. Do not lock your child into a role (“problem child,” “good child,” “successful child”). If the family labels one child as the problem, it may lower expectations for that child and cause siblings to aim unrealistically high. It’s important not to place more demands on a sibling to compensate for the lack of achievement of his brother or sister with LD or ADHD.

Parenting Practices. Don’t judge or referee. And don’t get into the habit of blaming one child; it’s difficult to know who provokes. Don’t reward fighting with attention; reward children when they get along. With older siblings, don’t interfere with their battles. The interactions can teach them about compromise, compassion, and connection. Handle problems with consistency and give clear messages.

Social media & kids with LDs

Navigating social media networks can be tricky at the best of times, but it can be downright scary for teens with LDs.  Here's a bit of wisdom from the Smart Kids with LDs website on social media for kids with LDs.

Rhonda & the Bridgeway team

Rethinking Social Media For Your Child with LD

As parents, we’ve become acutely aware of the downside of social media. Even if we’re not technologically savvy, we see the horror stories of cyberbullying, sexting, and pedophiles preying on innocent adolescents. In fact, much of the early research into social media has focused on the scary aspects that have made us all a lot smarter, and presumably better equipped to manage our children’s online behaviors.

However, don’t be too quick to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Writing in The New York Times, Dr. Perri Klass recently reminded us that social media is neither negative nor positive—it’s how it’s used that matters. In Seeing Social Media More as A Portal Than as A Pitfall, Klass suggests that social media and the Internet are simply different environments in which children today are coming of age:

Our children are using social media to accomplish the eternal goals of adolescent development, which include socializing with peers, investigating the world, trying on identities and establishing independence.

In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communications and Media issued a clinical report, “The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents and Families.” It began by emphasizing the benefits of social media for children and adolescents, including enhanced communication skills and opportunities for social connections.

“A large part of this generation’s social and emotional development is occurring while on the Internet and on cellphones,” the report noted.

Our job as parents is to help them manage all this wisely, to understand—and avoid—some of the special dangers and consequences of making mistakes in these media. (We can expect the same kind of gratitude that we get for all of our guidance: mixed, of course, with an extra helping of contempt if our technical skills are not up to theirs.)

“Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all harm model, one of the questions parents need to ask is, ‘How is this going to interact with my child’s personality?’ ” said Clay Shirky, who teaches about social media at New York University. “Digital media is an amplifier. It tends to make extroverts more extroverted and introverts more introverted.”

And both parents and researchers need to be sure they understand the subtleties of the ways teenagers interpret social media.

At a 2011 symposium on the Internet and society, two researchers presented information on how teenagers understand negative talk on the Internet. What adults interpret as bullying is often read by teenagers as “drama,” a related but distinct phenomenon.

By understanding how teenagers think about harsh rhetoric, the researchers suggested, we may find ways to help them defend themselves against the real dangers of online aggression.

The problems of cyberbullying and Internet overuse are serious, and the risks of making mistakes online are very real. But even those who treat adolescents with these problems are now committed to the idea that there are other important perspectives for researchers—or parents, or teachers—looking at the brave new universe in which adolescence is taking place.

Social media, said Dr. Rich, “are the new landscape, the new environment in which kids are sorting through the process of becoming autonomous adults—the same things that have been going on since the earth cooled.”

Safety Zone

For children with LD and ADHD, who may have challenges when it comes to making and keeping friends, social media may be a way of connecting with others, exploring concerns in a safe and anonymous zone, and practicing friend-making skills.

Human Rights & Education - A free public information session

 Have you ever wondered what rights the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission works?  Although education is a fundamental human right, have you ever wondered what that means to you and your family?  We invite you to join us for a free public information by the NS Human Rights Commission on March 8, 2012.  Hope to see you there!

Rhonda & the Bridgeway team

Free Public Information Session - Human Rights and Education in Nova Scotia

Date:                     Thursday, March 8, 2012
Time:                     6-8pm
Location:              Bridgeway Academy, 3 Valleyford Ave., Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
 

The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission provides public education on human rights through information sessions.  During this presentation, members of the Commission will cover the work of the Commission, everyone’s rights and responsibilities, grounds for lodging complaints, and filing complaints and dispute resolution processes of the Commission.  Attendees will also be invited to ask questions.

This session is open to members of the public.  For more information, please contact Bridgeway at 902-465-4800.

If you have any questions or require more information about other services provided by the NS Human Rights Commission, please contact:

                           
Phone: (902) 424-4111 (TTY), Fax: (902) 424-0596
Email: hrcinquiries@gov.ns.ca,
Website: www.gov.ns.ca/humanrights/
Physical Location (Halifax Office): 6^th Floor, 1690 Hollis Street, Halifax, NS
Mailing Address:  PO Box 2221, Halifax NS B3J 3C4

Smart school solutions for NLD students

Yesterday, we shared the first part of an article from the Smart Kids with LD website on helping teachers understand non-verbal learning disabilities.  Today, here's the rest of the article, with information on solutions that can be implemented in the classroom.

Rhonda & the Bridgeway team


By Marcia Eckerd, Ph.D.

Guidelines for Smart Solutions

What kinds of solutions are helpful? Step-by-step directions (clear, explicit, and verbal), academic support as needed, social coaching, strategies for addressing inflexibility and frustration, and ensuring a safe environment for learning are all important. More specifically:

If a child is focused on details, he may miss the main idea, so his work can be “in left field.”
- Break assignments down so the student knows where to start
- Provide a study guide to help prioritize information

Often children with NLD have slow processing speed, they’re exhausted from the day at school, or they don‘t “get” what to do without prompting.
- Adjust the amount and pace of homework to make it achievable

Very bright children with NLD who can talk for hours might be unable to produce several written paragraphs.
- Provide verbal and visual supports for both writing and inferential connections

These children don’t know what they miss, so they can’t ask about it.
- Establish regular, structured teacher-student meetings

Children who are inflexible are unlikely to learn flexibility from rigid consequences.
- Deal with behavioral issues in ways that don’t escalate the problems

Children with NLD face many social challenges, which makes them vulnerable to teasing, provocation, and other forms of bullying. Bullying usually takes place in “no man’s land,” the unstructured places such as halls, lunchrooms, bathrooms, and playgrounds.
- Communicate with teachers, parents and students about the social challenges
- Help students process situations with peers
- Provide clear explanations or rules
- Give sensitive feedback about behavior of which they’re unaware
- Employ strategies such as allowing a student to take breaks, pass in the hall early, and have a “safe place” to go for support
- Zero tolerance for bullying must be implemented

Although it may seem as if students with NLD need a great deal of special support at school, providing a supportive social climate and being clear, direct, and flexible are also hallmarks of good teaching, from which all students can benefit.

The author is an evaluator, consultant, and therapist who specializes in working with children with NLD.

Teaching our teachers about NLD

More often than not, parents find themselves playing the role of "expert" on their children's learning needs, and can be called on to educate the teachers their children come in contact with.  Here's a terrific  article from the Smart Kids with LD website on helping your school understand non-verbal learning disabilities.

Rhonda & the Bridgeway team


Educating the School About NLD « Smart Kids With LD

By Marcia Eckerd, Ph.D.

The job of helping teachers and other school personnel understand Nonverbal Learning Disabilities (NLD) often falls to parents. Unfortunately, they’re not always fully aware of how NLD impacts their child at school. It’s therefore important for parents to educate themselves on how NLD manifests itself, so that they can better educate those their child relies on for help and support throughout the school day.

How does NLD show up in school?

The kind of processing typical of NLD presents the following academic and behavioral challenges unexpected in bright, verbal children.

Academic Challenges

• Black-and-white thinking and poor inferential thinking create problems with reading comprehension and following directions
• Weak visual-spatial skills lead to difficulty with math
• Problems with writing impact almost all subjects
• Intense focus on details makes it hard to get the main idea and know what to study
• Executive function weakness often results in poor organization and inflexibility
• Difficulty knowing how to break down large tasks contributes to frustration with classwork and homework

Social and Behavioral Challenges

• Poor social skills coupled with poor pragmatic language skills can lead to social isolation, teasing, and bullying
• Concrete thinking combined with inflexibility contributes to oppositional behavior
• Poor social judgment can result in inappropriate, sometimes provocative behavior, often misinterpreted as attention-seeking or rudeness
• Executive function weakness can result in impulsivity, poor emotional control, and the inability to self-monitor
• Reactions to provocations, real or perceived, can lead to disruptive behavior
• Poor coordination and spatial organization as well as poor social skills make team sports and PE frustrating

Managing these challenges in addition to the usual demands for academic performance is exhausting, which is why many children with NLD, understandably, come home from school “fried.”
By proactively working with the school, parents can help the staff anticipate problems and develop strategies to handle them, which in turn will lead to a better educational experience and a happier child at the end of the day.

Working with the School

If teachers are unfamiliar with NLD, it’s worthwhile to provide them with a short article that explains basic information about NLD.

When meeting with teachers, I recommend that parents bring a list of specific issues rather than a list of “you need to” solutions. This approach is less likely to produce defensiveness, and is more likely to engage teachers and counselors in problem solving.

The author is an evaluator, consultant, and therapist who specializes in working with children with NLD.

Tomorrow, we'll share the second half of this article, whic focuses on smart solutions for working with NLD kids.

Emergent Learning - Rewind my Teacher

With just over two months to go to the Emergent Learning Conference, we thought we would share a few previews of topics to be covered by more than 50 participating presenters.  We'll be posting guest blog postings and video chats on the blog every few days from now until April 23.

We'll kick things off with Al Reyner, Principal of Sir John A. MacDonald High School in Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia, who will be presenting on two topics - Rewind my Teacher and How to Create a 21st Century School.

You can register for Emergent Learning: Turning Tides in 21st Century Education on our website - http://www.teachingthewaychildrenlearn.com/. Hope to see you there!

Enjoy!

Rhonda & the Bridgeway team

A few things you probably don't know about the new Children's Arts Tax Credit

It's tax season again, and if you have children, you're probably looking forward to claiming the new Children's Arts Tax Credit for the first time.  Although you probably know it covers arts programs, you might not know that it covers academic tutoring, programs that help develop interpersonal skills, and programs that help children develop and use intellectual skills.  That credit will apply to both the tutoring and social skills programs offered by our sister organization, Turning Tides Community Outreach! 

Here is an explanation of the credit program by Wade Brummet, parent and Past-Chair of the Equal Education Association of Nova Scotia.

Rhonda & the Bridgeway team

By Wade Brummet

Equal Education Association of Nova Scotia

New for the 2011 tax year is the Children's Arts Tax Credit.  Up to $500 is eligible to be deducted from either (not both) parents return for children under 16.  For children holding a disability tax certificate (form 2201), they are eligible for the credit until age 18, and qualify for an additional credit of $500 if at least $100 in eligible expenses has been paid.  For example, if you claimed $150, the actual credit amount will be $650. 

The new tax credit has been fairly well-publicized, but what might not be as well known is that money paid for programs that support the intellectual or social development of kids, along with academic tutoring, can also be claimed.  Here is the full list of activities that are eligible:

·         contributes to the development of creative skills or expertise in artistic or cultural activities;
·         provides a substantial focus on wilderness and the natural environment;
·         helps children develop and use particular intellectual skills;
·         includes structured interaction among children where supervisors teach or help children develop interpersonal skills; or
·         provides enrichment or tutoring in academic subjects.

To qualify for this amount, a program must meet the requirements listed under the section called "Prescribed program" at Line 365.  You can also find more information on the Canada Revenue Agency website at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/gncy/bdgt/2011/qa01-eng.html.

Note: An activity that develops creative skills or expertise is only eligible if it is intended to improve a child's dexterity or co-ordination, or helps in acquiring and applying knowledge through artistic or cultural activities such as literary arts, visual arts, performing arts, music, media, languages, customs, and heritage.

 
The Equal Education Association of Nova Scotia is a non-profit association formed to advocate educational rights on behalf of all children with learning disabilities in Nova Scotia.  Contact EEANS for more information at info@eeans.ca or visit their website -  www.eeans.ca.

The secret lives of kids

We think we know our kids well, but it's surprising how much of their lives they don't share with us.  Our own Angela Rudderham decided to find out just how much a few students are keeping to themselves - and why.

Rhonda & the Bridgeway team

By Angela E. Rudderham, Director of Turning Tides Community Outreach

Have you ever found yourself wondering, “How could they not know what their child is up to?” Or do you believe, “I know my child, we have no secrets!”  Most good parents have uttered these sentences from time to time and most really do believe it. My experience working with children and families has taught me that this is most often a fairy tale and even the most involved and present parents are unaware of the experiences, feelings and events that happen in their school-aged child’s day. Kids are masterful at editing their day for parent’s ears. It starts around grade one and these skills continue to build. I asked some random students this week if they would help me with this article, and promised we would change their names if they would give me the scoop. I’d like to share with you what I uncovered.

Scott, age 11 and in grade 6 is a well-cared for and well-behaved student. He told me that he tells his parents very little about his day. When I asked him what happens in his day that he wouldn’t share with his parents, he told me he would not share anything that would, “get him in trouble” or make his parents “think badly about me”.  At the top of his list of things he does not tell his parents is the fact that he often consumes energy drinks that are smuggled to school by other students and consumed in secret, sometimes in bathroom stalls. I quickly make a note to end this practice, but to encourage Scott’s participation, I remained non-judgmental.  He admitted that if he gets into “trouble” in class or on the playground he would never tell his parents unless they were going to find out. When asked why not, his reasoning was very logical. “Well, if I already got in trouble for it in school, I shouldn’t have to listen to another lecture and ruin my night too!”  And not entirely self-serving, as he also added, “I don’t like it when they are sad because I disappointed them.”

Sonic Boom (self-chosen name) age 7 and in grade 2, is also a very well-loved child with very involved parents. He admits when his parents ask about his day he replies, “fine” and tries to get them off the subject. When I asked why, he told me that if he gives a little information there will just be too many questions to deal with. He says it’s mostly things he can handle like someone making fun of him or getting sent out of class. At the top of his list of secrets is the fact that sometimes he” fights” with his four-year-old brother and his brother will cry and attract the attention of his parents. When this happens “Sonic Boom” will quickly do something funny and get his brother to laugh so that when a parent arrives to see what is happening he can deny the fighting.

Jennifer age 13 and in grade 7, is a model student, but even she admits that every kid leads a double life. She says she definitely acts different around friends and she would never want her conversations overheard by her parents. She says her friends talk about sex and sometimes swear.  She says she would never tell her parents how often her feelings are hurt by teasing because they would get involved and might call the school and she would be embarrassed. She also admits to not telling her parents about good things that happen like getting an award because, “they will make a big deal of it when it isn’t that cool and tell people.” I asked her what parents could do differently that would encourage kids to share more about their day. Jennifer, rolling her eyes, says, “If they just listened and let you handle your own stuff instead of overreacting or giving a big lecture.”        

Aside from some other scary stuff I learned, such as literally playing on thin ice and talking to strangers, all of the children I interviewed indicated their secrets or lies are to maintain privacy, safeguard opportunities to make choices without risking parental intervention or disapproval, and of course, to stay out of trouble. All seems a perfectly natural step in maturation and the quest for independence but I still worry those children that keep their emotions and problems to themselves at a young age may be missing out on learning important coping strategies and problem solving skills from their parents. By the time they are teens, and the problems they face are more complex and their choices have bigger consequences, they will be experts at dodging their parents influence and will not have benefited from the practice of “talking it out.” The largest complaint from many “troubled” teens is the feeling that they are alone and have no one to talk to. Clearly this does not just start over night; our children are practicing keeping us out of their business early. Just ask “Sonic Boom”.

Here are some suggestions for getting your child to start sharing the details of their day;

1.       Listen. Most of us really are not very good at this according to the students I speak with. Most of us feel that there simply isn’t enough time; as a result our attention is almost always divided. When your child begins to share something and she sees that while you may have one eye on her the other is on the cell phone she will always conclude you must be doing something more important than what it is she is trying to share. Obviously your child is important to you; back it up with actions. Make five minutes or whatever you can spare each day to actively listen to your child. That means eye contact, still hands and feet and ignoring would-be distractions.

 

2.       Validate feelings. When your child discloses an event they are not looking for advice, questions or reprimands. They are looking for an acknowledgment of their feelings. Offering supportive phrases such as “that must have been very hard for you” or “are you okay?” shows that you hear them. When we say things like, “Well that’s what happens when you act that way,” Or “that’s not so bad,” we are dismissing their emotions and they will not feel heard. They will be less likely to share with us next time. Remember showing empathy does not mean you agree.

3.      Teach problem solving and resilience. Lecturing does little in the way of teaching. Guiding your child through the problem solving steps will help them become independent and set them up to make good decisions on their own. Help them to identify the problem and encourage them to come up with three possible solutions. Help them predict the outcome of each possible solution and let them pick the outcome they can live with.

You may at some point feel as if you need to do back flips to get more than two words out of your child. This is a normal part of growing up. But don't stop trying. Keep practicing and perfecting your listening skills to keep those lines of communication open. Don’t take for granted that you know all they are experiencing and remain available to them for when they need to talk to you. They will, and it will be when you least expect it.

Angela Rudderham is the Director of Turning Tides Community Outreach, a division of Bridgeway Academy.  For more information on Turning Tides programs for youth and workshops for parents and professionals, please visit www.turningtides.ca or call 902-444-TIDE (8433).

Bringing brain research into the classroom

We have shared a few news stories recently on the science of learning disabilities, specifically work focused on the brain and LDs.  It's interesting to note that these breakthroughs aren't just theoretical - some of the findings are being implemented in classrooms around the world.

Here's an interesting article from a recent issue of Education Week, an online publication for teachers in the US, on how brain research is making its way into special education settings.

Rhonda & the Bridgeway team


Special Educators Borrow from Brain Studies

By Nirvi Shah
Rockville, Md.

In a corner of a classroom here at the Ivymount School, a frustrated 7th grader tells himself to take a deep breath. Slowly, without distracting his classmates, he calms down.

This exercise is among many strategies derived from brain-science research that educators at this private school are using with students with disabilities. In this case, the technique is being taught to students with Asperger syndrome, for whom self-control in a moment of frustration can be elusive.

The five steps to regaining calm—including breathing deeply, reading directions, and telling oneself to give something a try—are taped to many of the desks of students in the Model Asperger Program.

Ivymount is one of a growing number of schools trying to adapt techniques based on brain research to special education settings, a practice that many teachers and parents may not have even envisioned a few years ago. While some educators remain skeptical, brain research is slowly migrating from the lab into the classroom, both in predicting which students may have learning difficulties and intervening to help students diagnosed with disabilities.

Opportunities Emerge

Among the efforts under way:
• In Cambridge, Mass., a Harvard University center is devoted to training those who want to use neuroscience and cognitive science to improve teaching, including for students with disabilities.
• In Washington, George Washington University has created a doctoral program in applied neuroscience in special education.

• The Center for Applied Technology, in Wakefield, Mass., employs specialists in neuropsychology, along with other experts, to expand learning opportunities for students with disabilities.
• A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is using brain-imaging to predict which children in a given kindergarten class might eventually struggle with reading, because of dyslexia or other reasons, so intervention can take place as early as possible.

"We are just beginning to understand how big this is," said Maxine B. Freund, a professor in George Washington's department of special education and the associate dean of research and external relations. "It's an opportunity we treasure."

That's especially so for students with disabilities, said Kurt W. Fischer, a Harvard professor of psychology and human development and the founder of the graduate school of education's Mind, Brain, and Education program.

"What we need to do is figure out how to harness those differences instead of making everyone learn the same way," he said.

That doesn't mean there shouldn't still be some caution about translating brain research into educational techniques, he said.

"There are people that are skeptical, and they ought to be skeptical," Mr. Fischer said. "There are lots of things happening," he added, but "it's still early."

Read the rest of the article on the Education Week website.

Inspirational quotes - Educational change

My final installment of inspiring quotes (for now).  I'd like to dedicate these to Nova Scotia's Minister of Education, the staff at the Department Education, and staff and elected officials at all of the school boards in Nova Scotia. My wish for you this year is that you find a way to rise above political agendas, bridge differences and start working together to make our education system the best for what should be your first priority - our kids.

Rhonda

We need a metamorphosis of education - from the cocoon a butterfly should emerge. Improvement does not give us a butterfly only a faster caterpillar.

Learning to Learn

How has the world of the child changed in the last 150 years?' … the answer is. 'It's hard to imagine any way in which it hasn't changed….they're' immersed in all kinds of stuff that was unheard of 150years ago, and yet if you look at schools today versus 100 years ago, they are more similar than dissimilar.

Peter Senge

Educating the masses was intended only to improve the relationship between the top and the bottom of society. Not for changing the nature of the relationship.

John Ralston Saul, 'Voltaire's Bastards.'

The conduct of schools, based upon a new order of conception, is so much more difficult than is the management of schools which walk the beaten path.

John Dewey

Much educational change is akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Anon

I imagine a school system that recognizes learning is natural, that a love of learning is normal, and that real learning is passionate learning. A school curriculum that values questions above answers…creativity above fact regurgitation…individuality above conformity.. and excellence above standardized performance….. And we must reject all notions of 'reform' that serve up more of the same: more testing, more 'standards', more uniformity, more conformity, more bureaucracy.

Tom Peters , Author 'Re-imagine'

Transforming Education - final thoughts from The Element

In this final posting on our blog journey through The Element, Sir Ken Robinson shares his thoughts on transforming education, a philosophy that shapes our upcoming conference Emergent Learning: Turning Tides in 21st Century Education.  Please join us - and Sir Ken! - in Halifax this April 23-24.

Rhonda & the Bridgeway team

There are inspiring models of education everywhere.  Sir Ken shares his own wife Terry's experience as a drama teacher in one of the poorest areas of Liverpool, England.  The head of her school recognized that teachers should be allowed to play to their strengths and teaching should be child-centred.  Each teacher was eventually allowed to the basics each morning (reading, writing, math), but spend the afternoons teaching their true passion.  Terry taught drama and incorporated the subjects that were being taught in other classes - Roman history for example.  Other teachers taught art, geography or whatever their subject of choice was.  After some time, the standard of every student improved, and kids who never excelled at anything had the opportunity to shine.

Another revolutionary system started in the Italian town of Reggio Emilia in the 1960's.  The curriculum is child-directed, and the rooms are full of dramatic play areas, work tables and different areas where kids can interact, problem solve and learn to communicate.  The school year is built around weeklong and yearlong projects.  Students learn to hypothesize and collaborate, with the help of teachers who play the role of researchers, helping kids explore their interests.

So let's tie it all together.  The theme of the book is really about using our own natural resources - passions and talents - to the fullest.  It's essential to our well being and that of our communities.  As Sir Ken believes, "education is supposed to be the process that develops all resources."  Unfortunately, it's not.  Instead, the probem is the nature of our education systems, and the, "real challenges for education will only be met by empowering passionate and creative teachers and by firing up the imaginations and motivations of students."

If you'll remember way back near the beginning, Sir Ken described intelligence as being diverse, dynamic and distinct.  Here's what he believes it means for education:

• Elminate the existing hierarchy of subjects.  Too many students go through their education without having their natural talents recognized.  Arts, sciences, humanities, physEd, languages, math, drama, etc. all have an equal contribution to make to a student's education.
• Question the idea of subjects - Subjects like arts and science have much in common.  There can be dynamic relationships and overlap between subjects, so we shouldn't treat them as separate and distinct.
• Curriculum should be personalized.  (It has to be, if we're moving to our Element.)  It happens in the mind and souls of individuals, not in cookie-cutters.

With respect to teaching, Sir Ken believes that schools need to invest in teachers - they should be mentors and coaches with a shared goal of teaching students, not subjects.   

"The future of education is not in standardizing but in customizing; not in promoting groupthink and 'deindividualization' but in cultivating the real dept and dynamism of human abilities of every sort.  For the future, education must be Elemental."

Making the Grade - Do schools help or hinder our journey to finding our Element?

We have finally reached the end of The Element!  In this final chapter - Making the Grade - Sir Ken Robinson looks at the role school plays in our lives (a topic we're certainly interested in!).  Share your thoughts on the role school played in finding your Element!

Rhonda & the Bridgeway team

Many of the people you'll find in The Element didn't do well in school.  Take Sir Richard Branson as a example.  In school, he was good at athletics and showed a flair for business.  Unfortunately, his grades were poor, which confused his teachers, who knew bright and industrious.  Branson left school at sixteen, and one teacher predicted he would either be in jail or be a millionaire by the time he was 21.

As it turns out, Richard Branson followed his passion - his entrepreneurial spirit - and started a magazine.  He followed with a mail order business selling records, which eventually evolved into the Virgin Megastores.  he eventually launched Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Cola, Virgin Trains and Virgin Fuel.  Now, he's starting Virgin Galactic, the first commercial endeavour to send people into space. 

Why did school not work out for Richard Branson?  He eventually learned he had dyslexia, which also impacted his ability to do math.  He has created his empire through his passion and creativity, but surrounds himself with others who help with the areas where he struggles (accountants!).   Would his teachers have predicted this as his future if they went strictly by his grades?  Probably not.

Sir Ken believes that, "public education puts relentless pressure on its students to conform."  He sees schools as a product of industrialism - they have been created like the factory culture they were designed to support.  It does well for some, but dropout rates continue to climb.  He believes that, "the structure and character of industrial education are creaking under the strain of the twenty-first century."  He points to the declining value of a post-secondary degree as a symptom of the problem.  Students are no longer guaranteed jobs in their field of study, mostly because so many people have degrees today.  In the past, when most jobs were manual or blue-collar, only a few people went to college.  That's changed, as has the job situation, where more jobs involve digital technology and information systems.  More people need degrees, so more are getting them.  The pressure to succeed at this level is increasing as well, with some countries putting pressure on their youngest members to start preparing at the earliest stages.

Most education systems in the world are going through reform, both for economic and cultural reasons.  But Sir Ken believes that, "the mistake that many policymakers make is to believe that in education the best way to face the future is by improving what they did in the past."  He breaks the education system into three main processes - the curriculum (what the school system expects the student to learn); pedagogy (the process by which the system helps students do it); and assessment (the process of judging how they're doing).  Most reform focuses on curriculum and assessment, which reinforces the old hierarchy of subjects and puts even more emphasis on assessment.  Overuse of standardized testing, Sir Ken argues, turns it from a tool to a focus of education.

Sir Ken argues for more focus on teaching, which is fundamentally important in raising standards in education.  Great schools always have great teachers in them.  But that's not enough.  We'll give the last word today to Sir Ken:

"The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn't need to be reformed - it needs to be transformed.  The key to this transformation is not to standardize education but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions.  The key is to embrace the core principles of the Element.  Some of the most invigorating and successful innovations in education around the world illustrate the real power of this approach."

Tomorrow, in our final installment, we'll examine Sir Ken Robinson's call for the transformation of education, which is also the subject of his presentation this April at Emergent Learning: Turning Tides in 21st Century Education in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  We hope you can join us!