Comments for All Kinds of Minds

Comment on A Number Two Pencil and a Three-Point Shot by Carol Hoffman

Carol Hoffman — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:23:19 +0000

I too have worked in an Independent, College Preparatory School and saw many students that didn't find a fit in public school or a smaller private school. The key, finding what he is good at and letting him have time for those activities, is what you have already done. There are some alternative High Schools dedicated to specific careers like zoological, aeronautical or botanical interests. My son was not a good fit for public school and we chose a military academy which he will tell you was the best thing he could have done. He was on the honor color guard, weightlifting team and soccer team. There are schools that focus on the individual learner and have been trained in the neurodevelopmental framework such as Wasatch Academy in Utah (an All Kinds of Minds School of Distinction) and Oregon Episcopal School in Portland just to name a few. You are in tune to his needs and now your task is to find a school that is a good fit.

Comment on A Number Two Pencil and a Three-Point Shot by All Kinds of Minds

All Kinds of Minds — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:18:15 +0000

We’re posting this response because this is a great example of the kinds of students we want to help educators understand and work with in their classrooms. While All Kind of Minds does not directly consult individual students, we encourage those of you with ideas on this to share your insights as to what else this terrific parent can do to help a talented and complex learner! Any thoughts?

Comment on A Number Two Pencil and a Three-Point Shot by Lisa Winebrenner

Lisa Winebrenner — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:52:50 +0000

I came to this website/blog through the SALT website at University of Arizona. I know of SALT as I have until recently been the Director of College Counseling at an independent school. Here is my question for AKOM. I have a 15 year old son who has LD issues as well as clinical anxiety – diagnosed and treated since he was four years old. Testing is in the superior range on many of the assessment tests he has taken. He really does not like school and has only done well in the classes where he likes the teacher and he feels that the teacher “gets” him. He rarely completes his high school homework and those he does, he does not turn in. He is often “not present” in mind during his classes. He is taking ADHD meds as well as anxiety meds. We re-evaluate these often and keep a close watch on their effects. After a “perfect storm” scenario early this winter, we withdrew him from his high school and are fortunate that he is able to take classes at an accreditted tutoring center. He is working one-on-one with a tutor and is taking online courses through BYU – high school level courses. The social pressure of the large suburban high school is eliminated and he is also able to work part time doing things he loves – constructing furniture and helping with a business that manages second homes. I know that he will be very successful when he is older – college should be interesting for him as he can be more flexible in what he takes. The answer I am looking for is what do I do for the next three years to get him through high school? I thought I was well-versed in different learning styles – I’ve attend many conferences and worked with many different types of students and parents. I’ve read! My own child has me stumped – I guess that is a truism! Any thoughts and opinions?

Comment on AKOM Private v Public by Liza

Liza — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:46:06 +0000

This is very up-to-date information. I think I’ll share it on Delicious.

Comment on AKOM and the Solo Practitioner by Anele

Anele — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:19:26 +0000

I am an occupational therapist who completed the Schools Attuned course in 2007 and have very similar experiences working independently within a number of schools. I have used my Schools Attuned experience especially in my written reports and during feedback to parents, but the real joy is through the demystification process with the children I work – that has been transformational in my practice. I would love to hear more about your experience and how do you get teachers to be excited about seeing children through a different lens without them feeling ‘Oh no, another new thing to try and incorporate!’

Comment on Education on the Campaign Trail by AMOL THAKARE

AMOL THAKARE — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 06:46:04 +0000

i am very thankful to you are focussing educational issues on facing a harsh reality that education was not going to be able to compete on the campaign trail…

Comment on Understanding and Accepting by ram

ram — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:11:49 +0000

Hi this is ram: Esther King, a Schools Attuned advisor and teacher for Carnegie Elementary in Tulsa, Oklahoma, presented the first of four scheduled Learning About Learning Workshops to an audience of more than 40 Carnegie parents. One parent attending the seminar commented, “I think this ought to be required for every parent. The information is so useful.” ram, Drug Intervention Virginia

Comment on Independent School Leadership by Marty Foley

Marty Foley — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:56:31 +0000

Thanks for the comments, Paul.

There were two real reasons for using the terminology I did – brevity and clarity. Blogging is a succinct medium, and I’ll admit to playing on the common ‘willing and able’ phrase to make my point. I see this as different from labeling students though. I am not attempting to limit individuals by fitting them into a mold (Administrator A is Willing and Unable), but rather describing what I have seen an organizational entity do in practice.

My intent was to be more descriptive than judgmental, though that may not have come across clearly enough, and I would freely admit that there are plenty of more descriptive and nuanced alternatives to the terminology I used to describe the different levels of administrative engagement.

Comment on Independent School Leadership by Paul

Paul — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:29:16 +0000

I enjoy reading your contributions to All Kinds of Minds Blog, Marty. I’ve been thinking about the administrator/leadership categories that you have identified in your comments on ‘Independent School Leadership’ (4th December, 2008). I understand the point you are making – that school leadership is a critical factor in creating a school culture that welcomes students with diverse learning needs. I agree with you that there are differences in the ways that administrators engage with the challenge of serving individual learners in their schools. As educators who are committed to the philosophy of All Kinds of Minds we would actively avoid lumping our students into categories and identifying them as ‘willing and able’, ‘willing but unable’ or ‘unwilling’. And so I was wondering why you chose to categorize administration/leadership using these phrases? Is there some other way to describe the different levels of engagement in this challenging and important work that uses phrases that are more optimistic and specific?

Comment on Implementing SA at WA by mroach01

mroach01 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:02:13 +0000

I am not on the payroll for Atlas Curriculum Mapping, but I have to say that their service is awesome!

Usually technology people will evade requests for adjustments to websites and their functions. I understand why… I think… That HTML stuff is complicated!!

When the representatives of Atlas came down to train our faculty, they asked us what we might like changed to meet the specific needs of our school. The representative pulled out his cell phone during a break in the training. He called and asked the tech. gurus to make some changes. They were made before the end of the training session!!

Atlas has integrated Schools Attuned into elements of their interface for our school. Teachers can simply click what neurodevelopmental demands an assignment, lesson, project, et cetera will present for learners. It is intuitive and simple; even for non-technophiles like myself! When we unveil our curriculum mapping efforts through our new website, people will be able to click on a class and see not only what content will be offered, but what neurodevelopmental demands they should expect.

This is an exciting element of Schools Attuned at Wasatch Academy.