“Ms. Assel’s 4th grade class performed ‘THE GINGERBREAD MAN’ for the 2nd grade and treated them to gingerbread cookies. What a nice holiday treat!”

Photos from Germantown Christmas Parade

Mr. Stigger Appreciation Day

December 12th was officially “Walter Stigger Day” in Germantown, as an official proclamation from Germantown Mayor Sharon Goldsworthy was signed and put into decree. Walter Stigger is Bodine's Director of Custodial Services and Maintenance. The proclamation was part of a celebration for Stigger and his family that was put on by the Bodine students, faculty and staff to honor the 20th anniversary of Stigger’s outstanding employment and superior service to the school. The celebration also included other gifts of appreciation and a singing serenade for Stigger by the student body.

The "Gift of Dyslexia" Showcased

Ms. Lee's class recently decorated the "Believe Bulletin Board" in extraordinary fashion.

Life Success Series (part 8 in a series of 8)

Posted by: Mr. Graber

This is the final installment in this series. (From LD onilne) .

Conclusion and Resources

Research has shown that a set of personal characteristics, attitudes, and behaviors can help lead persons with learning disabilities to successful life outcomes. Unfortunately, we often concentrate our efforts primarily on academic/educational areas, paying little attention to the development of these attributes in persons with learning disabilities.

Noting the importance of these attributes in promoting positive life outcomes, it is reasonable to direct greater efforts toward fostering the development of these success attributes, at least to the same degree that we strive to improve academic skills. If we remind ourselves that research has shown that learning disabilities persist into adulthood, and that children with learning disabilities must ultimately function in settings beyond school, the importance of enhancing these attributes becomes more apparent. This shift in focus is by no means intended to undermine the importance of developing academic skills in children with learning disabilities. Rather, our intention is to emphasize the importance of developing success attributes in addition to, or alongside academic skills. Although the extent to which these attributes can be taught to, or learned by students with learning disabilities, is not completely clear, we do know that they are critical to attaining life success.

Fostering the success attributes is one of the ways that parents can help their children with learning disabilities grow up to be more successful throughout their lives. These attitudes, behaviors, and characteristics require exercise, practice, and review just like any other skill children learn. At different life stages, new developmentally appropriate challenges may require parents to recycle and revisit with their children the success attributes they had worked on earlier.

Examples from the successful adult, Vanessa, may help illustrate this point. Vanessa's mother had to work hard on her daughter's self-awareness during the early stages of identification of her learning disability. "Strength and weakness language" was prevalent in family discussions with often-tearful Vanessa as she navigated the academic challenges of elementary and middle school. Proactivity was the topic of long summer afternoons between seventh and eighth grade, as Vanessa's mother helped her actively set social dates with potential girlfriends who might otherwise pass her by over the summer. These times were often stressful, since Vanessa had difficulty reading the sophisticated social cues of teenage girls at slumber parties. Over time, she and her mother settled on some successful stress-reduction coping strategies to employ in these situations.

In high school, after a couple of failed cashiering jobs at popular teenage clothing stores, Vanessa's father helped her take stock of what type of employment would be more suitable for her, given her learning disability and her strengths, weaknesses, and interests. As a result, Vanessa set an attainable goal of getting a job at a local preschool working with children. This proved to be a good niche for her in high school, and later shaped the direction of her college studies and, ultimately, her career as an adult. Getting into the state college was a great accomplishment for Vanessa and her parents, but failing the writing proficiency exam was a huge blow to Vanessa's academic self-confidence. Her mother helped her revisit perseverance and support networks, and Vanessa also sought the advice of a college counselor, who helped her get into an English proficiency class at the local junior college over the summer. She struggled, didn't give up, and passed!

At times, the challenges children like Vanessa face growing up with learning disabilities are too great for them and their parents. In those instances, whenever in the life course they may arise, families may need help from appropriate counselors, therapists, and learning disability specialists. Several of the organizations listed in the Resource section at the back of this guide, along with their state and local affiliates, may be helpful in locating appropriate support and services. Raising a child with learning disabilities is hard, persistent work. It can dominate family life and be stressful for parents, as well as siblings. Don't hesitate to get help for yourselves, as well as extended family members.

On a final note, it turns out that children growing up with learning disabilities appreciate all that parents do for them during the difficult years, whether they ever say thank you or not. We close with a few quotes from adult study participants expressing the gratitude they feel toward their parents as they reflect back on their lives from age 35.
"My mom was the one to come in and talk to teachers, principals…She was always the one to take me around and stay there with me. I can imagine it was, at times, stressful for her, but I never felt it."

"My father really cared. He wanted me to have the best. And he did. He made sure of that. [He] always gave me the self confidence and self-esteem that I lacked in myself. He made me feel that I was able to do anything I wanted to do."
Such quotes demonstrate the appreciation the participants in our study expressed for the sacrifices their mothers and fathers made on their behalf and underscore the impact their parents' efforts have had on their developing into successful, personally fulfilled adults, despite challenges along the way.

Resources
Coodinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities
Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD)P.O. Box 40303Overland Park, KS 66204(913) 492-8755Fax: (913) 492-2546
Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)1110 North Glebe Road, Suite 300Arlington, VA 22201(703) 620-3660Fax: (703) 264-9494Toll-free: (800) 328-0272
International Dyslexia Association (IDA)Chester Building, Suite 3828600 LaSalle RoadBaltimore, MD 21286(410) 296-0232Fax: (410) 321-5069Toll-free: (800) ABC-D123
LD Online
Learning Disability Association of America (LDA)4156 Library RoadPittsburgh, PA 15234-1349(412) 341-1515Fax: (412) 344-0224Toll-free: (888) 300-6710
National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)381 Park Avenue South, Suite 1401New York, NY 10016(212) 545-7510Fax: 545-9665Toll-free: (800) 575-7373
National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY)P.O. Box 1492Washington, DC 20013-1492(202) 884-8200Fax: (202) 884-8441Toll-free: (800) 695-0285
Schwab Learning1650 S. Amphlett Blvd., Suite 300San Mateo, CA 94402(650) 655-2410Fax: (650) 655-2411
This article is also available as a downloadable PDF.

Life Success Series (part 7 in a series of 8)

posted by: Mr. Graber

Every two weeks I will be posting a section from this article here on Inside Bodine. I think you will find it quite interesting. It is a wonderful piece on life success for students with learning disabilities. It originally appeared on LD online.

Below are the schedule of the postings and the seventh installment:

September 6: introduction

September 21: self-awareness

October 5: proactivity

October 19: perseverance

November 2: goal-setting

November 16: presence and use of support systems

November 30: emotional coping strategies

December 11: conclusion and resources

Success Strategy #6: Emotional coping strategies
All people with learning disabilities experience stress in their lives as a result of living with learning problems. Such stress can be experienced in a variety of settings -- school, work, home, and social life. In some cases, the stress can be so significant that it leads to psychological difficulties such as anxiety and depression.

However, although all persons with learning disabilities may experience disability-related stress, successful individuals appear to have developed effective means of reducing and coping with stress, frustration, and the emotional aspects of their learning disabilities. In particular, there appear to be three components of successful emotional coping:
Awareness of the situations that trigger stress;
Recognition of developing stress;
Availability/access to and use of coping strategies.

For example, a successful adult with learning disabilities in our study manages her anxiety attacks by recognizing that reading aloud in a group triggers anxiety, physical symptoms such as rapid breathing are signs of stress, and slow deep breathing reduces her anxiety.
Successful individuals have developed strategies for reducing stress and avoiding resulting psychological difficulties. Such strategies include seeking counseling, asking others to do unmanageable tasks on the job, changing activities periodically so stress does not build up, expressing feelings, asserting oneself, utilizing peer support and encouragement, learning to ask for help, planning ahead for difficult situations, keeping away from negative or critical persons, obtaining medication if necessary, working out differences with friends and family, and sharing with sympathetic family members.

Whereas recognizing triggers and using coping strategies helps successful individuals with learning disabilities cope, unsuccessful persons with learning disabilities report being blindsided by events that cause stress. When overly stressed or emotionally wrought, they have great difficulty thinking of potential resources -- both internal and external -- to help them reduce stress and regain stability.

Emotional coping strategies Checklist
My child…
Is aware of how his/her emotional reactions affect behavior
Is aware of situations that cause stress, frustration and emotional upset
Has developed strategies for avoiding or reducing stress
Is able to recognize the onset of stress
Knows when outside support/help is needed

Successful individuals with learning disabilities develop an awareness of their emotional states and specific coping strategies for dealing with stress, frustration, and adversity. In an effort to assist children with learning disabilities to develop coping strategies, we suggest that efforts be aimed at helping them:
Understand the various factors that affect psychological health;
Become aware of their various emotional reactions and how these reactions impact their behavior;
Learn to recognize stress triggers;
Develop strategies for avoiding or reducing stress (as possible);
Develop a repertoire of coping strategies;
Learn to recognize when they need outside support/help.
General activities for developing emotional coping strategies
Use words in discussions with your child that identify feelings (for example, angry, disappointed, defeated, frustrated, proud, impatient).
Ask your child to discuss the circumstances that create the greatest stress in his or her life in relation to his or her learning disability (reading aloud in class, correcting a classmate's paper, picking up social cues at parties, etc.).
Have your child write down how his or her body feels at the onset of stress. Discuss with your child the warning signs of stress and how to employ coping strategies.
Have your child identify strategies that help reduce stress (for example, relaxation techniques, weight lifting, a game of basketball, listening to music, the movies).
Guide your child to know when learning disability-related emotional needs reach a critical point requiring outside help and how to access the right help.
Help your child develop and nurture good peer relationships.

Students Recognize Michael Cook

Bodine School students and faculty members recently recognized former Bodine board chair and generous patron Michael Cook for his outstanding service. He was given this picture (in a frame) and a framed news paper article that was recently written about his many contributions to the school. Thank you, Mr. Cook, from all of us in the Bodine School community!

Bodine Students Participate in Community Service

Bodine students recently participated in two outstanding community service projects, Coats for Kids and Shoebox Collections for Needy Children. Led by the student council representatives and Ms. Mower, these projects have yielded high partcipation rates from students and teachers in every grade. Good job!

Ms. Assel's Class "Reading Up a Storm"

Students in the third grade are “reading up a storm”. Their incentive is the Pizza Hut Book-It Program, which offers a personal pan pizza for each student who meets a monthly reading goal. Ms. Assel’s class was challenged to read at least 10 pages a day in their Accelerated Reader books. So far, six have already earned a pizza for the month of November!

The readers are reading more than ever before and enjoying it. Several times a week, Ms. Assel calls a “stop, drop, and read” time for about ten minutes. All the third graders in her class cheer, and usually request it daily. Some students have finished 40-50 page books in a day.

Life Success Series (part 6 in a series of 8)

posted by: Mr. Graber

Every two weeks I will be posting a section from this article here on Inside Bodine. I think you will find it quite interesting. It is a wonderful piece on life success for students with learning disabilities. It originally appeared on LD online.

Below are the schedule of the postings and the sixth installment:
September 6: introduction
September 21: self-awareness
October 5: proactivity
October 19: perseverance
November 2: goal-setting
November 16: presence and use of support systems
November 30: emotional coping strategies
December 14: conclusion and resources

Success Strategy #5: Presence & use of effective support systems
Both successful and unsuccessful individuals with learning disabilities receive some form of support and assistance from others over the course of their lives. Guidance, support, and encouragement come from family members, friends, mentors, teachers, therapists, and co-workers. However, as successful individuals move into adulthood, they attempt to reduce their dependence on others. In fact, in many instances they are able to switch roles with people who had provided them with support in the past, finding themselves assisting and encouraging those who once helped them. In contrast, unsuccessful persons with learning disabilities frequently are unable to "cut the cord" as they transition into adulthood and end up remaining highly dependent on others.

The people who have provided support to successful individuals with learning disabilities generally held clear and realistic expectations regarding life goals and outcomes, guiding them to identify and achieve realistic goals without being harsh or critical. They were also able to help them change directions in attempting to achieve goals, or modify the goals, if necessary. They were consistent and steadfast in their functioning as sounding boards for reality testing. A successful adult with learning disabilities describes the support from a workplace mentor:
"I guess you could say he rescued me. I was working at this place and going nowhere. Probably getting canned and I only had a couple of more months of work and he was able to take me out of the division I was in and put me back working on minicomputers. That made me very happy. He taught me a new programming language to work in and really helped me out. He's one of the reasons I own this place."

Successful individuals with learning disabilities also actively seek the support of others. They don't simply wait for someone to come to their aid when they need assistance. Rather, they take the initiative to get help. Furthermore, they are willing to accept help when it is offered. By contrast, unsuccessful individuals are not as likely to actively seek support or accept it when offered.

Presence & use of effective support systems Checklist
My child…
Knows when he/she needs help
Knows how to get help
Seeks help when needed
Is willing to use technological supports
Is aware of laws to help persons with learning disabilities

It is clear from research that individuals with learning disabilities need support in a number of areas including: education, employment, social relationships, psychological health, independent living, family relationships, and recreational activities. It is critical that individuals with learning disabilities are aware of, and know how to access and utilize, support services in each of these areas. Particular attention should be directed at helping children with learning disabilities:

Understand the benefits of using support systems;
Develop strategies for finding, accessing, utilizing, and maintaining support systems;
Recognize "triggers" indicating that help is needed;
Learn to accept help, give help, and develop trust in others;
Understand laws that mandate support/assistance for persons with disabilities;
Gain awareness of learning disabilities organizations and advocacy groups;
Learn to use technological help.
General activities for developing and using support systems
Model how to ask for help in daily family interactions.
Share stories (tell, read, see movies) about individuals who needed help from others, how they got it, and the benefits of receiving it.
Seize opportunities to analyze examples of individuals in need of help. Discuss possible sources and means of accessing support as well as possible outcomes with and without support (for example, news stories, TV sitcom crises, reports of friends in need of help).
Obtain information on federal laws related to individuals with disabilities and discuss it with your child.
Have your child try out technology that might be helpful in compensating for his/her difficulties, such as spell checkers, tape recorders, and word processors.

Reminder: The Book Fair is this week!

Posted by Ms. McDonald

We hope to see you at the Book Fair this week. There are some great books and other neat things there worth checking out.

Middle Schoolers Working in a Socratic Circle

What is a Socratic Circle, you ask?.... The Socratic method of teaching is based on Socrates' theory that it is more important to enable students to think for themselves than to merely fill their heads with "right" answers. Therefore, he regularly engaged his pupils in dialogues by responding to their questions with questions, instead of answers. This process encourages divergent thinking rather than convergent.
In a Socratic Circle, students are given opportunities to "examine" a common piece of text, whether it is in the form of a novel, poem, art print, or piece of music. After "reading" the common text "like a love letter", open-ended questions are posed.
Open-ended questions allow students to think critically, analyze multiple meanings in text, and express ideas with clarity and confidence. After all, a certain degree of emotional safety is felt by participants when they understand that this format is based on dialogue and not discussion/debate.

Middle School Has "Grizzly" Guest Speaker

posted by: Mr. Graber

Eric Hasseltine, radio voice of the Memphis Grizzlies, recently addressed students in grades 4-8 about persistence, setting goals and the importance of hard work.

"Jello" Math Class

posted by Ms. Collins

The second graders had their math class in the kitchen. After reading directions, measuring, and stirring, the students put their completed Halloween jello in the refrigerator to jell and to eat and enjoy Monday.

Photos of Students Working Hard in the Science Lab

A Great Dyslexic...Charles Schwab, Jr.

Posted by: Mr. Graber

Charles Robert Schwab, Jr. (born July 29, 1937) is the founder and CEO of the Charles Schwab Corporation.
On the 2006 Forbes 400 list, Schwab is listed as the 57th richest person in the United States with a fortune of approximately $5.5 billion.

Life Success Series (part 5 in a series of 8)

posted by: Mr. Graber

Every two weeks I will be posting a section from this article here on Inside Bodine. I think you will find it quite interesting. It is a wonderful piece on life success for students with learning disabilities. It originally appeared on LD online.

Below are the schedule of the postings and the fifth installment:

September 6: introduction

September 21: self-awareness

October 5: proactivity

October 19: perseverance

November 2: goal-setting

November 16: presence and use of support systems

November 30: emotional coping strategies

December 14: conclusion and resources

Success Strategy #4: Goal Setting

Successful individuals set goals that are specific, yet flexible so that they can be changed to adjust to specific circumstances and situations. These goals cover a number of areas including education, employment, family, spiritual and personal development. In addition, the goals of successful persons with learning disabilities include a strategy to reach their goals. That is, they have an understanding of the step-by-step process for obtaining goals. One successful adult pursuing a career in the entertainment field states:
"I always look at every move, like this particular move doing the video, as a stepping stone for the next project. That's how I'm looking at it. As I said, the area I really want to move into is, I want to direct."

Successful people also appear to have goals that are realistic and attainable.
"I'll tell you something. I'm very realistic in terms of what I know I can do, what I possibly can do, and what I cannot do. That's why I knew right off the bat that I was not going to be a doctor."-- Thirty-one-year-old male
Many successful people with learning disabilities set at least tentative goals in adolescence, which provide direction and meaning to their lives. A successful adult trained as a social worker says:
"When I was in late high school, I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. I was given the opportunity to babysit and in the twelfth grade I worked at a day camp. I just discovered that I was interested in children and that this may turn out to be a profession. So there was kind of a break and something to shoot for; some sort of self-direction."

While successful individuals with learning disabilities have concrete, realistic, and attainable goals, unsuccessful individuals often have vague, unrealistic, or grandiose goals that are not in line with their strengths, weaknesses, or special abilities. For example, one individual having extreme problems with eye-hand coordination and spatial relations aspired to be an airline pilot, while another with severe reading, writing, and organization difficulties wanted to become an executive secretary. Not surprisingly, both were unsuccessful at their attempts to reach these goals and experienced frustration and stress as a result.

Goal-setting Checklist
My child…
Sets academic goals
Sets non-academic goals
Can prioritize goals
Knows when a goal is realistic
Develops plans/steps for reaching goals
Understands the relationship between short and long-term goals
Finds alternative ways to reach goals when faced with obstacles
Understands the need to work with others to reach goals
It is important to help students with learning disabilities develop goal-setting abilities in a number of areas. As for several of the other success attributes, far too often, emphasis is placed exclusively on educational success. In an effort to assist children with learning disabilities achieve life success, research suggests that it is also necessary to develop goal-setting skills related to social relationships, employment, family, physical health, psychological health, leisure activities, finances, independent living, and spiritual development.

Specific focus should be placed on assisting children to:
Develop strategies for setting goals;
Define a goal;
Understand the benefits of goal-setting and the consequences of not setting goals;
Develop strategies for prioritizing goals, evaluating whether a goal is realistic, and the action steps needed to reach a goal;
Develop strategies to predict and overcome obstacles, and to reevaluate and adjust goals as needed;
Understand the need to work with others to reach goals.
General activities for developing goal-setting
Have your child write down a real, short-term academic goal and discuss the step-by-step process for reaching it (for example, oral report on an early explorer, project on life in the American colonies, term paper on Shakespeare).
Develop a realistic timeline for completion of a future school project, including typical "obstacles" such as a sports practice, birthday party, favorite TV show, and other distractions.
Have your child set a long-term career goal and discuss the step-by-step process for reaching it. Arrange opportunities for your child to interview someone in that career, emphasizing goal-setting behavior.
Discuss successful individuals and determine the experiences, backgrounds, opportunities, and critical events that led these individuals to their success.
Present fictional examples of people with specific goals and, based on their strengths, weaknesses, and special talents, discuss whether their goals appear realistic

Photo of Fifth Graders Relaxing on the Story Tower

Posted by. Ms. McDonald

A Few Photos from Community Leader Breakfast

posted by: Mr. Graber

Photo of Some of Ms. Falvey's Students Working on Measuring Skills in the Science Lab

Middle School Global Climate Change Game

The middle school students recently participated in a game created by Ms. Hepler, a global climate change game. The game taught them about climate change, ever-changing global economies, dealing with natural disasters, and precious natural resources.

Life Success Series (part 4 in a series of 8)

posted by: Mr. Graber

Every two weeks I will be posting a section from this article here on Inside Bodine. I think you will find it quite interesting. It is a wonderful piece on life success for students with learning disabilities. It originally appeared on LD online.

Below are the schedule of the postings and the fourth installment:
September 6: introduction
September 21: self-awareness
October 5: proactivity
October 19: perseverance
November 2: goal-setting
November 16: presence and use of support systems
November 30: emotional coping strategies
December 14: conclusion and resources

Success Strategy #3: Perseverance

Many persons with learning disabilities show great perseverance and keep pursuing their chosen path despite difficulties. They often describe themselves in such terms as "I am not a quitter," and "I never give up." However, successful individuals demonstrate an additional important ability -- knowing when to quit. Although they rarely give up on a general goal, depending on the situation, they may change the way they go about achieving it, thereby improving their chances for success. In other words, after repeated failure, these individuals are able to see and pursue alternative strategies for reaching their goal, or know when the goal itself might have to be modified. Often they try several strategies until they find one that works. One successful adult states, "Once I have a failure, I can't just dwell on that failure and restrict myself for the rest of my life. I'll do something else." In contrast, unsuccessful individuals are typically not flexible and often appear to "beat their heads against the wall," failing to recognize when it is time to reevaluate their strategies, or the goal itself.

Successful persons with learning disabilities appear to learn from their hardships making statements such as "I have failed many times, but I am not a failure. I have learned to succeed from my failures." In addition, successful people seem to agree that difficult situations are necessary for learning. In comparison, unsuccessful individuals with learning disabilities are often overwhelmed by adversity, back away from challenges, and give up much more easily and quickly than successful peers.

Perseverance Checklist
My child…
Understands the benefits of perseverance
Keeps working at academic tasks despite difficulties
Keeps working at non-academic tasks despite difficulties
Knows how to deal with obstacles/setbacks
Knows how to adjust to change
Knows when to quit

This success attribute, like all the others, needs to be developed in a number of areas beyond school. Attention has to be given to fostering perseverance in the following areas: educational, cognitive, physical, psychological, employment, social, leisure, and spiritual. With regard to these areas, children with learning disabilities should learn to:

Understand the meaning of perseverance;
Understand the benefits of persevering and the consequences of not;
Develop strategies for dealing with obstacles, setbacks, and adjusting to change;
Recognize that passion and desire keep one moving in the face of adversity.
General activities for fostering perseverance:
Share inspirational stories (tell, read, watch movies) of people who have persevered in the face of adversity.

Have your child share his or her own stories (tell, write, draw) about times when he or she did not persevere and the resulting outcomes.
Have your child keep journals focusing on experiences requiring perseverance.
Have your child keep a record of when he or she is, or is not persevering.
Praise your child for persevering behavior and attitude when playing games, learning new sports, and doing unpopular chores.

Photo of Ms. Assel's Third Grade Reading in the Library

Posted by. Ms. McDonald

First Graders Working in the Science Lab

Posted by Ms. Blakley and Ms. Uphoff

The first graders are using an instrument called the "Air Zooka" to show that air has mass and can exert force - enough force to "Knock off Dr. Lee" (whose photo is on each of the stacked plastic cups). The students also learned that through cooperation and using the muscles of more than one student they could exert a stronger force and knock down more cups.

Bodine Teacher Helps Clean Up Wolf River Harbor

Posted by: Ms. Uphoff

Life Success Series (part 3 in a series of 8)

Posted by: Mr. Graber

Every two weeks I will be posting a section from this article here on Inside Bodine. I think you will find it quite interesting. It is a wonderful piece on life success for students with learning disabilities. It originally appeared on LD online.

Below are the schedule of the postings and the third installment:

September 6: introduction

September 21: self-awareness

October 5: proactivity

October 19: perseverance

November 2: goal-setting

November 16: presence and use of support systems

November 30: emotional coping strategies

December 14: conclusion and resources

Success Attribute #2: Proactivity

Successful adults with learning disabilities are generally actively engaged in the world around them -- politically, economically, and socially. They participate in community activities and take an active role in their families, neighborhoods, and friendship groups. Additionally, they often step into leadership roles at work, in the community, and in social and family settings.
Not surprisingly, therefore, successful persons with learning disabilities also believe that they have the power to control their own destiny and affect the outcome of their lives. In talking about how he took charge of his college experience, one successful adult remarks:
"I actually didn't take classes as much as I took professors. The way I got through college was I looked at the classes I was interested in and I was over at the professors' office times telling them I'm going to need extra time; give me the ability to take the written exam orally. There are a bunch of exceptions and I just listed them out for these people."

This quote demonstrates the kind of creative self-advocacy and initiative we frequently observed in successful adults. In contrast, unsuccessful individuals tend merely to respond to events and are passive.

Successful persons with learning disabilities also show the ability to make decisions and act upon those decisions. Additionally, they assume responsibility for their actions and resulting outcomes. In talking about how his shyness interfered with trying to meet a girl, one successful adult shares:
"I looked at that lesson and said, 'OK, you blew it that time. What are you going to do? How are you going to overcome that situation?' So I systematically started working on getting over my shyness…And last spring…"

When things don't work out, successful individuals generally take responsibility for the outcome and do not blame others. Commenting on his career, the same individual expresses commitment to action, "Anything I'm going to do, I'm going to give it my all. Otherwise I'm not going to touch it."

A willingness to consult with others while making decisions is also characteristic of successful people with learning disabilities. In that connection, they also appear to be flexible in considering and weighing options. For instance, when faced with a career-ending knee surgery, one successful athlete was able to smoothly shift her career focus to a pottery business. Another individual whose learning disability prevented him from passing required college courses, researched and transferred to a university that did not require those courses for graduation.
In contrast, unsuccessful individuals often do not recognize that situations can be altered, or that multiple solutions may exist. Instead, they are either passive, making no decision, or conversely, stick rigidly to a simplistic, rule-based decision even if it ultimately fails. Successful individuals, on the other hand, take responsibility for both the positive and negative outcomes of their decisions and actions. For example, one former student commenting on his success stated:
"I think that I worked hard and I made choices instead of letting things happen. I mean stuff that I haven't actively gone and taken care of are the only things that I'm not as satisfied with. The stuff that I've gone and taken care of, I'm very happy with.

Proactivity Checklist
My child…
Participates in classroom and extra-curricular social activities
Makes decisions and acts upon those decisions
Understands the advantages/disadvantages of making certain decisions
Recognizes when a decision needs to be made
Knows how to evaluate decisions
Takes responsibility for his/her actions
Feels he/she has control over his/her world
Is assertive and stands up for him/herself
Is self-confident

There is life beyond school for children with learning disabilities. While learning to be proactive in educational pursuits is important, persons with learning disabilities also need to develop the attribute of proactivity for social, employment, interpersonal, familial, and recreational settings. With regard to each of these settings, children with learning disabilities need to learn to:
Understand proactivity, its importance, and benefits;
Make decisions, act upon those decisions, and evaluate their decisions;
Understand the advantages and disadvantages of making certain decisions and take responsibility for their actions;
Act as self-advocates and be assertive while engaging in the world;
Develop the self-confidence to take risks and be flexible.
General activities for fostering proactivity:
Introduce problem-solving vocabulary into your family discussions. Share your personal challenges and dilemmas and what strategies you have employed. Present your child with examples of people facing problems, and have your child discuss or role-play action-oriented strategies for resolving these difficulties.
Have your child write down or discuss important decisions he or she has made, the strategies used to make the decisions, the results of those decisions, and whether or not the correct decision was made.
Present your child with examples of people's behavior and the specific outcomes resulting from the behavior. Then discuss the extent to which the individual had control over his or her behaviors.
Present your child with a number of "risky" scenarios and discuss the possible consequences of specific actions.

First Graders Working on Chicka Chicka Boom Project in Library

Posted by: Ms. McDonald, Librarian

The first grade students are making a craft based on the letters of the alphabet and the coconut tree in the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month: In Honor of Michael Cook

Written by: Mr. Graber

For Some Every Month is “October”

It is difficult to find two individuals who share the same definition of dyslexia, as misconceptions about dyslexia are commonplace. This remains constant, despite the fact that it is estimated that one in ten people have dyslexia. To complicate matters, often dyslexia is not formally identified in many individuals. It is interesting to note that some of the greatest minds of all-time were dyslexic. Nonetheless, it is not a significant part of our common vernacular. Among those notable dyslexics were: Winston Churchill, Leonardo DaVinci, Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Mark Twain, and Franklin Roosevelt.

To help debunk much of the misinformation that seems to surround the subject of dyslexia, educators and learning specialists worldwide have named October “Dyslexia Awareness Month.” Dyslexia is a neurologically-based disorder which interferes with an individual's ability to read and spell. Dyslexics have difficulty learning the code for written language. Contrary to popular belief, dyslexia is not the result of low intelligence, lack of motivation, sensory impairment, or inadequate educational opportunities, and dyslexia affects as many girls as boys.

Since 1972, The Bodine School in Germantown has led the Mid-South in teaching children with dyslexia to conquer their academic difficulties and strive for success. Founded by Richard and Virginia Bodine, the school for students in grades one through eight, has been under the direction of its Executive Director, Dr. Rene Friemoth Lee, since 1990.

Dr. Lee, who is widely respected in the community as an advocate for her students and for raising awareness for dyslexia in general, is quick to give much of the credit for the school’s success to the entire school community. “We have a tremendous amount of support from our extended school community, especially our families,” she says.

One such supporter is Michael Cook. Cook, a native of the Memphis-area, who now lives in Jackson, Tennessee, was living in England at the time his son was diagnosed with dyslexia. “We were getting ready to move back to Memphis for my job when he was diagnosed. It was back in 1996 when the internet was in its infancy. We started looking around and found out about The Bodine School,” he said.

Cook, a former Senior V.P. with Service Master, and his wife met with Dr. Lee shortly after arriving back in the states. Dr. Lee tested their son, but had no place for him in the school, as his grade was filled to capacity. “Initially, when she said there was no room for my son, I had resigned myself to the fact that we were just going to seek advice or alternatives for him,” he said. However, not being one to accept no for an answer, he persisted until a place was found for his son at the school.

Once Cook’s son was enrolled, Dr. Lee wasted little time in taking full advantage of Cook’s financial and business acumen and networking potential. She recruited Cook to join the school’s board of trustees where he recruited other quality board members. “Working on a non-profit board is quite different from working in private industry,” he says. “The challenge is to motivate people when you can’t tell them what to do.”

Cook met this challenge with great success, as for four years he led the Bodine board of trustees to recruit other strong-minded business types. They were successful in improving the quality of the lives of their students by getting the school’s needs met. “Michael Cook has contributed significantly to this school,” said Lee. “He was instrumental in getting our new state of the art science lab funded and built, and he improved the financial aid program at the school. In addition, he has been a great ambassador for our school and for dyslexia in general. Every school and every cause needs their own Michael Cook.”

With great modesty, Cook said he did not have much choice in the matter, but whole heartedly believes in the school’s mission and purpose. “I wanted my son to go to school at Bodine, and I was at Dr. Lee’s disposal and mercy,” he chuckled, and then stated, “I truly believe The Bodine School is doing something better than anyone else is in the Mid-South.”

Now that he has retired from the board of trustees at Bodine, Cook reflects to see how the school has made a positive impact in the lives of his family members. “Both my daughter, who is in high school, and my son, who is now doing well in college, attended Bodine,” he said. “It is wonderful to see that many students are going from Bodine into universities and succeeding.”

For Michael Cook’s family and many other families who have been touched by dyslexia, every month is Dyslexia Awareness Month.