Our school works with students who have learning disabilities.  These students learn in different ways than others, and as a result I have heard many stories of mistreatment.  Sometimes it is from other students, teachers, even school administration.   It is terrible to hear students who tell me they felt belittled, bullied or made fun of, especially by a person in a position of authority.

A child’s education is very important.  We are laying the building blocks for many aspects of life, not only academic but social as well.  During kindness week I will be thinking of how I treat others, and I hope we all will.  I know there are more than a few students who I see every day who would have appreciated some kindness when they needed it most.

We sometimes get caught up in our own day to day life, and put the blinders on to others, let’s take this week as an opportunity to take a look around and show some kindness to those who surround us.

Children who need to learn in a specific manner will do so much more efficiently if they use that technique the first time, or at least early in their educational career.  For example, dyslexic students need a structured reading program, such as the Simultaneous Multisensory Teaching to support reading and writing.  Dyslexic children that learn to read in this way the first time will have much more success in managing their dyslexia then those who learn it later in life.

The other side to early identification is that it will help to avoid the other issues that may develop from frustration of the learner. Often students fell down on themselves for not learning in the same way as others.  They develop anxiety, or a variety of other side effects including oppositional defiance.  These surrounding issues often melt away when children have material delivered in a way that supports their LD.

While children do learn at different rates, it is important that parents think about getting the support needed for the LD child as early as possible, so that we can teach to the individual, and see success from each child.

This development has me thinking about communication.  Communication within a community is so important to ensure that we learn from each other’s experiences.  I feel this is something that is lacking in Ottawa.  There are many people in Ottawa who have children with learning disabilities (LD) or have LDs themselves.  Some of these people are getting the support they need, however, many are not.  What I would like to do is open up the lines of communication to this issue in our city, and I am looking for your help.

What positive steps have schools and educators done to support you or your child with a LD?

What mistakes have been made supporting you or your child with a LD?

What changes would you like to see in the education system for LD children?

I would like to ask people to post their comments here.  There are many people in our community that have concerns, questions, success stories, and much more to contribute.  Let’s help expand the LD network in Ottawa so that people see how the issue affects our community.

It is because of this, that any time I see our students reaching outside of the school walls I try to do my best to support and foster these actions.  With the internet and social media, as we know it has made this process more accessible.  The other day I had a student say that they follow the school on twitter and saw my tweet about brain scans for early detection of dyslexia.  This is a new issue sparking debate, and particularly relevant to this student with dyslexia.  This student really began to look outwardly at how what they have always seen as “their” problem is actually a problem that other people have struggled with as well.

One of our classes in particular, the grade 7 group is trying to reach out to successful dyslexics.  They see this is a great opportunity to learn from other people’s experiences, and see how they achieved success, however that may be defined.  The class has set up a twitter account to help achieve this @HA_ottawa7.  If you have a success story or know someone who does they would love to hear from you.

It’s great to see us all pull together as a global community to support children, and this is a great medium.

If a student does not do well in an exam because they spend all of their time trying to figure out how to spell words, or they could not organise their thoughts, then the exam is failing the student, the student is not failing the exam.  It is important that when dealing with learning disabilities we break down the stereotype these exams are made easier for them.  This is simply not the case, rather a process is being put in place to accommodate an area of need.

Learning disabilities are not related to intelligence, these students simply learn and present their knowledge differently than others.  It is very important that schools see this difference.  Students with learning disabilities are owed accommodations, and it is our job as educators and school administrators to ensure they are given every opportunity to excel.

I am currently the Vice Principal of Heritage Academy. I completed Teachers College at Dunedin University in New Zealand, where in addition to honing my teaching skills, I also learned how to shear a sheep in under 5 minutes. Upon my return to Canada, I was hired by Heritage Academy to teach Grade 8 and a variety of senior courses. I have since become a specialist in special education. For the last two years, I have been the Vice Principal at Heritage Academy.  I hope this blog will allow me to share information and my perspectives on teaching and education, particularly the ever-evolving world of special education.

Cheers,

Derek Rhodenizer

I have recently entered the world of both blogging and micro-blogging. They both have their advantages in education. I have seen the value in blogging for a long time, but I have only recently have I personally tore down the stigmas attached to Twitter and Facebook and joined the conversation myself. I previously believed that these media were a source of useless information about mundane activities in people’s lives, specifically celebrities. This may have been the case in the past, however, it has developed a great deal over the last 5 years it has been in existence. I manage the Heritage Academy Twitter and Facebook accounts and find it to be very valuable. It has supported me in two major areas of my job, it allows me to communicate as well as remain informed.

Communication is one of the most important parts of my job. Social media allows me to update parents and students of the goings on at our school in real-time, which they can then read at their leisure, along with any other information they see to be pertinent on the same format. Outside of our school community this tool has allowed me to communicate and connect with people and organisations in our city, as well as interested parties around the world. Social media has helped break down walls of communication for us.

The second great aspect of micro-blogging is how the material is digested. The information comes in bite-size pieces, this way I am able to scan a large volume of information, and choose what makes the most sense to look at in more depth. I am able to look at information regarding education, dyslexia, Ottawa and more, all in one format. From there I can also re-post relevant information so that those who follow the school, and share the school’s interests can look at the information pre-sorted and organised.

The internet is such a vast place, that tools like Twitter and Facebook allow us to wade through it in relation to our interests. Please check out Heritage Academy‘s social network and see what we are up to.

How do you create a positive learning environment in a school? This is not an easy question, and it takes a variety of components to make it all work. All too often we dissect the classroom as the learning environment, and it is important, but I would like to take a minute to look at the other interactions that happen all day in a school, outside of the classroom. In my role a Vice Principal I find myself interacting with students outside of the class, in the hallways and stairwells more than I do inside the class. It is my contention that these interactions are important in building a supportive environment in a school.

We see so many students who have felt too scared or embarrassed to ask questions, or have been guarded in their daily interactions, keeping them from expanding academically. As we know, students who feel confident enough in the classroom to ask questions are the ones who will find answers. One of the best ways to allow for this is also the most simple – pleasant small talk.

The most important thing an educator can do when they see a student in the hallway is to say, “hello,” perhaps even, “how are things going today.”  I encourage all of our teachers to say hello to as many students as possible. The simple pleasantries of day to day activities are so important. Holding a door open for a student and asking how their day is going is a great way for a teacher to humanise themselves, and as a result students to feel much more comfortable them. It is important that we realise, as role models, everything we do is examined by our students and whether you be in your classroom or in the hallways, you are setting an example. Our behaviour outside of the classroom has the ability to foster excellence inside the classroom.

So often students see teachers as alien, and feel they cannot be themselves around them, the act of small talk and showing kindness can help open the door educationally for so many.

Well, there is no question that the coolest thing I get to do every year as the vice-Principal of Heritage Academy is see our students on the first day of school. There are new students ready to experience our school for the first time, and the familiar returning ones, back for another great year!   It’s a fantastic experience that I enjoy every year. However, this is not the topic of this blog, what I want to talk about today is the second coolest thing I do every year, and that is the Heritage Academy Open House.

Special education is my passion, and on February 9th this year we will once again be opening our doors to the public, and I get to talk about my passion all day long with new people. Our school has been working with students who have learning disabilities and other learning differences for many years, and we have honed our craft. It is a great pleasure to show new people around our facility to show them what we do. I am active every day talking about special education with people on the phone, on Twitter and on Facebook. However, it is rare that I get to bring a large group of people through our school who have never had the chance to experience it first-hand.

Heritage Academy does offer specialised programs, educational accommodation plans tailored to each individual and a large amount of experience in the field. What is hard to explain without actually being in the building is the comfortable environment that the school brings. It is a welcoming place, both the staff and the students make Heritage Academy what it is, and it is a true honour to show visitors around this great resource.

If you would like to learn about our school, or simply learn more about dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, anxiety or a variety of other learning differences, please come by and see the second coolest day of the year, our open house, February 9th from 1pm-3pm.

Our school has a, “no new learning at home” policy.  It’s not that our students are sent home with nothing to do, but rather, anything that is sent home is practice.  Teachers ensure that the conceptual teaching happens in the classroom.  Students are given ample time to ask questions and see the material delivered in a variety of ways.  After this has taken place, especially as students reach higher levels, they will do continued practice at home.

With this policy both parents and students telling me they are happier at home.  Another very interesting side effect is that students tend not to “burn out” from school, they feel like they can go home and have an evening free of stress.  This allows children to be physically active, rest, socialise and otherwise recharge their batteries so they are ready for the next day.  Being less stressed out about school work at home often results in a more focused and productive work day at school.  Students and parents need to learn to work smarter, not always harder, and this is a great example.