Learning Differences are just that – variations in how each individual learns and makes sense of their world. Yes, there are extremely bright people who need may not be able to sit in the back of a classroom of thirty noisy shuffling kids, with the bright light shining in from the windows and traffic in the street at 1:30 in the afternoon and do all their work or even hear the teacher when he or she announces homework at the end of the period, but does not write in on the board. Other students simply cannot write well and give up on composing creative works and essays because the physical aspect of handwriting is simply a lost cause. This does not mean they are lacking in capacity, and we do not subscribe to the very common myth that such children and adults are not bright.
That would be like saying a colorblind boy is not smart because he cannot accurately label the colors green and orange. That said, we would not want to let that child loose with a bucket of paint without some supervision and instruction.
Student with learning differences do not need easier work. They need more challenging work, a bit more focus and opportunity to achieve academic success, extremely effective school/parent communication, and very high standards that they can be held to. They also need the opportunity to learn in an emotionally safe environment and to ask questions.
AT BCS, students can take two math classes a day and two English classes a day. We offer California High School Exit Exam Preparation as one math fundamentals course and upon passing that, SAT Math Preparation. Such classes are effective, popular, and give students a leg up on children attending other programs.
For English, we teach “grammar and syntax” as one class each day (don’t worry, we make it pretty interesting,) and essay writing and reading as another. In grades 8-12, students write about one essay per week. These are not requirements for each child but they are good guidelines and effective pedagogic techniques for ALL children. For those children who are learning different, we have learned that handing things in on time is a learned skill, one they have often not learned. We do not take “ten points” away from a grade every day it is late. Why? Because by the third day, kids are saying, “Why should I do it at all? I already practically got a D.”
We have seen with such efforts our students can make major academic gains fairly rapidly. No person is without dreams and aspirations. This is especially true for young people. We see our role to be supports for such ambitions and to meet and exceed all standards on the California Framework. Key to our success is parent support and communication. Finally, it is important to continue to seek out areas of interest with such children, areas of giftedness, and to teach the child how such interest can benefit themselves, teach them self discipline and lead to successful lives in society.