What I would do with 5 Million Dollars

This was the first week for students back at Ben Bronz Academy aka BBA. My wife and I enjoyed the annual pot luck dinner on Thursday evening. BBA is the school of choice for many children with Learning Disabilities in Connecticut, and is home to the smartest educators I have met in America.

As veteran parents of this revolutionary Academy, it was our pleasure to reach out and welcome first-time parents. New parents shared their war stories. We encouraged each other on the emotional and financially draining journey up the educational path that leads to BBA.

I am saddened to confirm that the sorry state of public education has still not improved over the past three years. School districts are still allowing the following to take place in schools every day:

1. Verbal abuse in the classroom of children who don't fit into the teacher's perception of "normal".
2. Punishment for inappropriate home work assignments.
3. Unwillingness to accept reports from private specialists and insisting on never-ending examinations and tests while the clock ticks and students are denied Free and Appropriate Education during the exasperating delays.
4. Preference for engaging in legal battles instead of using tax dollars to serve the community and educate children.

New parents asked "Is this situation the same in your school district". The answer is "Yes. It is the same in all districts. The level of aggravation, deceitfulness and stupidity is comparable. The only differences are the names and places involved."

This is a case of the "open door, closed mind" syndrome. Public school teachers can learn to teach children with LD, if anyone is willing to ask. (Kudos to the teachers who transfer from public systems to BBA.) The answer is available to educators all over the world to help astoundingly smart children with Learning Disabilities, if Public School educators were just willing to learn the proven teaching methods. But there are none so deaf as those who will not hear. I am not going to attempt to change the thinking of public school teachers, but wish that I could do more for the children that don't have access to the appropriate education that they deserve and are entitled to.

BBA is the best academic institution on the face of this earth, but obviously twenty or so staff members can only do so much and are only able to help a finite number of children each year.

If I had five million Dollars, I would create a foundation to spread the word on BBA. I would create a chain of BBA's across the nation, where children who need an education, and are entitled to Free and Appropriate Education under Federal Law, have access to open-minded and educated educators.

If you have 5 Million Dollars earmarked for a good cause, then consider working with me to create a foundation and expand the BBA reach.

P.S. On a side note - My message to all new parents of BBA "Welcome - This will be the best year of your family's life".

College options for Smart children with Learning Disabilities

This is an important cause for me to champion. Education for children with Learning Disabilities and the sorry state of blissful ignorance in public school districts concerning learning Disabilities.

Last night we attended a special panel discussion at BBA. (Ben Bronz Academy).

Our evening reinforced my belief that BBA teachers are the best people in the world. BBA teachers are very, very smart, well educated, dedicated, understanding and positive.

The panelists are all parents of BBA alumni who are now attending college. Common themes that we heard are:

1. There are many colleges with support for students with LD but parents and students need to actively seek out the support office and ask for it.

2. Kids with LD typically prefer to live at home while going to college. The skills that students learn at BBA, such as doing homework everyday guide them towards successful study strategies at college and these students often feel uncomfortable trying to live a social college life with peers who don't have the same work ethic.

3. Kids with LD succeed at a variety of colleges, including Community Colleges, State Colleges and small private colleges. Selecting a college is a unique and personal experience for families with LD.

4. People from all walks of live have children with LD. Our panelists are Psychiatry professionals, stay at home moms and public school teachers.

5. It is hard to leave BBA when the time comes to move on. Parents vividly remember the fights, financial burden and heartache during the process to get into BBA. Many children go to private school after BBA to leverage the success achieved at BBA as parents cannot face the challenge of public schools again.

6. Education for a child with LD is expensive. Special classes, tutoring, lighter college course loads which interprets to longer years in college.


Did I mention that BBA teachers are the best people in the world? BBA teachers are very, very smart, well educated, dedicated, understanding and positive.


I commented to my wife afterwards how lucky we are to be living in America and be discussing the opportunity for a child with LD to attend college. Many children with LD around the world will never get the help they need or the chance to go to college.


My heartfelt message to you reading this blog. If your child is struggling with a learning disability and you are despairing over the constant roadblocks that your school district erects, then don't give up. Keep going. Find a child advocate or contact me. I will refer you to a great advocate in Connecticut. Your child needs you to keep going despite what "experts" in a public school district tell you to appease you.

LD will not go away. It will not "come right" as your school districts tell you while denying services to your child. You are not alone in this struggle. Help is available and your school district is mandated by Federal Law to provide an appropriate education for your child.

The Greatest gift anyone can receive

SAFMEDS. Say All Fast Minute Every Day, Shuffle.

We just attended a parent education evening at Ben Bronz Academy, fondly referred to as BBA. As I said before these teachers are the smartest people I know.

Unlike parent meetings at public schools in my area where teachers share illogical wisdom such as "We see great progress, but little Johnny needs to spend an additional 20 minutes a night struggling through the inappropriate homework that we can't get through during the long frustrating school day otherwise we will give him more inappropriate homework", the staff at BBA sacrificed their evening to educate us on pragmatic learning techniques that all of us can us. Children and parents can use these learning techniques.

Which reinforces my belief that the greatest gift anyone can receive is "Knowledge of your learning style". If you know how you learn, then you can efficiently learn anything you desire to learn for the rest of your life.

Schooling should focus on learning how to learn, not only on facts and figures. We should be teaching students how to drive themselves to where ever they want to be, not the theory of how to distinguish a red Bentley from a green stick of celery. Knowing how to drive gives you independence and the skills to acquire new information for the rest of your life. Learning the theory behind how to distinguishing a red Bentley from celery results in useless information.

During my studies I tried a number of learning theories and styles. I studied for eleven years, part time to get my Bachelors degree. I found mind-maps particularly effective for me. Tonight, we discussed the benefits of mind-maps for certain learners and found that some people benefit from mind-maps while others require sequential lists to study effectively. Google "Tony Buzan" for further reading on mind maps.

Have you ever tried to study using flashcards? I have tried a few times and get frustrated with them. I can only do it for a few minutes and then get tired. Well, the smart staff at BBA explained tonight that flashcards are effective when used for only 1 minute at a time. And not only for students but all of us can use flashcards to learn the facts that we need to access a 100 times a day. Hence the acronym SAFMEDS - Say All Fast Minute Every Day, Shuffle

Here is the procedure (using index cards):
1. Make flashcards with the few facts that you need to remember. For example, DNS (which stands for Domain Name System) or the names of your staff.
2. Put the definition on the back of the card if appropriate.
3. Go through the flashcards for one minute at a time. Once a day, or more than once a day if you can.
4. When you are done, shuffle the cards ready for the next time.

The example given tonight was to learn the faces and names of students in the school. How can you implement this simple,effective learning procedure? I can think of a few situations where it will be very effective such as learning the main points of a speech. Put your main points on flashcards, memorize them using SAFMEDS, and your nervousness decreases while your confidence increases.

Did I mention that BBA staff are smart, patient people and a light in the lives of people who are privileged enough to come into contact with them?

It is your duty to become an expert

We visited Ben Bronz Academy (BBA) in West Hartford last night, for training in the methodologies that the school uses. Wow!! Mind blowing!! My family has struggled for six years now with incompetent, unsympathetic Connecticut teachers and public school administrators who would not know a Learning Disability if it bit their overpaid behinds. It is a sad reflection on our society that these people are entrusted to educate children when their minds are sealed tighter than a submerged submarine's deck hatchway to effective teaching techniques.

In contrast, at BBA, every teacher and administrator is an expert in Learning Disabilities. BBA staff dedicated decades of study to become experts. Their devoted efforts help all children who attend BBA and change the future for these youngsters. Children who attend BBA will reap the rewards of the expertise learned and applied at BBA for decades to come, maybe into the next century. Our community and our world is a better place because the leaders at BBA devoted their lives to understanding Learning Disabilities and committing to teaching children with Learning Disabilities. I am humbled and stand in awe of such great people.

I realized last night that it is our duty, every one of us, to become experts in our fields so that we can help others. We cannot be experts in every part of modern life. We may work very hard and still never be the top expert in any field. But we still have the responsibility to study our field of expertise to the best of our ability and give back to our society, so that we can help others who are experts in their own fields.

In a way, we are returning the favor to the BBA staff. I manage IT projects. Society benefits from well managed IT projects. Delivering valuable service to the Universe will ultimately filter back rewards to the smart and dedicated BBA staff in the form of more efficient and less expensive IT projects.

What do you think? Where is your expertise? How willing are you to commit to becoming the expert in your field, for society to benefit? I am committed to improving my expertise each day as a token of appreciation to the BBA leaders. Will you join me?

Wayne