Contemplations from Kim: Celebrate Our Superpowers
By Kim Wargo, Head of School
Click here to listen to an audio recording of this month's column.
Celebrate Our Superpowers
In the midst of this past rainy weekend, I had the honor and privilege of attending the inaugural lecture of the Sally L. Smith Distinguished Lecture Series, hosted by the American University School of Education and the DC Capital Area Branch of the International Dyslexia Association.
Those of us who braved the raindrops (and some who joined on Zoom) were treated to the expertise of two of the preeminent scholars in the field of dyslexia research, Drs. Sally and Bennett Shaywitz, co-founders and co-directors of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity.
Almost two decades ago, I was the mom of a young child just diagnosed with dyslexia. Even though I was an educator – and had worked in a school for students with language-based learning differences and currently was working in a traditional independent school with a very strong learning support system – I felt overwhelmed by the diagnosis. I felt powerless to help my child – a bright, inquisitive, talkative, creative person who was failing to thrive in a classroom that “taught” reading in a traditional way.
My daughter was surrounded by books since the moment she was born. She was immersed in language. She loved learning. And she was not learning to read.
Sally Shaywitz’s book was a critical part of my journey to understanding what my daughter needed. She needed a scientific, evidence-based program. She needed teachers who were skilled in building phonemic awareness and sound-sight correspondence. She needed the gift of time. And she needed to be surrounded by educators who saw all of her – the things that were challenging AND the many, many strengths that were a part of how her brain processed information and the world.
As the Shaywitzes helped me see, “dyslexia is an island of weakness … surrounded by a sea of strengths.”
Indeed, if you ask some of our older students (as I did last year!), they will tell you that “dyslexia is my superpower.”
Dyslexic individuals (which comprise about 20% of our population) are people who think critically and outside the box. They are often creative, visual learners with vivid imaginations. They are intuitive and curious. They are persistent and resilient. They often have amazing artistic skills and abilities. And they struggle to learn to read through traditional methods.
When students are in an environment – like Lab – where these immense strengths are seen and valued and prioritized, they have the opportunity to use those strengths to tackle the academic skills that may come more slowly.
Sally Smith knew this from the very beginning. Sally’s core belief still drives the work we do at Lab today, almost 55 years to the day since we opened our doors. We immerse children in a rich, arts-based environment that stimulates the imagination, and we couple that with intensive, evidence-based academic skill development. And in this place, children thrive rather than survive school.
To be sure, dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences present challenges that must be overcome; but these differences in the way our students’ brains work also come with gifts, and these gifts set our students apart as thinkers and doers.
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month and ADHD Awareness Month – and we want your help to tell the world that learning differences are superpowers!
So…I am inviting every family, every faculty/staff member, every alum to share your story with a 30 second audio or video clip that fills in this blank: “Dyslexia (or ADHD) is my superpower because…..”
Record your child. Record your student. Record your own story. Record a family member. Record a Lab School alum.
Help us demonstrate why learning differences are something to be celebrated. Help us show why we sorely need the creativity of dyslexic thinkers and the passion of ADHD learners.
You can drop your audio or video clip here.
We hope to share many of the clips we receive on social media or on our website throughout the month of October.
Thank you for helping us tell the world that we are proud to be part of a community where learning differences ARE a superpower.
