Developing Strengths: Thriving in School
June, 2006

by Dr. Rosalie Whitlock

We live in a world that constantly compares people. We have awards for the greatest baseball player, basketball player, the best actor/actress, the best movie, the best teacher, the best chef, the best book and the list goes on and on. Is it any wonder that our kids are constantly comparing themselves and coming up short?

Most of the time, in a traditional school setting, you can observe more of a 'cookie-cutter' approach to education. Using this type of approach means that all students pretty much do the same thing at the same time-a first grader learns to read by a certain point in time in the school year, a fifth grade masters writing a composition by a certain point in the school year and an eighth grader must master algebra by the end of the school year. In this type of setting, students often compare themselves to where they should be, or to the 'best' student in the class who gets everything, and find themselves lacking. Traditionally, the education process can wreak havoc on a child's self esteem. Don't get me wrong, I believe that we should have goals and standards, but the way and time in which students reach those goals may be totally different. It is important to respect differences in our students, and create a program that honors those differences.

At Charles Armstrong School, our mission is to serve students with language-based learning differences, such as dyslexia, by providing a program that enables students to acquire the needed language skills, while instilling a joy of learning, enhancing self worth and allowing each student to identify, understand and fulfill personal potential. Our students have incredible gifts and talents that just don't shine in the traditional school setting. Their experience in that type of school setting usually results in failure, frustration and low self-esteem. The National Institute of Child and Human and Development and the Center for Learning Disabilities have confirmed that dyslexia affects one of five children in the U.S., and it is the number one cause of illiteracy and school drop-out in the nation.

Many of our students have unusual creativity and intellectual power. These attributes are accompanied by insight, knowledge, humor, curiosity and originality. Unfortunately, many kids with learning differences may never experience the gifts they have because they are repressed, frustrated and defeated by the teaching practices and materials in most of today's classrooms.

Knowing this, we have created a program at our school that emphasizes our students' strengths. Our goal is to affirm each child's strengths, and inspire them to dream great dreams as we equip them with the necessary academic skills and concepts they need to be successful in today's world. We work with our students to develop essential academic skills, but we also realize the need to support their development in other non-academic areas. The development of skills and characteristics in the non-academic areas give our students the opportunity to be successful and thrive when they leave our school environment. As a result we have developed schoolwide learning results represented in the four major program components as shown in the graphic to the left.

We believe that all kids can learn, that all kids learn differently and that all kids must learn to use their minds well. All students, as they develop self-esteem, are able to learn the skills and strategies to be successful academically and socially. Our goal is to create a brain-compatible classroom that promotes an environment where our students learn the academic and non-academic skills and strategies to be independent, self-directed, motivated learners. We help our students identify their strengths and needs, and then develop appropriate goals and instruction for each student.

The goal for each student at Charles Armstrong School is to transition successfully back into general education with appropriate support. With this goal in mind, we have developed these four program components, including the necessary academic skills with the much needed non-academic skills. We have found that the development of learning strategies, individual strengths and characteristics of independent learners are indicators of a successful transition into general education, and they also contribute to lifelong success.

Our students our encouraged to develop a fundamental sense of who they are, what they do well and what their needs are. This self awareness is probably the most important factor in their future success. If students knows themselves well, and can articulate their strengths and needs to others, there is the great possibility that they will be successful no matter where life leads them.

My greatest strength is dyslexia. It makes me more unique than anyone else, so I work hard and every time I get an A, I know I worked harder than anyone else. That makes me feel good.

Dyslexia gives me artistic abilities that most people don't have. It will also make me a better person and a stronger one, too, in the end. I will never say it is a disadvantage again because it is who I am. (Natalie T., Middle School)

This type of awareness and acceptance of oneself is critical to success in school as well as lifelong success. We believe that all kids, given the opportunity to identify, explore and develop their strengths and needs, will thrive in life.

One of our students (we'll call her Natasha) was born in Russia and adopted by a family here in the U.S. She entered Charles Armstrong School in third grade. When she entered our school, she lacked the appropriate social and language skills she needed to connect with her peers. Other students were keenly aware of her complete lack of social skills and, as a result, Natasha was labeled a 'nerd' and almost ostracized. We worked with Natasha and her family to build up her social skills, but she compared herself to others and consistently felt that she came up short-out of place and unable to fit in. She stayed at Charles Armstrong School for a few years and made some slow progress in developing self esteem. But, it wasn't until she took a photography elective class in Middle School that we saw huge changes in Natasha. Natasha had a gift for photography-an eye for seeing what creates an interesting and gorgeous photo. She took incredible photos that impressed others. Her photographs were framed and displayed in school and other art shows. This acknowledgement of her skills and talents changed her life-even the way she looked and her demeanor. Plus, her teachers were amazed at the impact this change had on Natasha's academics. She participated readily in class and we began to see major improvement in her studies. When she left Charles Armstrong School, she was no longer that 'nerdy,' socially inept little girl, instead she was a vibrant person with a stronger sense of self, knowing that she had specific talents and abilities that made her special. She is now in high school, dealing well with the pressures of the academic program and thriving because she was given that opportunity a few years ago to discover and develop her strengths. Natasha's story is just one out of hundreds of others just like it.

Although we live in a world where we constantly compare people, we must strive to help kids see themselves for who they are-with talents, strengths and abilities that are truly incomparable. In schools, that means that we must provide the necessary instruction in academics, but also develop other areas of the program, which lead students to identify and develop their strengths, creating a greater sense of self and the ability to thrive, no matter where their life takes them.

Dr. Rosalie Whitlock is the head of Charles Armstrong School in Belmont, California, the only elementary and middle school in the San Francisco Bay Area devoted entirely to dyslexic students.