Graduate Reflections FINDING MY PLACE

AMANDA PETTI ‘21 Academy

I came to Rundle in grade four after struggling with the limitations my previous school had to accommodate learning differences. Before Rundle, I was often punished for being fidgety, talkative, and impulsive as there was little time to understand or accommodate the curiosity I had to want to learn more and the anxiety created at not being able to do so.

In Ms. Osaka’s grade four class, I discovered accommodations and a wonderful nurturing environment. I learned through patience and caring direction that questions could be asked without blurting them out and that there was an entire team of teachers willing to answer them. I had finally found a place to learn. Rundle is a place where there is understanding for the individual. What might cause me to struggle with school is not the same thing that causes another to struggle but there are solutions and accommodations to get us all to the same place. It is a place that offers opportunities for and encourages participation in leadership, sport, artistic pursuits, and community service which all serve to create well-rounded humans that will serve Rundle well far after a student’s graduation. It is a place that feels more like family than school — family that can disagree, family that can support, family that endures hardship, family that is so close-knit that it has an unexplainable, unbreakable bond.

It is hard to imagine what life without Rundle would have been like. I suspect I would have continued to struggle in school, would not have enjoyed extracurricular and leadership opportunities to the degree I have, and would most definitely not have answers to the many questions I would have undoubtedly had.

It is a place that feels more like family than school.