Let's challenge the myth of normal by The Pilot School

LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CHALLENGE THE MYTH OF NORMAL THE PILOT SCHOOL

WE ARE HERE TO REDEFINE TEACHING AND LEARNING

INTRODUCTION What you are about to read may hardly seem plausible, but this book is about joy. It is about a decades-old pilot experiment in education that was begun in earnest, designed with ingenuity, and fueled by an unswerving belief in its purpose. The basis of the experiment, our new school’s very mission, was to unlock the potential of children who had surprised – and perhaps disappointed – their parents and teachers by failing to thrive in traditional classrooms. This successful pilot experiment became known as The Pilot School, located in Wilmington, Delaware. We continue to grow and flourish today as a dynamic environment where children with language-based gaps in their learning receive specialized instruction to overcome challenges and discover strategies that work. A school that builds alumni for other schools, Pilot exists as a bridge from “can’t” to “can” by creating a customized “tool box for life” that is readily accessible at the child’s learning fingertips. At Pilot, we don’t focus on diagnostic labels and top-down judgments, but instead identify and cultivate a child’s strengths. This approach serves as an anchor for the hard work that is necessary to diminish or eliminate learning weaknesses.

We believe that children who are struggling to learn are as “normal” as any other children, and if assistance and encouragement are needed for a few years, they should receive it. Children want to succeed, and when they learn how, nothing can stop them. Energy and motivation push away passivity and doubt. Simply learning how to find answers to questions reinforces independence and perseverance, and the result is an exciting, new-found confidence that overpowers any fear of failure. As a result, our dedicated teachers fully experience the satisfaction, indeed the joy, of seeing their students graduate and transition into new schools, ready and able to capably apply the skills and attitudes learned at Pilot. Part of our reason for telling the story of Pilot lies beyond the walls of our school. What happens inside traditional classrooms is often driven by sometimes dated, tried-and-true attitudes, educational views, and expectations. For some children, this approach works. But at Pilot, we believe that providing specialized tools and growing attitudes that reinforce the child’s unique strengths will work for every child. — Kathy Craven Director, The Pilot School

THE PILOT SCHOOL

LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EMBRACE OUR DIFFERENCES

IN CONVERSATION WITH

DORIS LESTOURGEON, FORMER DIRECTOR LET’S EMBRACE OUR DIFFERENCES

Doris founded Pilot in 1957 and acted as its director for 40 years. It’s Doris’ indomitable advocacy for the child that lives at the core of our beliefs.

LET’S PROMOTE LEARNING TO LEARN

in finding out where they could place these children. I was working at the University of Pennsylvania, trying to find different ways of reaching elementary school children on an individual basis, because the rate of learning was different for many children. What I was creating was an ungraded system. Jo Myers and Mrs. Carpenter [a Pilot founder] came to see my work at the university and we clicked. So we started a school in a Sunday school basement. We had one classroom and five little boys. The second year we expanded to two classrooms. Pilot’s been expanding in size and in practice ever since.

Where did the name The Pilot School come from? Wilmington is an industrial town with many different companies, one being DuPont. New research and processes were put through pilot experiments. This was a pilot experiment in education.

How can you help a child embrace his or her learning difference? What that really boils down to is telling them what’s right with them and not what’s wrong with them. If you find strengths and if there is success, you can always learn to handle your weaknesses.

What was the inspiration for you and others to start a school for children with language-based learning differences? Jo Myers, who was head of Tatnall School, was getting a lot of children who looked okay and would pass the preliminary entrance exams, but wouldn’t be able to keep up after that. She became very interested

What do you think is valuable about bringing together children with differences? The value in a school like Pilot is that they learn to accept differences in people. Our goal is to get them back into society, where they can handle themselves and accept what they can do and move on from the things they can’t.

THE PILOT SCHOOL

EXPERIENCES WITH NORMAL

THE SPECTRUM OF DIFFERENCE

From the first five children who arrived at our first basement school, to the hundreds we have met since, our introduction is almost always the same. Experiences in the traditional school system have convinced these children that they are failures – that they can’t learn the way “normal” children learn. But who defines normal? And what value does normal bring? Evolution is fundamentally based on change, on diversity, on differences and the ability to adapt to those differences. And yet, we aim for “normal.” For over five decades we have flown in the face of that kind of thinking, challenging the status quo. We are driven to help children embrace their differences, conquer their challenges, devise personal learning strategies, and gain the skills that will enable them to thrive anywhere they go.

A critical part of helping these children excel is battling the stigma of learning differences. We work to lift the kind of social negativity that many people harbor. We strive to create an awareness that we all learn in different ways on a vast spectrum that moves from a divergence in brain activity, to a hearing impairment, to attention deficit disorder, to a strong aptitude for visual understanding. And while some learning differences require alternate learning strategies and new approaches, studies in neuroplasticity continue to reveal how much the brain is capable of with the right training and mindset. Children need not feel that their specific learning challenge will relegate them to failure. The biggest roadblock is changing perception.

At Pilot, you’re not going to be penalized for having a learning challenge. It’s just your brain’s wired a different way. STUDENT

15-20% of children in the United States have a languagebased learning disability. AMERICAN SPEECH–LANGUAGE– HEARING ASSOCIATION, WWW.ASHA.ORG

AWARENESS & EMPATHY At The Pilot School, we focus on removing that negative connection. Awareness, acceptance, and empathy are embedded in our teachings, in the way teachers relate to students, and in the way students relate to each other. Children are matter-of-factly aware of their classmates’ strengths and weaknesses. The understanding that we all learn differently is part of the bedrock of The Pilot School, which allows children to move beyond a sense that they are alone to a place where they learn differently together with others.

He didn’t need to be fixed. He just needed to be in a different environment that allowed him to flourish. PARENT

LET’S EMBRACE OUR DIFFERENCES

THE PILOT SCHOOL

INVISIBLE DIFFERENCES

BRAINS AT WORK TYPICAL READER DYSLEXIC READER

WORD ANALYSIS

FRONT

WORD ANALYSIS

BACK

ARTICULATION/WORD ANALYSIS

FRONT

BACK

ARTICULATION/WORD ANALYSIS WORD FORM

WORD FORM

DYSLEXIC READER’S BRAIN BEFORE INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTION

DYSLEXIC READER’S BRAIN AFTER INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTION

According to recent research using MRI studies of the brain, each part of the typical reader’s brain responds according to the corresponding stimuli. In a dyslexic reader’s brain, the front part of the brain is being overstimulated, while critical areas of the center and back are under-stimulated.

A brain wired “differently” does not define one’s learning ability. The brain’s plasticity allows great potential for reshaping and making improvements. Using research-based direct instruction can result in educational improvements for individuals. Alternative teaching styles can stimulate all areas of the brain.

*Molly Patterson, “The Paradox of Dyslexia: Slow Reading, Fast Thinking”

LET’S EMBRACE OUR DIFFERENCES

THE PILOT SCHOOL

LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PROMOTE LEARNING TO LEARN

IN CONVERSATION WITH

DAVID LYONS, ALUMNUS

LET’S PROMOTE LEARNING TO LEARN

David came to The Pilot School with learning difficulties in 1996. He transitioned from Pilot years later with strong, developed leadership skills, passion, and determination. What are the learning challenges you face? I have problems reading. I can’t just read something straight out of a book and assume it will stick in my head. I have to be able to write it down and mouth it or read it off as I’m writing it – and I’ll have better retention of what I’m reading and what I need to do. I realized that’s how I learn. How did you deal with your challenges starting out? They started me off in a classroom, with students who had similar challenges to mine. It was a small classroom setting too, so you have more one-on-one time with the teachers. They were able to sit down

LET’S PROMOTE LEARNING TO LEARN

and really get to the bottom of what it was that you were struggling with. How did Pilot contribute to your learning? Pilot instilled a whole lot more confidence in me. Before going to Pilot, I remember not being a very confident kid. When it came to education, I never wanted to raise my hand in class, never really wanted to participate. But after going through the processes at Pilot, I found more self-esteem and confidence. What would you like to share with others who are struggling with their education? It gets easier as long as you put your time in. Once you get out of school and the educational world, and you’re thrown into the real world, you can really start applying what you’re good at and playing on your strengths. You really can see where your education’s going to take you. You’ve just got to grind through the challenges the best you can and get as much advice as you can from those teachers and peers who are willing to help you. What would you tell someone facing similar challenges? That you’re not the only one. That other people are facing what you’re going through, and you’re learning new strategies together.

THE PILOT SCHOOL

ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL

THE TOOL BOX

The traditional school curriculum teaches to a uniform standard, using a methodology designed to connect to specific learning styles. There is an assumption that “one-sizefits-all” and that, although some students may need to put in more effort, we all have the ability to meet these standards. But not all children learn easily within this structure and they often fall to the wayside, without any recourse or understanding of how to join their classmates in learning. This can lead to despair, as no amount of extra studying can help them catch up. What we now know is that self-awareness and understanding of the kind of learner he or she is – active, reflective, sensing, intuitive, visual, verbal, sequential, and everything in between – can open doors a child would not have even considered.

Our multidisciplinary team of teachers and therapists works with children to understand how each child learns best, and pinpoints strengths and weaknesses. Through testing, interviews, and continued observation we ask: What are the difficulties? Are there physical challenges we need to consider? Where are the emotional trouble spots? What do they love and what learning styles are involved? With a clear understanding of the child’s capabilities, we are able to develop a robust Individual Education Plan informatively tailored to each child’s strengths. This plan is crucial as it outlines the child’s unique goals, as well as the adaptive learning processes and approaches the team will deploy. We consider this the basis for creating a child’s “tool box.” This tool box, which is uniquely created for each child, includes strategies for eliminating, adapting to, or working around specific learning challenges. These can range from creating personal reference materials, to sensory strategies, to assistive technology. Once a child has self-awareness and the right set of tools, they are able to take on responsibility for their own learning.

Ten years of tracking students who transitioned out of The Pilot School and returned to traditional classrooms demonstrate that 98% are able to maintain a rate of learning expected of successful students. THE PILOT SCHOOL

Every youngster needs to know how to learn, which isn’t always taught. FORMER DIRECTOR

LIFELONG STRATEGIES Decades of experience and innovative educational thinking continue to inform and evolve our practice, enabling us to work with new understanding and new tools that are tailored to each child. A handful of fundamental learning strategies can provide a child with lifelong skills and the power and confidence to take control of their education, no matter where they are. At Pilot, children will learn the curriculum, but more importantly, they will learn how to learn.

I could customize my own education and feel the freedom to be my own person. STUDENT

LET’S PROMOTE LEARNING TO LEARN

THE PILOT SCHOOL

ONE SIZE FITS ONE

TAILOR-MADE TOOL BOX

I’m a tactile learner. Small groups and hands-on learning keep me involved. Staying active keeps me focused.

I’m a visual learner. I use visual aids for assistance. I draw diagrams and images to explain my ideas.

I’m an auditory learner. Music relaxes me. Reading aloud helps me process information.

LET’S PROMOTE LEARNING TO LEARN

THE PILOT SCHOOL

LET’S FOSTER A CULTURE OF “CAN”

IN CONVERSATION WITH

WILLIAM & BETH DONOVAN, PARENTS LET’S FOSTER A CULTURE OF “CAN”

Together with the staff at The Pilot School, William and Beth have created a support system that promotes an environment of self-reliance and self-advocacy – skills their son Will will hold on to long after his transition into a new school. How has your son’s attitude changed about learning and education? Beth: When Will first went to Pilot, it was almost immediate. He came home on day three and said, “You know, Mom, everyone’s brain is a little bit different and we all learn differently and that’s okay.” Just knowing that it was okay to be different, that not everyone learns the same way, and that everyone is accepted for where they are, really encouraged him. Now he knows he can succeed, and that’s made a huge difference. Can you describe changes to the family dynamic since Will has been going to Pilot? Beth: There’s just a sense of peace around the house

LET’S PROMOTE LEARNING TO LEARN

because he’s not falling apart all the time. He feels better about himself, he’s not fighting so hard to be at the same level as his peers. He doesn’t feel frustrated anymore. He knows he has valuable things to contribute from a scholastic standpoint, and he’s proud of those. To what extent do you as parents get involved in Will’s learning process? William: Every night, he’ll have some homework, but we’ll leave him alone – unless he really has questions. But he always knows we’re right there to support him and I think it makes a huge difference because he knows we’re there to help him if he needs it. Beth: We’ve always been there to support Will; the difference in my mind was, I could breathe a sigh of relief. I didn’t have to be the only one advocating for this kid. They were his advocates too, and they knew him so well. When we met with the director, I said, “I can’t believe how well she knows my child.” And she’s the head of the school! She’s describing my son to me as someone who knows him very, very well. That was so encouraging. It was a huge sense of relief. I knew when he came home at the end of the day, whether he had homework or no homework, he was in good hands and he was making progress. I could see it and they measured it frequently. William: We knew he was in good hands when he went there, and it’s been nothing but a positive experience since the first day.

THE PILOT SCHOOL

You reward effort rather than use a grade system. FORMER DIRECTOR

NOT JUST LEARNING DIFFERENCES Too often, children and their families come to us with feelings of frustration and defeat, their self-confidence shattered by experiences in the traditional education system. Coming up against learning differences and a lack of understanding has made these children believe they aren’t able to succeed at the level of their friends and classmates. Frequent failures can create anxiety and insecurity around learning; the struggles of learning differences are compounded with new problems. Identifying and cultivating a child’s strengths has the inverse ability to build selfesteem and let them feel they can again – our daily mission.

BUILDING ON STRENGTHS

FROM CAN’T TO CAN

With small class sizes, individualized teaching time, and a deep and empathetic understanding of the unique challenges each child faces, educators and therapists are able to offer activities and exercises that leverage a child’s strengths and provide opportunities for them to shine; like a student who had refused to leave the car at the beginning of the year but who later performed a ballet solo on stage in front of the entire school. In creating positive learning experiences so a child can feel successful, we give them the confidence they need to then tackle more challenging areas. Our teachers work strategically with children to find approaches that will set the stage for progress. We celebrate their successes and continually provide them with the encouragement they need to feel they are able to grow.

Our experience continually confirms that an understanding of one’s own strengths builds a stronger self-confidence that in turn leads to assertiveness, problem-solving skills, collaboration, social skills, and an overall ability to self-advocate. A focus on the whole child necessarily boosts their learning aptitude, ability, and desire, and enables them to move back to a traditional program and be successful. This sense of confidence is something that children take when they leave and it allows them to feel the joy in learning, participating, and working with others.

Pilot really focuses on the strengths, the abilities—not the disabilities. TEACHER

Every experience here was modeled into some type of positive direction. PARENT

LET’S FOSTER A CULTURE OF “CAN”

THE PILOT SCHOOL

MOMENTS OF OPPORTUNITY

A CHILD’S DAY

CHILD + TEACHER

CHILD + STUDENTS

CHILD + PARENT

SUPPORT

NEGLECT

ENCOURAGEMENT

CRITICISM

MOTIVATION

DISCOURAGEMENT

LET’S LOOK AT THIS ANOTHER WAY.

HAND IN WHEN YOU’RE FINISHED.

YOU CAN PLAY, TOO.

HE WON’T DO ANYTHING.

I WOULD LOVE TO LOOK AT YOUR HOMEWORK.

SO MUCH HOMEWORK. ARE YOU BEHAVING AT SCHOOL?

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

EXCITEMENT

DEFEAT

SATISFACTION

FRUSTRATION

LET’S TRY USING THESE BLOCKS AS COUNTERS.

YOU CAN’T GO TO RECESS UNTIL YOU FINISH.

HE WILL PLAY THE FATHER BECAUSE HE IS A BIT SHY.

YOU WON’T HAVE A ROLE IF YOU CAN’T HELP.

GREAT JOB, YOU GOT ALL OF THESE RIGHT.

YOU BETTER FINISH EVERYTHING OR YOUR TEACHER WILL BE UPSET.

SUCCESS

FAILURE

PROUD

WORTHLESS

EMPOWERMENT

ANXIETY

LET’S FOSTER A CULTURE OF “CAN”

THE PILOT SCHOOL

LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S REDEFINE SUCCESS

IN CONVERSATION WITH

CINDI COZZA & MICHAEL RICHARDS, FACULTY LET’S REDEFINE SUCCESS

Cindi is a dynamic educator with speech and language pathology and special education degrees. She serves as a role model for other educators and colleagues as someone who always puts the child first. Michael never rests in the development of his performance-oriented program. He’s an innovative music therapist with an additional degree in counseling. How does The Pilot School measure success? Cindi: We measure success both subjectively and objectively. Subjectively, it really has to do with a child taking more academic risk. It’s a place where self-advocacy begins; where the children are using strengths, towards any area of need. Michael: Then, objectively, of course, we evaluate through sets of comprehensive testing. We spend quite a bit of time making sure that there are objective measures that quantify results. What does changing the idea of success do for a child and a school environment?

LET’S PROMOTE LEARNING TO LEARN

Michael: As the children learn how they learn best and experience their own successes, they tend to look to that in each other. It builds the community. If they like themselves more, they’re more open to liking others more as well, and can internalize that everyone is different. It’s looking at the world in a way that each person is unique, and accepting that in all people. Cindi: Everyone really benefits when a child reframes their concept of success – making it personal. I remember one boy who was visiting and mentioned to Michael that he liked the drums. So, Michael immediately put drumsticks in his hands and had him play the drums. Days later he was enrolled. He brought a bookbag and I told him, “Oh, you’re all prepared.” He opened his bag and the one thing he brought was a pair of drumsticks. He realized what he could do, that this was going to be fun, and that we were going to provide the opportunity for success. When do you know the child is ready to transition to the regular school system? Cindi: One of the biggest things is when they become self-advocates and aware of how they learn. They seek help when it’s needed. They clarify when they need something. They have self-discipline. They exhibit age-related problem- solving skills. They have the confidence to be their own person with their decisions. Then we get into the coping skills, knowing that when the cookie crumbles, the child does not.

THE PILOT SCHOOL

WHOSE STANDARDS? Reaching success depends entirely on how a child perceives success, and their motivations to get there. The standard notion of success is defined by exterior forces – school boards, bell curves, government benchmarks. When a student’s abilities do not fall within these definitions, there are no easy solutions – pushing through the same curriculum that simply is not working will only highlight what the child isn’t able to do. The underlying problem is that many schools are product-driven; children delivering finished assignments within a specific time frame, meeting a specific standard, determines either achievement or failure. Continued success is centered around the ability to continually deliver products over and over. At Pilot, we focus on process.

The Pilot School teaches to the child versus most schools, which fit the child into a curriculum.

UNIQUE APTITUDES We believe in a core education that doesn’t initially result in grades on a specific test, but on the effort and strategy used to arrive at the results. We focus on problem-solving and recognizing the specific work required for each child to get to a real understanding of the material at hand. At The Pilot School, we recognize that each child is unique, with different aptitudes, needs, and timetables for learning. Our classroom divisions are made by learning ability and skills, ensuring children are taught the best way for their ability – not the best way for their age. At first we abandon a traditional grading system in favor of one that rewards effort and demonstrates success through improvement. When that is internalized, grades become less of a negative judgment. It’s a child-centric education, where we empower students to make their own success.

LET’S REDEFINE SUCCESS

PARENT

PRIDE IN DETERMINATION

The Pilot School students mainstream successfully because of strong selfadvocacy skills. KATHY CRAVEN

Children leave The Pilot School with the power to drive their own education, take pride in their effort, and cherish their successes. While success looks different for each child, we transition them back into the regular curriculum. Confidence from teachers and families alike helps each student thrive at Pilot, and enables them to do the same in their next school. We’ve made it our practice to hang up students’ work throughout our school. It’s a reminder to us of why we’re here – and to the children of their effort, determination, and success.

THE PILOT SCHOOL

BEAUTY IN DIVERSITY

GRADING NATURE

A PALM TREE GROWS TO 50-70FT

LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S REDEFINE SUCCESS

A PINE TREE GROWS TO 40-60FT

A CACTUS GROWS TO 8-10FT

A BRAZIL NUT TREE CAN GROW TO A HEIGHT OF 200FT

A BEECH TREE GROWS TO 80-100FT

A PAPER BIRCH TREE GROWS TO 40-60FT

A BONSAI TREE CAN BE AS SMALL AS 6 INCHES TALL

THE PILOT SCHOOL

LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BUILD SCHOOLS BEYOND WALLS

IN CONVERSATION WITH

ANDREW HAYES, SITE DESIGNER & LANDSCAPE ECOLOGIST

What is the goal for the new campus? The goal for the new campus is not to create a school on 50 acres, but to create a 50-acre school.

How does this diversity change the experience? What happens on this site when you’re out there is that your mind sort of lets go. When the kids are walking into the woods, there’s a period – and it’s the same for the adults – where they’re still thinking about the classroom and what happened, or what happened at home. But there’s a certain point at which you start to look up and realize there’s dappled sunlight coming through the leaves, or there’s a certain rustle, or you start to hear the water or see the water. When that happens, you can see the children’s minds just change. They’re forgetting about the hustle and bustle of the classroom or of the school and they’re able to focus sharply on the lesson at hand. It will complement the indoor experience. Part of the design team’s goal is to provide a seamless experience between the outdoor and the indoor.

The new building is only part of the campus. How will the outdoor experience contribute to a child’s learning? I think what’s very unique about the site is the diversity. A child is able to experience and distinguish different forests, different streams, different geology, different wetlands – they can come away with a little bit of an understanding of diversity throughout landscape, ecology, and the world. The many types of unique ecosys-

Could you express some of the feelings that you hope the children get from the new experience? Wonder. Because when a child gets a sense of wonder, it helps them to disengage from the stress that may be interfering with their learning. It helps the child to immediately begin to process things creatively. It helps the child to build their own construct, which I think is really, really important.

LET’S BUILD SCHOOLS BEYOND WALLS

Andrew’s training in engineering and in landscape architecture has helped develop the new The Pilot School site into a holistic learning experience. Ecologically sensitive designs reflect our vision for a sustainable future.

LET’S PROMOTE LEARNING TO LEARN

tems on this site will really create an amazing experience for the kids.

THE PILOT SCHOOL

CAMPUS AS TEACHER

ENGAGING EVERYONE

As the architecture of most schools shows us, people overlook the important connection between how we learn and where we learn. The location, the architecture, the facilities, and the interior design and fixtures all play a part in engaging diverse learners, some of whom thrive in a tactile environment, some of whom respond to outdoor stimuli, all of whom need something beyond the traditional box classroom and fixed chair-and-desk set.

We have long held the belief that it is vital to engage every child. We’ve invested in areas that provide multi-sensory opportunities that can reach every child and provide them with learning breakthroughs and confidencebuilding not available in traditional settings. An accessible music room, a flexible art space, and a swimming pool have helped us energize our students. The personal achievements and confidence-building that happen in our pool every day remind us that this is a crucial investment. Our new campus goes even further, incorporating a teaching nature trail, an adjacent animal pasture, and different types of outdoor play areas that appeal to athletes, explorers, scientists, naturalists, and tactile and kinetic learners in its sheer variety. The design of the buildings better accommodates smaller numbers of students for each teacher, and helps drive interaction and participation – a particular goal for those with language-based learning differences.

This isn’t business as usual. This is a special place. STUDENT

A SENSE OF PLACE

Research demonstrates that 75% of learning occurs through visual stimulus, while 13% occurs through hearing and touching. Smell and taste count for 12%. QAIS FARYADI, “THE MONTESSORI PARADIGM OF LEARNING: SO WHAT?”

What we’re creating is a home for education, and a space where children can feel empowered to explore new things, try out new interests, and get exposure to educational experiences that they can bring into the world.

Pilot is on the forefront of understanding sensory integration. PARENT

LET’S BUILD SCHOOLS BEYOND WALLS

THE PILOT SCHOOL

ENGAGING EVERY CHILD

THE TEACHING CAMPUS SMALL FARM ANIMAL PASTURE AREA RAIN GARDENS

CREEK NATURE TRAILS

PERFORMANCE ROOM

INDOOR SWIMMING POOL

SCIENCE TREETOP LAB

CLIMBING ROCKS

VEGETATIVE ROOF

ART STUDIO

SENSORY PLAY SPACES

GYM

OUTDOOR AMPHITHEATER

ADVENTURE TRACK

SCHOOL GARDEN

SOFT SURFACE PLAYGROUND

ATHLETIC FIELD

LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BUILD SCHOOLS BEYOND WALLS

THE PILOT SCHOOL

LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CREATE CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE

IN CONVERSATION WITH

JEROME S. HEISLER, JR., VISIONARY LET’S CREATE CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE

Father of a former student, Jerome remains an advocate for The Pilot School and the practice we’ve developed. As an advisor to our board who has overcome learning differences himself, Jerome’s insight and vision help grow and guide the path of The Pilot School. Can you tell us how you came to The Pilot School and why you continue to support it? I’ve known about Pilot for many years, but my involvement with Pilot had to do with my son who had learning challenges, with developmental challenges. I also had those same challenges when I was growing up, but no one had programs like Pilot has now. My wife and I wanted to find a school that would not only fill in those learning deficits, but also focus on self-esteem. Pilot was that school. Why is it important to tell people about Pilot? I think there’s a global reason and a personal reason. The global reason applies to any individual – to have

LET’S PROMOTE LEARNING TO LEARN

the tools available to be able to change someone’s life so they take everything they can out of their life, to the maximum that they desire to. To not give that to them is a crime, in a sense. But we’re doing that in the inner cities. We’re doing it everywhere. There are tons of kids who could be mainstreamed in our world who never have that chance because they learn differently, or they have a deficit. It may not be as broad as my deficit. It may be very narrow, and all they need is someone to teach them how to manage that, or to learn a particular skill. The second reason is personal; I’m directly involved. I’ve had those challenges. I know what those insecurities are like. I know what it is to have low self-esteem because of academic shortfalls. I think it’s important to have a school like Pilot grow and be the best it can. Nothing less than that. I can’t do it. It’s a team effort. I’m only one little component of it. Why do you think people should support a new way of looking at learning? I don’t think all people have to, but I think people who are interested in education should, because it’s our responsibility. To say that we’re servicing 90% of the population through our traditional means – letting 10% go – simply isn’t right. The remaining 10% is a lot of people. So, are we willing to allow 30 million people grow up without having the right tools? That seems sort of silly to me.

THE PILOT SCHOOL

As they begin to trust us, they also share with us the fact that their family dynamic has now changed. TEACHER

LACK OF UNDERSTANDING Insufficient knowledge around learning differences in the community at large has many children and their families at an immediate disadvantage. Because there is a lack of understanding of the source of the problems, a child’s continued failure, anxiety, and isolation can compound the initial learning issues and lead to emotional problems and acting out. Families can get caught in a negative feedback loop, with a child struggling, parents trying to help, the child continuing to struggle, and so on. The problems only get worse as emotional repercussions from chronic frustration add another obstacle to a child’s development.

BRINGING FAMILIES IN

AN OPEN INVITATION

At The Pilot School, involving families in their child’s education process is imperative. In-depth and open communication with the entire teaching team about where a child is finding difficulty, but also where they are succeeding, enjoying, and excelling, is important. Used to report cards and meetings that outline where their child is failing, parents are often hearing about their child’s talents and abilities for the first time. In this way, we can ensure the parents and children are on the same page; that parents understand their child’s challenges and the ways we plan to meet those challenges. Suddenly, there’s a continuity of education developed between school and home. Realizing their child’s teachers understand their child’s issues, and that they themselves understand the issues, is a relief.

This open communication between children and the people around them creates a natural buzz around learning – an excitement and an enthusiasm for the children to build on these new relationships. An awareness of learning differences and the important ways we can enable children is key to battling the isolation, misunderstanding, and stigma that some children feel. It is key to promoting the notion that one size does not fit all, that there are successful methods, strategies, and approaches that fly in the face of “normal” education. Families are only the first step. We’re working to create champions of change – a network dedicated to the improvement of education and a global understanding of the importance of learning to learn, realizing strengths, rewarding efforts, and ingenuity in education.

Education is too important to be left solely to the educators. FRANCIS KEPPEL, “EDUCATION AS A STRATEGIC PRIORITY”

LET’S CREATE CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE

THE PILOT SCHOOL

INITIATE UNDERSTANDING

COMMUNITY & COMMUNICATION

CIVIC LEADER

SPEECH THERAPIST

DENTIST

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

JOURNALIST

MUSIC TEACHER

FAMILY DOCTOR

HAIRDRESSER

FRIENDS

EXTENDED FAMILY

STATE REPRESENTATIVE

ENGLISH TEACHER

NEIGHBORS

ART TEACHER

LIBRARIAN

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST

CHILD

ORGANIZATIONS

SIBLINGS

BUS DRIVER

PARENTS

MATH TEACHER RELIGIOUS LEADERS

RESEARCHER

FUNDERS

SCHOOL BOARDS

LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CREATE CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE

UNIVERSITY LEADERS SPORT COACH

THE PILOT SCHOOL

39 53

OUR NORMAL IS TO CHANGE, CHALLENGE, AND EVOLVE JOIN US

CREDITS CREATED BY Bruce Mau Design Inc. Toronto (Miles Diggins, Kaila Jacques, Rui Moreira, Benjamin Sehl & Laura Stein) COPY EDITOR Jen Cutts

LET’S CHALLENGE THE MYTH OF NORMAL™

PRODUCTION BY Type A Print Inc.

212 Woodlawn Road Wilmington, DE 19803 www.pilotschool.org

PHOTOGRAPHY Jim Graham, Drew Hayes & Chip Riegel

SPECIAL THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS BOOK

We are The Pilot School, established in 1957. We are an individualized, therapeutic, multidisciplinary, independent day school for children with normal potential, ages five through fourteen, who are experiencing language-based learning problems. We are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and our enrollment is about 150 students. We exist to develop children who become catalysts of their own success.

For more information visit: www.pilotschool.org