President's Letter

Dear friends of PEN,

Welcome to a new school year and a new year of PEN activity. 

Connecting Research to Practice: Making Math Real.

Friday September 11, 2009
9am - 12pm, The Exploratorium

With David Berg, creator of the Making Math Real Method. This presentation provides the research basis from neuro-science and cognitive science directly in support of the Making Math Real multisensory structure in mathematics, for all processing styles.  Age range: K-12. Click here to register!

LD/ADHD and College: the untold stories of a Dyslexic & ADHD Brown University Admissions Officer.

Friday September 18
9am - 11am, The Exploratorium

With David Flink, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Project Eye-To-Eye. While an admissions officer at Brown University, David Flink read over 4,000 files and all those pertaining to students with learning disabilities. Flink now runs Project Eye-To-Eye, a national mentoring program aimed at empowering students with learning disabilities and helping them to think about how to make the transition into college and the work world. Having a learning disability himself, Flink speaks from his experience of self-empowerment and seeks to share his story with students across the nation. Click here to register!

ADAM SCHUTZ REPORTS ON PROJECT EYE TO EYE
   
Now in its third year of mentoring through Project Eye to Eye, SAFE's member Adam Schutz was selected to attend the annual OI (Organizational Institute) at Brown University.  Adam (Stuart Hall junior) and Sarah Maloney (SOTA junior) will be heading up this year's mentoring project at SFUSD's Cesar Chavez Elementary School.

Adam just returned from Brown and his enthusiasm is palpable,  "I guess I always knew this was a big program, but until I attended the national training, I didn't fully appreciate the time and energy committed to creating and supporting Eye to Eye's chapters throughout the United States - it's mind blowing!"  Adam was surprised by the number of high schools now involved in the historically college level mentoring program and reports "more and more high school chapters are being created each year; the youth of America are being challenged and motivated to make their voices heard and change the course of education for future generations."  Reflecting on the training, Adam noted his point of view and insight about the program's humble beginnings were forever altered by his experience at the national institute, "I now understand and appreciate the size and breadth of this important movement started by David Flink and Jonathan Mooney; it's great that SAFE is one of its chapters....and well, we were the first high school chapter and still the only chapter in the country that includes high school students from a wide variety of schools - no chapter is like SAFE's."

Click here to learn more about Project Eye to Eye, and if you are a high school student interested in becoming a SAFE mentor, register for training through SAFE Voices here and join the SAFE meeting on Saturday. 

SAFE STUDENTS ARE MAKING HISTORY!

Three of SAFE’s members, all with LD and/or ADHD are making history. Sarah Maloney is named co-editor of umläut, a first for a junior at SOTA’s creative writing program.  Natalie Tamburello addresses the incoming freshman class at Whitman College on cognitive diversity. Madalyn Rokisky-Ring is featured in an article about the rewards missed when educators fail to reach out to our students who learn differently – for these students are clearly gifted.

It comes as no surprise to anyone who knows Sarah Maloney – or for that matter has read any of her brilliant, provocative and creative writing – that SFUSD’s School of the Arts (SOTA) broke with tradition and named a junior as editor to umläut, a position held only by seniors since inception.  The umläut is not a typical high school literature review.  Its edgy, sophisticated spirit and the glossy, trade paperback quality of the book make it worthy of bookstore shelves – where indeed, it can often be found. 

Sarah is a founding member of SAFE, one of its youngest founding members, and her creative talent and literary skill is extraordinary – so long (as she would tell you) you don’t care about her spelling.  Sarah was one of our important contributors to SAFE’s Read This When You Can.  She was a freshman at the time, yet her gifts as a writer were clearly apparent long before high school! 

Sarah entered SOTA’s highly prestigious and competitive creative writing program and joined umläut’s staff as a freshman.  Now in its 7th year, umläut, a collection of student writing, graphic art and photography has established itself as a journal to be reckoned with. With Sarah at the helm as co-editor, this year’s edition promises to be a volume well worth waiting for.  Despite a full plate as chapter coordinator for SAFE’s Project Eye to Eye last year and this year, Sarah continues to dazzle with a remarkable and sophisticated voice in her writing as well as her contributions as a regular panelist with SAFE Voices.

SAFE's founding member, Natalie Tamburello, now a sophomore at Whitman College made history this week at Whitman's Freshman Orientation Program.  Natalie was asked to address the entire incoming class as one of the eight "Voices of Whitman," a presentation by current students on their college experiences and "how they have shaped Whitman in this celebration of diverse perspectives that define the college."    

For the first time in the college's history, cognitive diversity was recognized as a distinct and powerful voice on campus in this annual presentation about diversity.  In Natalie's address, she explained her struggles: "I was unable to read until 5th grade, I went to a special ed school for three years, and to this day I cannot spell, or do simple arithmetic to save my life and it still takes me twice as long as any other student to complete work of equal caliber. And I will never be able to achieve a score on a standardized test that will adequately represent my knowledge, understanding, intelligence, or capacity." Yet with unwavering certainty she stated, "I truly believe that my difference is a gift. As odd as this sounds, I would not be as successful as I am today if it wasn't for the determination instilled in me because of the struggles I endured....So if you are a person like me and you are worried - as I was at this very moment last year - I want to let you know that you can do it…it will be hard, but you know hard, you’ve done hard all your life...[Y]ou’ll be valued, honored and encouraged; no one thinks you need fixing. You’re here to soar to whatever heights you care to reach for...Sure we learn differently, and with that difference comes a world, a sea of strengths….and your strengths...are valued, waiting to be discovered, uncovered so they may flourish and serve you." 

Bravo to Whitman College for recognizing the incomparable value our students bring to every college campus and thank you Natalie for your eloquent and strong voice.   To read Natalie's full speech delivered to the freshman class at Whitman College, click here.

Another early member of SAFE, Madalyn Rokisky-Ring is featured in a remarkable article published by the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Inc. inspiring educators to reach out to students who learn differently.  Tracy Anne Sena, "the broadview" faculty adviser to Convent of the Sacred Heart HS recruited Madalyn (now a junior at CalArts) to join the writing staff of Convent’s school paper. Typically writers for publications come from a pool of the “English-class superstars.” Ms Sena looked beyond the usual pool for talent and was rewarded in more ways than were anticipated. 

“I was asking – and so were members of the staff – because we all knew the girl who accessorized her Catholic school uniform with a silver-studded, black leather choker and hung out in San Francisco’s Mission District would talk to anyone about anything.  She had stories to tell.”  Wisely, Madalyn and Ms. Sena worked out a plan, like an IEP, but it required buy-in from other students who were challenged by and learned from editing Madalyn’s work. “‘Editing for someone with a learning [difference] tests whether you really understand the edits you’re making because you have to find the best way to communicate it to them.’ Said Libby Brittain, now a junior at Barnard College who edited Madalyn’s stories for the two years they were on staff together.”  And as we all know, students with learning differences always work harder and typically better; Madalyn knew it would take her longer to complete her work and therefore “contact[ed] her sources sooner than standard learners” resulting in early final drafts, always with a keen, inventive and insightful eye unique to Madalyn’s style.

Bravo to Ms. Sena and to Convent! 12 amazing and unique stories would have been missed had Ms. Sena not enlisted Madalyn as a staff writer.  Click here to read the full article.  It’s an extraordinary article about why our diverse learners need to be encouraged and celebrated.   

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