Testimonials
April 1, 2005
Before the school year enters the hectic schedule of May and June, I wanted to take a moment to thank you, all the teachers, office staff, volunteers and students at Banbury Crossroads for the way you have all supported my son, my son in both his learning challenges and his gifts.
You may recall that he was born prematurely and had many challenges both physically and emotionally. As parents we were very confused by a son who, at age 9, still could not understand simple addition. To the extent that he still argued that 2 + 3 is not 5 every time! When we finally had him screened for learning disabilities he tested above the 90th percentile for most areas. However, he was below the 8th percentile for visual perception. Due to weak eye muscles his entire universe bounced and shimmered which meant he could not experience the one-to-one correspondence necessary for arithmetic.
We made the decision to Banbury school him for a few years so that we could focus on the medical and physical areas he needed development in, while continuing his academics.
When he decided, half way through grade seven that he wanted to try school again we toured the local public school. The principal there, when she learned that at age 12 he was only just starting to be able to do math said, “if you send him, we will have to take him but we can’t do a thing for him. He is far too diverse in his abilities.” Many other schools we explored either were only interested in what the students could achieve, expressed concern about how much “work” he would be or were far too costly. Thank you for not being an elitist school. It is the warmth of the learning setting that enables my son to relax, gain friends and achieve academically.
When we found Banbury you told him that you would start wherever he was in any subject and help him achieve the next marker of learning. He agreed to try the school out for two days. On the second day the students told him he had to come the next day because they had written him into the play. After the play they told him he had to come the next day because they were going to the opening of Lord Of The Rings. And on Thursday they told him he had to come Friday, because then he would have come for a week! Every day he came Banbury more excited about having found a “great school.” This accepting attitude of students in their early teens shows excellent life-skills modeling by the staff at the school and it is something I have appreciated over and over again.
Math was begun at the Grade Five level; all other subjects at either the grade six or seven level. He thrived and gained in confidence. Thank you for never making him feel stupid for being behind in his subjects; rather he was strongly supported in his writing gifts. This encouragement made him more and more willing to tackle his weaker subjects.
He is now 17 and although he still has difficulty in carrying a full academic load he is achieving marks in the 80’s and 90’s, including his grade seven math! Although he will finish high school a little later than some, he will finish with a solid understanding of all the core subjects because of the school’s insistence on mastery learning. He has appreciated the multi-age groupings because students can be working on multiple subjects at multiple grade levels and no-one feels they are in “the wrong grade for their age.” They are just learning the next thing they need to learn.
Two years ago he discovered he loved writing and was supported in the development of a 200 page novel. An amazing achievement for someone who couldn’t spell very well, nor use punctuation when he began at Banbury.
Because you are a principal with an open door policy for everyone from kindergarten to grandparent, I know that you are aware of my son’ progress. However, I wanted to put in writing my appreciation of the impact Banbury Crossroads has had on my son. You have all made it possible for him to get the academic, emotional and social skills he needs to create a successful future.
Again, many thanks to all of you for all the ways you support my son’s growth, dreams and academic learning.
Sincerely,
Adriana
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