LEARNING (TO THRIVE) DIFFERENTLY
Learning (to Thrive) Differently: Gaynor Faculty and Staff Share Their Stories Awareness
Green Cluster Head Teacher Jenna Konstantine said
Month in October is a time to celebrate the people within
she experienced symptoms of combined ADHD that
the walls of schools like Gaynor, where students with
affected her throughout her life, however, she was not
learning differences are able to grow and thrive. Gaynor
diagnosed until she was an adult.
Learning
Difference/Learning
Disability
graduates are successful in their future professions, including many who have become teachers, specialists, and educational administrators. That students with learning differences grow up to become educators should come as no surprise. Many adults with learning differences reference their educational journey with inspiring them to become educators. The same is true for current Gaynor faculty and staff members. We asked for volunteers to share their experiences with learning differences, and what advice they might give to current Gaynor students and parents.
She said that she felt like a confident learner in school, but struggled with executive functions such as time management and organization. “I constantly interrupted other people and couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t make myself stop,” Jenna said. “I was one of those students who would leave things at school or leave things at home, and my parents had to drop things off almost every single day.” Today, Jenna uses timers to help keep herself on track and to monitor the passage of time, as well as creating lists and utilizing calendars to remember tasks. “I use a lot of labels. I keep things where I’m going to use them. I remind myself that having a messy desk doesn’t make me a bad person or a bad teacher,” she said. If she could go back, Jenna said she would tell her younger self, “Just because there are things that are harder for you to figure out, and just because there are things that take longer for you to do, doesn’t mean you are not trying your best, and it doesn’t mean that you’re a bad person or that you don’t care.” Something she often reminds herself, and something she hopes parents remember, is that many executive functions involve skills that need to be learned and practiced, and they can be just as difficult as solving a hard math problem. “Not putting a name and date on your paper, or forgetting to put a folder in your backpack, or having trouble planning a long-term project does not mean you
16
GAYNOR GAZETTE
