October is Learning Difference/Learning Disability Awareness Month — a time to celebrate the people within the walls of schools like Gaynor, where students with learning differences are able to grow and thrive. Gaynor 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.
Green Cluster Head Teacher Jenna Konstantine said she experienced symptoms of combined ADHD that affected her throughout her life, however, she was not diagnosed until she was an adult.
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 are lazy. It means that there are different systems that you need to work on,” she said.
In the Orange Cluster, Co-Lead Teacher Jaclyn Dobish grew up with ADHD and undiagnosed dyslexia.
Jaclyn said growing up, her learning difference wasn’t fully acknowledged, and she wishes she had advocated for herself more.
“I feel like I wish I had advocated as my young self and said, ‘This is so hard for me. You’re getting mad that I’m getting an 80 on my test that I should have gotten a 100 on, but sitting there and reading the test in itself was an accomplishment,’” she said.
Teaching at Gaynor, Jaclyn not only teaches her students strategies for tackling academic and personal challenges, but also incorporates those strategies into her own life.
“I honestly say all the time that I’ve become a better mathematician, I’ve become a better writer, I’ve become a better life-skill manager based off of everything I teach,” she said. “Finding out what works for you and not trying to do things the ‘cookie cutter’ way is something that has helped me.”
Jaclyn’s Co-Lead Teacher Jacqueline Kolbert also shared what it was like for her growing up with learning differences. She was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia and “hated reading growing up.”
“Now my favorite thing to teach is reading, because I had such a hard time learning to read, so I like making it fun and bringing in art and creativity to academic subjects,” she said. “It allows kids to shine in areas that aren’t easy for them.”
Growing up, Jacqueline gravitated toward extracurriculars like art and music, because those were areas in which she thrived. She advises students to focus on their strengths instead of their weaknesses, a mindset she wished she had adopted.
“I feel like I should have embraced my creativity,” she said. “Boost yourself up with your strengths and extracurriculars, rather than harping on how hard it is to read. I would also tell myself to have a growth mindset.”
Jacqueline said her parents and teachers built her up and encouraged her in the areas she did well in, which is something she recommends all parents do.
“Embrace your child’s differences, promote positivity, build up their strengths, and remind them that putting in the work is worth it,” she said.
School Nurse Emily Goodman was not officially diagnosed with ADHD until adulthood, because learning differences were not as well known or identified when she was growing up.
“I wasn’t hyperactive, but I was inattentive,” Emily said. “It was very easy to ignore me because I was a girl and I was cooperative. It wasn’t until I was almost 30 when I was having organizational issues at work that I went back to an educational professional, and I was officially diagnosed. It made sense.”
When she became a new nurse, she struggled with the organization and prioritizing skills the career requires.
“I used to say to people, ‘I always see outside of the box, and I have no problem troubleshooting and being independent, but I can’t always see the box. I don’t know what falls within my responsibility and what doesn’t,’” Emily said.
Her number one tip for others who have learning differences is to spend a lot of time getting to know yourself, your strengths, and the places you can improve.
“Figure out what works for you individually, because there’s no one right thing,” she said. “I think anything mindful, such as yoga or meditation, is extremely helpful, and just be patient with yourself. Don’t limit yourself in terms of what is possible.”