Taking a "Political" Stand to Support Children Who Learn Differently

Gec Washman - Carroll’s mythological guru whose name is a loose acronym for “give each child what she or he most needs” - jumps into the 2016 Presidential race running on a platform that supports children who learn differently.

In this year of high political rhetoric, Gec Washman has a few points to proffer as well. Not one to grab the microphone, slam the opposition, engage in subtle smear tactics, Gec is, nonetheless, capable of going on a verbal rant with the best of them. Among the politically correct diatribes about women’s rights, defense of marriage, freedom of choice, economic injustice, and civil rights, Gec wants to stand a stand regarding the worth of the learning rights movement.

Gec proclaims, “The cards are stacked against students who learn differently. They get called learning disabled. That’s a huge insult coming from mainstream insiders - with their typical, horribly normal brains - who simply don’t get it. I’m tired of the 50 percenters who think they own America’s schools.”

Recently, Gec was in the audience of over 300 to hear David Flink, co-founder of Project Eye to Eye, speak to the Carroll community. Gec leaped out of the chair and roared with approval when David referred to Carroll’s unofficial motto during his talk, “Children with dyslexia tend to look at the world differently. Isn’t the world lucky they do?” The world is a better place when cerebro-diversity (a term coined by Dr. Gordon Sherman, a friend of Gec’s) is honored in our schools. We need these unique thinkers, problem solvers, designers, inventors, visionaries, and peacemakers.

Shouldn’t people who learn differently have access to appropriate education in the same way that typical learners do? Shouldn’t schools be organized into groups across a continuum of learning styles rather than by hierarchy? Shouldn’t some Department of Education somewhere care about high stakes testing for skills other than quick recall of memorized and prescribed information?

Gec knows that to make America great again we need a citizenry that is diversified. As described in “The Dyslexic Advantage” by Brock and Fernette Eide, the learning rights movement can capture four fundamental skills in dyslexics that are superior to typical learners: (1) visual, spatial, and hands-on skills focused on three dimensional objects, (2) interconnected reasoning, seeing connections that others don’t, (3) ability to bring memory fragments to bear on solution finding, and (4) dynamic ability to accurately predict patterns.

Gec has yet to endorse any presidential candidate, though I suppose one can guess whom Gec will not be supporting. But the learning rights revolution is coming. Gec can heal and inspire. America needs a champion, and Gec might just be that champion.