The Big Day

On May 1st, we held our big meeting, the Educational Committee meeting. Five of the nine districts invited showed up. Three of the five were the biggest and most important districts in the Omaha area. In addition, the educational service unit showed up and two principals from a private school.

We began with me talking about the foundation and then moving on to a couple of parents sharing their struggles raising twice exceptional/bright out-of-sync learners. After that, Brandon spoke. Brandon is a 20 year old young man who struggled throughout his entire academic years. He spoke with such composure even though he was nervous. I think it was his underlying emotions that made him speak so clearly. He laid it on the line for the district administrators... what went wrong. He talked about being on a "specialized plan" for school and how teachers didn't follow it because they didn't believe he needed the support. He talked about his mom advocating for him but they wouldn't listen to her either. His words were truth. Even for a man who has an IQ well above the norm AND having Non-Verbal Learning Disorder. It was clear he was an articulate man who could clearly see what lead himself into a depression, his struggles in school.

The psychologist from CO then did an hour presentation. She talked about how to identify these kids and why they are often missed in the diagnosis process. She shared with them why these kids need different educational services. These kids are at a great risk for anxiety, depression, suicide, and acting out. They are at risk, period. They need something that allows them to be the way their brains are and still be held accountable not only for their behaviors, but also their potential. These kids need to understand themselves better and feel like they belong in society. They need to understand that their brains explode with information, ideas, dreams, good intentions, and the ability to see connections in ways many can't. They also need to understand what holds them back from getting this information out without being frustrated. So many of these kids have head injuries, high levels of heavy metals in their bodies/brains, seizures that go unrecognized, and for some their brain is just wired differently for reasons we don't understand, yet. They need to understand that they aren't "weird," they just process and learn from the world around them differently. These kids are on the verge of teaching the world about an entirely different learning and communicating style.

After the psychologist spoke, I talked about how Omaha needs to be the hub for twice exceptional in the Midwest. As private and public schools begin to provide educational programs for these kids, we need to find it here in our area to grow like the rest of the nation. I shared that the purpose of the committee is to design an initiative for a twice exceptional/bright out-of-sync educational program.

The meeting ended with a great response from the educators. Many said, "This is good stuff," on their way out as they grabbed more materials for others they know. Some wrote names of others on the roster to be included on the committee for future meetings.

I'm a life coach. I've been trained to support others by teaching skills and tools so they can begin to live their dreams in life. Dreams are an amazing thing. When dreams happen, there is a certain meaningful purpose that springs forth within us and it exhibits pure joy. This dream for me, has been sweeter than desire, and brings a resonating energy of the very reason I'm on this planet. There is a deep, comfortable sweet spot being rubbed and soothed. It's my life's purpose. Not only do I understand dreams, being a life coach, but I also understand the depth of dreams coming true! This dream is now on the beginning of a good ride after 3 1/2 years of persistence and many failed attempts, which were successful actions all along.