Today we had the wonderful opportunity of having Dr. Temple Grandin come to Spectrum Academy. She had lunch with some of the faculty and board members, took a tour of the elementary and secondary schools, and then treated our students and families to a question and answer-style assembly. She volunteered her time and did this all at her own expense, just to come and see our school. We truly appreciate her kindness and the words of insight and encouragement that she shared.
A few of the things that I appreciated were Dr. Grandin's theme that people with autism can do amazing things, and that we need to be sure that our expectations are high. She said that too many times people use their Asperger's or autism as an excuse. In Temple's words, "there are too many twenty-year old Aspies addicted to video games." She encouraged all of us as teachers and parents to expect great things of our kids, and then to help them learn to work to get there. I agree whole-heartedly. Our kids can do amazing things! They will rise to the level of expectations we set for them.
At the assembly, our elementary school students were fantastic! They sang the P.R.I.D.E. rules song, were polite, and enjoyed the event. Way to go Giraffes!!!
Here is a link to the channel 5 story.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=17905546&title=temple-grandin-shares-success-story-with-salt-lake-students
There may be a longer story on Sunday with Carol Mikita. We will let you know if we hear that they are going to air the longer interview and story.
Thank you to all of our volunteers who helped our buildings to be in tip-top shape, and thank you to all of our wonderful families for your support!
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