Meow, fellow friends, this is Colonel Indy bringing my thoughts to your from my posh chair in Kylie’s office. I just got in from a night of wandering and pondering in these beautiful, snowy woods. Day in and day out I listen to Kylie talk to parents like you. She talks about SOAR’s many different programs, the activities, the food, the lodging, and most important of all – the benefits of SOAR. SOAR has a unique ability to instill Life Success Attributes in our campers and students diagnosed with ADHD and/or Learning Disabilities.
What are Life Success Attributes, you may ask? The Frostig Center “identified six attributes which supported students’ striving for success in school and life.” These six attributes are Self-Awareness, Perseverance, Problem-Solving, Support systems, Goal Setting, and Emotional Coping Strategies. Students who are diagnosed with ADHD and/or Learning Disabilities struggle with life skills. This is precisely why SOAR exists, to help teach life success attributes through adventure programming, one nugget at a time.
So as the cat that I am, I found myself wandering through the woods and thinking about one Attribute in particular, Self-Awareness. As a cat, I know myself pretty darn well. I honestly think I’m pretty hot-to-trot and I have instinctively realized the ways to communicate my needs with these crazy humans around me. Since I recognize my strengths, I want to help my student friends to be more self-aware. I have noticed that many of my student friends come to SOAR labeled and categorized. These “labels” have come with negative undertones, but in reality the traits of my friends are far from negative. Let’s begin to focus on strengths rather than challenges.
Distractible vs Multi-Taskable
Oversensitive vs Intuitive
Perseverates vs Ultra-Focused
Disorganized vs Flexible
Day-Dreamer vs Creative
Procrastinates vs Deadline Dependent
Rigid vs Structured
Manipulative vs Leadership
Stubborn vs Tenacious
How would you want your child to see themselves?
Stay tuned as I touch on each Life Success Attribute over the next few weeks. Signing Off – Colonel Indy
