When I look back at the more than 40 years I spent as a teacher, principal, and school superintendent, I always thought that I was making a big difference in the lives of children who came into my life. The most difficult time I have had as an educator was as a superintendent of schools.  I felt that in spite of all the power invested in my “office”, I was still unable to look after the most precious lives – “students” – placed in my hands by trusting parents. I always wondered how I could be more effective at providing the gift of literacy to every one of our students, even those who eventually fell through the cracks.

As a first generation literate, my parents had told me that education was my passport to better things in life. I recall my Dad saying the following words to me:

Sardar, my son:

• without education, man has eyes but cannot see properly;
• without education, man has ears but cannot hear properly;
• without education, man has hands but they do not work as efficiently and effectively.

Though himself illiterate, my father recognized not only the value, but also the need, of education. He also recognized the difficulty of obtaining an education – the sacrifices families and students must make to realize an education.

My father helped me obtain my education and inspired me to become a teacher. But, as I have shared with you in these blog entries, over time I became disillusioned with the educational system. I view education as a fundamental right. To help those who would otherwise be denied this fundamental right, I sought to open a school where children who fall between the cracks could be caught in a net and be brought to a place with a “heart”, a school that could meet the unfulfilled needs of students with learning disabilities.

It wasn’t until 1997 that this dream became a reality. As an educational psychologist, I could tell you how and why my approach – what is realized every day at the Third Academy – fulfills my dream. But I think my thoughts are best summarized by the following story.

THE ANIMAL SCHOOL
Dr. George H. Reavis

Once upon a time, the animals decided they must do something heroic to meet the problems of “a new world.” So they organized a school.

They adopted an activity curriculum consisting of running, climbing, swimming, and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum all the animals took all the subjects.

The duck was excellent in swimming, in fact better than his instructor; but he made only passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to stay after school and also drop swimming in order to practice running. This was kept up until his web feet were badly worn and he was only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in school so nobody worried about that except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of the class in running, but had a nervous breakdown because of so much make-up work in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed frustration in the flying class where his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of from the tree top down. He also developed a “Charlie horse” from over-exertion and then got C in climbing and D in running.
The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely. In the climbing class he beat all the others to the top of the tree, but insisted on using his own way to get there.

At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim exceedingly well, and also run, climb, and fly a little, had the highest average and was valedictorian.

The prairie dogs stayed out of school and fought the tax levy because the administration would not add digging and burrowing to the curriculum. They apprenticed their children to a badger and later joined the groundhogs and gophers to start a successful private school.

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Does this fable have a moral?

Dr. S. Lal Mattu

Disabled people have been in our midst since the beginning of human existence. A “normal” society is made up of diverse people with different colors, beliefs, skills, capabilities, and so on. Reasonable people view societal attempts to eradicate people with disabilities as criminal conduct. We condemn societies such as Nazi German that seek to impose the “final solution” to “cleanse” their society of those considered “unfit”.

Unfortunately, even here in Canada, disabled people have not always been made to feel part of their society. We have come a long ways since the days when adults and children with disabilities were hidden from the general view of the public. There was, in fact, a stigma attached to having someone with a physical or mental disability in one’s family with the result that people with disabilities were hidden – sometimes even in attics – from friends and relatives.

While physically and mentally disabled children and adults are easily recognizable because of their “visual” characteristics, many children and adults have a “hidden disability” which in many cases may go undetected because they are not visually apparent.

In this blog entry I am only going to talk about children with learning disabilities. In the province of Alberta, Canada, between 20 to 25 percent of children has some type of a “learning disability”. Children with this “hidden handicap” were not even official recognized by our government until 1972. At that time, a very limited amount of monies was set aside for school systems for the identification and remediation for children with learning disabilities. Today every classroom has approximately 3 to 5 students who require educators with specific skill sets to deal successfully with their disabilities. Such disabilities include children with attention deficit orders, neurological impairments, Aspergers, autistic spectrum disorders, and behavior disorders that include conduct disorders, oppositional defiance disorder, as well as socio-emotional difficulties. Children with learning disabilities often develop behavior disorders as the result of the frustration, failure, and anger they experience because of our inability to deal with their needs. In particular, our education systems are ill prepared to deal with children with learning disorders “because they march to a different drums tune”.

I believe that every single child has the right to a good education that meets their specific needs, enabling them to succeed in our society. Otherwise, we will end up with students dropping out of school at the rate we currently have in our province. This is where I contend; contend strongly, that every child should have the equal right of having access to appropriate educational programs regardless of where they are taken; whether it be private or public.

I sometimes wonder if we – our society – is responsible for the “failure” of children who are so called “learning disabled”. Maybe, the “inability” of children to learn is the creation of our society and education systems. Maybe, we haven’t acknowledged the fact that children grow up differently and to meet their needs society and educational systems must change. I’m amazing that how we deal with the educational needs of children with learning disorders has changed little since when the first school in Alberta was established.

Dr. S. Lal Mattu

Yes, the Third Academy is indeed a place for students that are unable to succeed in the regular system and, because of various reasons, would likely either drop out or be expelled from their neighborhood schools. As the facts shown in Part 2 of this article illustrate, many of these young people are at risk of ending up on the wrong side of the law and face incarceration and being lost to our society, potentially forever. Fortunately, this pathway of school failure to institutionalization is not inevitable. We can help. The Third Academy uses a totally different way of dealing with children.

So what do we do at The Third Academy that results with 95 percent of children dealing successfully with their academic, socio-emotional, and behavior difficulties, as well as other neurological and/or “habitual” issues and concerns?

At the Third Academy our model goes in threes. It is a holistic model which deals with personal development (the “first third”), academic (the “second third”) and kinetics/tactical (the “third third”).

We start simply by healing the heart and allowing everything else to follow.

1. Think

What you can think you can do. We know this is very true of children and many adults in our society. Thinking (the mind) leads to feelings (the heart) which leads to how we act (the body). So, if you think negative, you feel negative and, subsequently, act in a negative manner. Hence, the role of Third Academy staff is to change the way children “think”. If thinking is changed to “positiveness”, it results in positive feelings and actions. This is what the Third Academy is all about.

2. Consider the following diagram:

At the Third Academy Personal Development, by focusing on self-concept issues, is a significant “difference” to conventional educational programs. The Personal Development component of our educational model, by inspiring positive hopes, seeks change that allows the student to “think” and “feel” that they are truly “lovable and capable”.  Changing the way students “think” and “feel” about themselves impacts learning and will ultimately result in academic performance consistent with their true potential.

This model does not work without staff that are compassionate and understand that they are “therapists” first and “teachers” second. They must appreciate that they are not simply “teachers of subject matter” but rather “teachers of children”. Teachers are an essential component of the Third Academy program ….. as I often say “It is the singer not the song.”

As well our students have access to psychologists, speech/language pathologists, and occupational therapists as required to provide the much needed support for teachers, students, and parents. Again, the student is the first third, the parent is the second third and my staff are the final third ….. when you put these three together it becomes the “whole”. In essence, this is The Third Academy.

We will continue accepting students throughout the 2011-2012 year who cannot cope in the regular environment and are in need of our services. Help is only one phone call away: 403-288-5335. Dr. Mattu, the Third Academy Founder and CEO, would be delighted to hear from you.

Dr. S. Lal Mattu

As promised, I am providing for your perusal some facts about children with learning disabilities.

1. Learning disabilities are a congenital neurological condition, which impacts the lives of children, youth and adults and affects all aspects of human functioning, including social functioning.
Reference: Report on neurological basis, The Lancet, February 1990.

2. One in ten Canadians has learning disabilities or 3 million Canadians.
References: 1970 Commission on Emotional and Learning Disorders in Children.

3. According to principals who participated in the first cycle of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY), an average of 12% of children in their schools had a learning disability.
Reference:1997 Education Quarterly Review, Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 81-003-XPB, Vol. 4, no. 2 – Initial Results from the School Component, NLSCY.

4. One in 10 children received some form of remedial education during 1994-95. Children receiving remedial education often have multiple problems with the most common difficulties being a learning disability (51%) or an emotional or behavioral problem (23%).
Reference:1997 Education Quarterly Review, Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 81-003-XPB, Vol. 4, no. 2 – Initial Results from the School Component, NLSCY.

5. 35% of students identified with learning disabilities drop out of high school. This is twice the rate of non-disabled peers and does not include students who are not identified and drop out.
Reference: Washington Summit on Learning Disabilities, 1994.

6. The Conference Board of Canada determined that dropouts from the high school class of 1987 will cost society more than $1.7 billion in lost taxes. Reference: 1997, Dr. Doherty, Zero to Six: The Basis for School Readiness, HRDC.

7. Adults with learning disabilities, who have not received appropriate education and/or training, typically hold a job for only three months. Employers when questioned, report that the reason for termination in most cases related to the person’s social skills deficits rather than to any job skill problems.
Reference: Ontario Ministry of Labour, Handicapped Employment Program

8. 45.6% of adult inmates with learning disabilities have previous youth court involvement.
Reference: 1995, Learning Disabilities Among Canada’s Federal Inmate Population, Larry Motiuk, Ph.D., Correctional Services Canada.

9. 50% of females with learning disabilities will be mothers within 3 to 5 years of leaving high school.
Reference: 1994, Washington Summit on Learning Disabilities.

10. 15% to 20% of Canadians with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) also have specific learning disabilities.
Reference: Dr. Dan Offord, Ontario Child Health Study, Chedoke-McMaster Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario.

11. 80% of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have a specific learning disability while 30% of children with learning disabilities have ADHD. Almost all children who have ADHD are identified in the school system as having a behavioral exceptionality.
Reference: Dr. Dan Offord, Ontario Child Health Study, Chedoke-McMaster Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario.

12. 30% of adults with severe literacy problems were found to have undetected or untreated LD.
Reference: National Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center, 1994

In Part III I will talk about The Third Academy that has become a net for many of our children who have become disenfranchised and in many ways are dented and blunted. This school is very unique and perhaps the only one of its kind in Alberta and even all of Canada. I truly believe if every school system operated on the philosophy of The Third Academy, many children would be saved and become useful members of our society.

Parents: Your child’s education is an investment. Fight for their right to a solid education, one responsible to your child’s unique and specific needs. Fight whoever you need to fight with, especially the school system. Remember if you, don’t nobody will!

Perhaps I should give away the secret of how The Third Academy succeeds while other schools fail. In my next segment I will talk about The Third Academy, a school for special needs children, a school with a heart, a school where the dented and blunted hearts are mended with tender loving care, a school with your child as the core of its existence.

Dr. S. Lal Mattu

After having spent many years in public education as a teacher, school principal, school psychologist, as well as school superintendent, I have made lots of observations about how public school systems operate. I found that regardless of my own good intentions and the very best intentions of my staff, we did not succeed in meeting the learning and emotional requirements of the many children in our schools that had special and specific needs. I felt as if the schools were better suited to meeting the needs of the adults running them rather than children that came to school for an education. Unfortunately, more effort was being placed on protecting the system rather than meeting the demands of the children in our care.

This greatly frustrated me during the18 years I worked as a superintendent and I finally reached the point that I had enough. I decided to open my own school, The Third Academy for children with special needs, to look after those who fall between the cracks, those who were failed by the system. All too often these children drop out of schools in anger, frustration, and with a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. They become academic failures and in the long run become failures in society. I have come to realize that schools are not able to look after the needs of a diverse population they serve simply because schools have not changed the way they operate.

So, is your school failing your child? You don’t even have to answer this question because I know that between 15 to 25 percent of children are victims of our school systems. Far too many of these children eventually end up on the wrong side of our legal system. If your school is failing your child, The Third Academy, a school for children with special needs, is perhaps the option you need to look at. Phone 403-288-5335 to get more information.

In Part II of this article I will be presenting some facts on children with learning disabilities. Those facts attest to my assertion that our school systems are responsible for many of our children dropping out of school and becoming a burden to our society forever.

Dr. S. Lal Mattu

As a first generation literate, I have been very fortunate and blessed in life. I have come a long way from the days of being bullied in my school and being a punching bag in lots of incidences, to a stage where I want no child to become victim on my growing up. I became a teacher at age 17½ and have taught every grade from kindergarten to grade 12, as well as students with special needs. Now that I have founded and run a school for children with special needs, I often wonder if it was written in my destiny to look after the needs of children who would otherwise fall between the cracks, fail in our school system, and be lost to our society forever. Today I regard KIDS AS MY BUSINESS. In this regard I found a beautiful piece of writing by Robyn Squire, an American writer. Please read it and enjoy. This is indeed what I do!

KIDS ARE MY BUSINESS

How lucky am I? At work each day
I get to help children learn and play,
and keep them safe so they will grow
into adults I’ll be glad to know!

How proud am I? I guide today’s youth
to strive for knowledge, goals, and truth.
I know I play an important part
in inspiring them to take learning to heart.

How grateful am I? I value so much
the smiles that I win and the lives that I touch.
I love earning the trust of each girl and boy.
Kids are my business, as well as my joy!

Robyn Squire

Dr. S. Lal Mattu

Having been in education for some 40 years of my life, and having occupied every position from school teacher to superintendent, as well as having contacts with thousands of parents, students and professionals who deal with children, I would like to share with you some small pieces of wisdom that I picked up along the way.

As I was looking at the materials I have collected over the years I found a plaque which says it all. If every parent, professional in our schools and all those who come in contact with our young students followed this I would not see the kind of social, emotional, and dysfunctional families and students who are unable to cope with the education system and their personal lives in the community. I would like to present this for your reading in its entirety.

CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE

IF a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.

IF a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.

IF a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.

IF a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.

IF a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.

IF a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.

IF a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.

IF a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.

IF a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.

IF a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.

IF a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.

So what do you think?

Those who condemn must have lived with criticism.

Those who fight must have lived with hostility.

Those who are shy must have lived with ridicule.

Those who feel guilty must have lived with shame.

Those who are patient must have lived with tolerance.

Those who are confident must have lived with encouragement.

Those who always look for justice must have lived with fairness.

Those who have a strong faith must have lived with security.

Those who have self-esteem and like themselves must have lived with approval.

And most of all, those who find an abundance of love and happiness in every soul and the world as a whole must have lived with acceptance and friendship.

So let us get rid of criticism, hostility, ridicule, and shame. Let us treat our children and students with tolerance, encouragement, praise, fairness, approval, acceptance, friendship and a sense of security.

Remember, they are the decision makers of tomorrow!

Dr. S. Lal Mattu

Our annual Gala is rapidly approaching and I encourage all members of the Third Academy to make a genuine effort to become involved in this important fundraising event. If you have not received your Gala information package, please contact your school. While your Gala Committee is working hard to arrange a wonderful event, they also need your help. One of the most effective ways to raise both community awareness of our programs and funding needs is through direct contact with the businesses and service providers you deal with. If every Third Academy family and staff member provided five names of potential Gala donors, I am confident that this year’s Gala will be the most successful ever. When we share the Third Academy story – telling others about what we do and our successes – people open up their hearts and, if they can, their checkbooks.

Let me share with you a story of some fundraising that took place today. But first I must provide a little history. Parents from the Calgary South Campus are likely aware that we were able to take that school’s High School Class on a weekend trip Jasper National Park last September. The highlight of the tour was the Columbia Icefield Glacier Experience,  an excursion on the Athabasca Glacier travelling on one of Brewster’s giant Ice Explorers. Our students and teachers enjoyed a customized tour – one not available to the general public at any cost – conducted by Bruce Freeman, a Third Academy staff member and summer Brewster employee. Brewster also provided fuel for our bus and their chefs cooked the turkey dinner that was enjoyed by all at the Mosquito Creek Hostel. Brewster contributed this for our students at no cost. I have always encouraged our staff to incorporate the breathtaking beauty and variety found in this remarkable province in their classroom activities. These outdoor activities stimulate both the mind and the body and the lessons learned both heal and educate. Brewster – and the hard efforts of our staff – made this trip possible and helped establish an extremely positive school year for the Calgary South High School Class.

Today Bruce Freeman and “DG”, a high school student and Student Council President of the Calgary South Campus, travelled to Banff to thank Brewster for their generosity. Mr. Freeman and “DG” presented Brewster management with a beautiful enlargement of a photograph of our group that was taken on the glacier and later autographed by all participants. “DG” explained to Brewster management what the trip meant for him and his classmates. Brewster recognized our need and responded. We can now plan a similar trip for our students for the 2011-2012 school year and Brewster has also offered tickets to their various Banff and Jasper National Park attractions for our Gala.
Brewster gave “DG” and Mr. Freeman a free pass to ride the Banff Gondola up to the top of Sulphur Mountain where they enjoyed the spectacular vistas of Banff at an altitude of 7,486 feet. “DG” also received six hours of one-on-one life skills coaching. These kind of experiences transform lives. And that is what we do at the Third Academy.

When you’re reading your Gala package, please take a moment to think about socially responsible companies like Brewster. The need is real and we can demonstrate this. But we need your help to identify who we should be sharing our stories with.

Denis Vandal Columbia Icefields General Manager and "DG"

Bullying is a major problem in our schools. I remember my younger days when I used to be bullied emotionally because I came from a very poor family and my father supported eight children by working as a janitor and cleaning tilets in other private households. In my culture( East Indian), this was the lowest of the lowest jobs one could hold in our society. I remember children laughing at me, calling names and ostracised me in whatever way they could.

Recently, I read an article of a different type of bullying:  “A young man was a victim of bullies for a good part of his youth. Not just the neighborhood kids that regularly picked on him and beat him up, but also the government bullies that seemed bent on evicting his family from their rental  homes on a regular basis.”
I truly believe a good portion of the world’s misery stems directly from bullies. Ironically, my experience working at The Third Academy, a school with children with all typse of Learning Disabilities, the problem with defeating bullies is not that they’re unbeatable. Rather, it’s the reluctance of those not being picked on to enter the fight and risk putting themselves in harms way. At the same time, our public schools concentrate too much on “curriculum” and less on “teaching” the bullies and the victime how to deal with this behaviour.  I believe “what needs to be learned must be taught”.

In the past, timing may have prevented us from having the opportunity to fight against a genocidal dictator like Adolph Hitler…. or march arm-in-arm with Martin Luther King to battle for civil rights or…dump tea in a harbor to send a clear signal that the unfair treatment of your fellow citizens will not stand.
We may have missed out on those fights, but we haven’t missed out on our chance to stand up and fight against one of the biggest bullies in the world today.
If you believe in sticking up for the little guy — the guy being bullied unmercifully — who is powerless on his own to fight back…then you need to stand up and ask the schools to assist, through counselling and other means, those who bully and those who are being bullied. Children must be able to be in a safe and caring environment where without the fear of being bullied and/or intimidated can concentrate on their studies, live, laugh and learn. This does not happen automatically; a concerted must be made to teach children why/how they should not bully as well as teach the strength of character of facing upto the bullies. The Third Academy takes this role seriously with professional devekopment activities for ALL staff and having Psychologists present on the premises.

Dear Friends,

In spite of all of the wonderful things that have been happening at our three campuses, today was a difficult one at the Third Academy. As I wrote in September’s From Me to You, our lower than forecast enrollment figures necessitated some staffing changes at our schools. We simply cannot provide the services our families require if our expenditures exceed our revenue stream. These adjustments allow us to maintain our exceptional teacher to student ratio, while running our schools with the limited resources available to us.

I’m saddened – as are all of our staff – that we are not in a position to be doing more. I believe every child deserves an education. We know there are many families out there that are struggling  and in desperate need of the services we provide. Our entire community – students, parents, teachers, administrators – made a tremendous effort to tell others of our successes; as I like to say, together we make the difference.

Unfortunately, the reality is that there will to be many families we could have helped that will continue to struggle. We could be doing so much more.

The families we serve will continue to receive exceptional service. Our staff are dedicated, understand special needs education, and will do whatever it takes to help your child succeed.

A letter was forwarded to me yesterday from a former Third Academy parent. After only two years with the Third Academy, his daughter has successfully transitioned back into the regular school system. While the Third Academy lost a student, this young girl gained the life she so deeply deserves. There are many other struggling students deserving the same opportunity this child received.

Together we make the difference.

Dr. S. Lal Mattu

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September 30, 2010.

A Parent’s Testimony

“C” had been struggling in Public School through to grade 3. Her conditions of ADHD and Aspergers made it very difficult for her to focus on her studies, and especially difficult to make friends. She felt shunned by other students, and had no friends. While the public school system did their best to accommodate her individual needs through IPP’s (Individual Personalized Programs), they simply didn’t have sufficient resources to make a significant difference. We felt that she was being lost in the shuffle, and we were desperate to find a way to help her.

Then we found out about The Third Academy. We signed her up, and she began attending Third Academy in the fall of 2008. The first couple of months of school were, to put in bluntly, horrible – for the teachers, for her parents, and for “C”. “C” was getting fixated on certain things, and as a result she became easily frustrated, threw major tantrums, and became incredibly disruptive to the class. “C” easily spent more time at a desk out in the hallway, than she did in the classroom. I am positive that if this had happened at her public school, they would not have allowed her to stay.

Yet the incredible staff at the Third Academy….absolutely would not give up on her. This is what puts Third Academy head and shoulders above the other school systems.

At some point in the late fall, the staff had a breakthrough with “C”, and it was like a surfer conquering and catching that elusive perfect wave. She began to excel in many areas of her studies, and in her social relationships. She was given many opportunities and even ended up with lead roles in her musical performances. She would eagerly help other students and teachers, as she simply gobbled up that wave of positive feelings about herself and her school. She began strong, new friendships, the likes of which she had never seen. She still visits them for play dates and sleepovers whenever she can.

“C” ended the year receiving an award given to the most improved student in her grade. She was so proud. So were her parents and her teachers. It is hard to put into words the emotions we felt, knowing how far she had come, other than to say “Joy”.

“C” was at The Third Academy through grade 5 as well, and I can honestly say this was the greatest school experience “C” has ever, and may ever have. She has taken away many lasting valuable experiences, skills, and friendships that she can now apply throughout her school years and life. This fall “C” will play one of the Von Trappe children in a performance of “The Sound of Music”. Before attending the Third Academy I don’t think we ever considered putting “C” in a “mainstream” production such as this, but the school helped open our eyes. Why were we holding her back and hesitating to get her involved in such things? If this is her passion, and she is willing to work hard towards the goal, then we should be encouraging it, not discouraging it.

We cannot thank the Third Academy and all the staff enough. We know that “C” truly loved it there, and that she has learned many skills that she will be able to use throughout her life. We wish you all the best in the future.

Don M.