Leadership in Learning Different Education

By Dr. Jenn Milam, Head of School

As you read this issue of THE NEST, we have just hosted members of the Association of Learning Difference Schools (ALDS) who were visiting Dallas for the International Dyslexia Association Conference. Thirty-four heads of school, administrators, teachers, and curriculum leaders toured Winston and shared our passion for serving young people who learn differently. As a founding member of the ALDS, Winston is intentionally engaged in promoting, networking, and leading in the field of learning difference education. Even more, we are benefiting from the wisdom, expertise, and professional understanding in the research-based teaching and learning practices that serve neurodiverse learners.

Like our leadership team, leaders in ALDS schools around the country are advocating, serving, and innovating for children like yours. We are learning from a growing diversity of neurotypes and working hard to be nimble and innovative in the changing landscape of what it means to be an educated, productive, and kind citizen and human being. It sounds cliché to say, but our young people will enter a world that we are currently unable to describe, much less adequately prepare them. And yet, what ALDS schools know is that it is our learners - those who learn differently - who will likely lead us into the next frontiers of innovation, creativity, and meaningful progress in the world. 

Working daily with children who learn differently, and dare I say dynamically, pushes us as teachers, school staff, and leaders to be better - to challenge ourselves to revise what it means to lead in schools, to meet unique challenges with equally unique solutions, and to commit to working from an asset-based perspective. Many educational researchers have written about the strengths and promise of those who learn differently, including but not limited to, a strength of character, exceptional problem-solving skills, remarkable resilience, and an unshakable work ethic. Simply put, our learners - your young people - are exceptional! 

In a time when we face much uncertainty in the world, it is comforting to know that at the heart of schools like Winston, there is an unparalleled commitment to developing young leaders, with knowledge, skills, and dispositions that will carry our communities into the future with promise, possibility, and kindness. Schools in ALDS hold central our belief that not only can all children learn, but they can thrive, and that our learning different students are best served in environments that support their unique needs and with talented, highly-qualified teachers who are committed to helping each of them find not only their path but their passion. 

Winston has been educating bright students who learn differently for almost fifty years, and we continue to work hard to lead and serve our mission. We look forward to being together for many more years to come.