News
Today’s column is extra special because it is the very first one written by one of our students.
Cameron is no ordinary kid! I love the fact that he proves what I have said about the talents and uniqueness of our great students. In writing today’s column, he verifies what I have said about creative, talented and intelligent people still struggling with reading, writing or math.
It doesn’t make sense to a lot of people, but it does to us at Riverbend because we see it daily. Bright and intelligent people should not be struggling with these subjects, but they are!
I think the best way to demonstrate what I am talking about is to share with you what Cameron has to say. The idea to write this column was totally his, and every word is completely his. As he is with so many things, he was completely focused and was driven to put this together exactly the way he wanted.
Another interesting factor is that he put this together using assisting technology. I gave him very little instruction on how to use the program, and he was ready to roll with it. He was focused, driven and articulate.
Keep in mind that this is a very enthusiastic and amazing eight-year-old boy. He may be young, but “little boy” doesn’t really describe him because he is such a capable and amazing kid. Here is what he wanted to say:
“Hello, my name is Cameron. I’m Priscilla’s student at Riverbend School. One of my hobbies is playing the violin and I’ve been playing it for three years. I play hockey too and I’ve been playing for three years. And I have played lacrosse for one year and I played soccer for three years too. I like playing the violin more.
“I want to tell you some of the songs I played. My first song I played was ‘March of the First Finger.’ And some more songs I played are ‘Russian Dance,’ ‘March,’ ‘O Canada’ and more. On my concert June 13, 2013, I’m going to play ‘Danca Hookah,’’ Vivaldi Mandolin Concerto,’ ‘Haydn Surprise’ and that is all.
Now I want to tell you about hockey. My favourite position is defence and two years in a row I was on the stars.
And now I want to tell you about Riverbend. I go there twice a week, once for writing and once for reading. My favourite teacher at Riverbend is Priscilla.
“At first when I came to Riverbend for reading I wasn’t that good. Now I’m really good at reading. Before I came here I didn’t like reading; now I do. Back in the days I was struggling with reading I was embarrassed. When I tried I couldn’t read NO matter how hard I tried.
“Now I think reading is like a dream. I use to read boring books; now I read interesting books. Now school is much easier and everything else is easy.
“If your kids are struggling in reading, writing or math you should bring them to Riverbend. They will progress a lot. The teachers are funny so your kids should have a lot of fun. I hope your kids come here. I am happy I went to Riverbend.”
So, are you impressed or what? And lucky me, I get to be called his favourite teacher, which is quite a compliment coming from such a great kid. He’s had other teachers and really appreciated them too. Cameron and I seemed to hit it off right away and it’s been great for both of us. The important thing is for all of us to realize that this boy who has struggled with writing was able, in a very short period of time, to express himself so well.
I have a number of words to describe him and they include observant, funny and enthusiastic, but intelligent and driven are the most important ones.
It is important that you realize this same boy found reading and writing difficult. Cameron’s problem with writing certainly do not involve coming up with great ideas. The problem lies more with putting pen to paper. You can see from what he has put together here today that his ideas are precise and in-depth. His thoughts are composed by someone with a purpose in what he has to say, knowledgeable in how to put his ideas across and sophisticated in his delivery. Using technology simply allowed him to freely and accurately express himself.
Discussion about Cameron would not be complete without reference to his overwhelming passion for music and his violin. Recently he and I attended a Coffee House at Hillcrest School because one of our Riverbend students was performing and was being accompanied on the guitar by one of our teachers. The student Cameron wanted to see perform, in turn, wanted to attend Cameron’s concert. Both boys have been given the opportunities to perform through what is happening at their school. It was a great night for all of us.
For anyone who was fortunate enough to attend the recent concert put on by Sistema, you are well aware of the calibre of music delivered by these young children. As an educator, I took away so much from seeing what young children can accomplish if given the right opportunity and the proper instruction. If you have the opportunity to take in one of their shows in the future, don’t miss it.
I think Cameron’s passion and pride in his musical accomplishments and his love of the music shows through in what he has to say. The music is now an integral part of who Cameron is and who he is becoming.
He has always been a great math student, is very mature and articulate, is now reading successfully at grade level, has demonstrated great writing ability here today, is fun and upbeat and now has a new accomplishment about which he can boast. With great enthusiasm he recently arrived at Riverbend enthusiastically bursting with his news of having moved up to the rank of “Mozart” at Sistema! Wow!
This is another great accomplishment for this gifted young boy. My hope is, as Cameron pointed out, that you will realize that the struggling student you know doesn’t need to struggle.
Equally important is that you realize that gifted and intelligent people can struggle with subjects that may come easy to many of us — but can you play Mozart?
■ Priscilla Wilson is a retired school teacher, educator, and founder and a partner in Riverbend Community School, 99 Church St., Moncton. Priscilla can be reached by e-mail at info@riverbendschool.ca and by telephone at 388-5813. The school’s website is riverbendschool.ca.
