Famous Dyslexics: #1 Henry Winkler

“[To] every human being who has a learning challenge – how you learn has NOTHING to do with how brilliant you are. Because you learn differently, it does not mean that you don’t have GREATNESS inside of you! Every one of you has GREATNESS inside of you and your job is to figure out what your gift is and give it to the world…and the world cannot wait to see what you give…I know I can’t!”  [Henry Winkler]

Henry Winkler, best known as the Fonz from the television series Happy Days, found his gift and is sharing it with the world, despite having struggled through his school years with unidentified dyslexia.

Winkler grew up in on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the 1950s and 1960s. At school he was told he was ‘lazy’ and was led to believe he was ‘dumb’. Fortunately he found one teacher who saw beyond the disability, to the creative, intelligent boy that he was. Mr Rock, his music teacher, believed in him. “He was an adult who was quiet enough to see the actual human being in front of him, and not who he expected the person to be.”

It wasn’t until he was 31 that Winkler found out he was dyslexic. When his son started having difficulty at school, they had him tested for a learning disability. When the results came back and he found out more about dyslexia, Winkler realised that characteristics of dyslexia described him too. Dyslexia brings with it both challenges and gifts.

Winkler has capatilised on his dyslexic gifts, enjoying a successful 30 year career as an actor, director and producer, and he has received many honours for his work. More recently he has become a children’s author, creating the wonderful series, Hank Zipzer: The World’s Greatest Underachiever, which tells many hilarious tales of a delightful, dyslexic fourth grader.

Sources:
Great Schools
New England Dyslexia Solutions

Home and Life Thailand – Life, Adventures & Goodbye for now…

“You need not search for happiness, for it is right there within you.”       

… a pearl of wisdom that the children of Home and Life are living examples of.

Home and Life has continued to grow in numbers – it is now a family of 26 children and 6 adult staff, and as the volunteers who come to stay are welcomed and included as part of this loving family, the family continues to grow.

The Home and Life Family

A TYPICAL DAY AT HOME AND LIFE

5.30am – Wake up. The children then shower, dress and then do their chores- just like the way they would have done with their families.

6.30am – Breakfast time.  They eat together – breakfast may consist of food such as fried rice with fried egg and soup.

After breakfast there is a meeting about the day and pocket money is given out so the children can buy lunch at school.

7am  –  4pm –  School.  They are dropped off and picked up in the orphanage truck. After school they change to keep their school clothes clean and relax until 4.30, when they do their afternoon chores.

5pm – Time to play or attend extra lessons such as English.  The older children may help to get the meal ready and help do the laundry.

6pm – Dinner time.   Dinner may be rice and fried pork.

After dinner the children do their school homework.  Then they can watch TV or play until bedtime.

OUR STORY – THE FINAL CHAPTER (FOR NOW)

The rest of our short stay flew by, the days filled with various tasks and activities at and around the orphanage.

We got to put our teacher-hats on a couple of times – helping the children with their English homework and spending some time being teacher assistants at school.

Teacher helper at school

We also had the chance to put our green thumbs to the test – working in their gorgeous organic garden, which is filled with all sorts of goodies including bananas, pineapples, mushrooms, lemons, string beans and even a pond full of 700 catfish!

The mushroom hut

One afternoon we all took a trip to a beautiful beach nearby, which was a slice of paradise, and not another person in sight.  We played in the waves with the children, who are all confident swimmers and totally water-wise.

We were also treated to the secret of their delicious fresh bread and banana bread recipes – helping in the bakery kitchen to bake these delicious creations!

A chef in the making?

Learning the secret to delicious banana bread

The evening before we left, they lit a fire lantern for us.  These are handmade at Home and Life and are essentially a hot air balloon, which you light, make a wish, and then let it fly away into the night.  They are supposed to take any bad luck away with them as they fly away, and your wish will come true!  What do you think we wished for?  You guessed it – a wonderful life for those amazing children!

Fire lantern - for good luck

Flying off into the night

Our final day there saw us cooking up a huge batch of spaghetti bolognaise for the children– it is one of their favourite dinners!  We went to the market with the wonderful cook, Kate, who helped us to buy 3kg of spaghetti, 3 kg of chicken mince, 2 cans of mushrooms, and 6 big cans of tomatoes!

Enjoying spaghetti bolognaise

Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye – actually it is only see you later, as we are already planning our next trip to this amazing place of love and learning.

Thank you to Home and Life for this life-changing experience.  We can’t wait to see you all again!

See you later - Chok dee 🙂

Home and Life is a charitable organisation, so any help you could possibly give is so appreciated.  You can find out more on how to donate by going to their websitewww.homelifethailand.com.

Home and Life Thailand – Beginnings, Temples & Tsunamis

“Great oaks from little acorns grow.”

The Roots

The founders of Home and Life are originally from Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand.  They were so moved by the impact of the 2004 tsunami, that they made the decision to give up their jobs and come to help in the of the hardest hit, but forgotten areas – Thai Muang, which is near Khoa Lak resort town on the Andaman coast.

They sold their homes and used this money to buy the land where Home and Life is now situated.

They now work with a wonderful staff, who are all devoted to the wellbeing of the children .  This is reflected in the children’s general happiness and health.

"Big brothers" and mentors

Loving "Dad"

One child’s story

Jaidee* is from a very poor nearby village and her parent’s only source of income was fishing using the boat they owned.  The tsunami destroyed everything her family owned, including their house and boat, and taking away their livelihood.  Although they were able to find another boat, they were not able to rebuild their lives and they became even poorer.  She was no longer able to attend school , instead having to stay at home to help her parents.

Being invited to live at Home and Life meant the opportunity for Jaidee to return to her education.  This will be life-changing for her!

*Name has been changed for privacy reasons.

Our Story – early days…

When we arrived at the orphanage, we were welcomed with open arms.  Children immediately approached us, introducing themselves in English and saying “Nice to meet you.”

Not long after we arrived, we were given our Home and Life nicknames.  We had arrived on the day before Khao Phansa – or Buddhist Lent, during which all of the monks return to the temples for three months of study and meditation.  The day we arrived was called  Khao Arsar, so Jared became P’ (big brother) Arasar and I became P’ (big sister) Phansa.

Our first task was at the local temple.  It was the beginning of Buddhist Lent, and we spent the morning helping the children to clean the grounds of the temple.  Every twig and leaf had to be swept up – we were a little worried what we might find underneath some of the bigger leaves, but thank goodness, we didn’t come across any nasties!

All hands on deck!

The local temple - spic and span!

Although we didn’t participate in any of that day’s ceremonies, Jared and I were able to return to the temple the next day with offerings for the monks, and were extremely privileged to be given a special water blessing and a wristband for ‘good luck’.

The monk's blessing

Another visit that really struck a chord during the first days was to Khao Lak – one of the resort towns hardest hit by the tsunami.  We stopped to view a police boat that had been carried a total of 3km (from 1km offshore to 2km inland)!  It seemed so incongruous sitting in the grassy field.  They have left the boat there as a memorial – and a very fitting one it is.

The tsunami washed this police boat 2km inland

Stay tuned for more adventures…

Home and Life is a charitable organisation, so any help you could possibly give is so appreciated.  You can find out more on how to donate by going to their website www.homelifethailand.com.

Home and Life Thailand – Family, Love & Learning

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away”  [Maya Angelou]

Living and volunteering at the Home and Life  was a  breathtaking experience.

Home and Life is a Thai orphanage, set up as a response to the devastating Boxing Day tsunami of 2004.  Although many children did lose their parents in the tsunami, there are others who did not, but whose parents are unable to care for them because of unemployment and family breakdowns.

Helping to clean the local temple

The 26 children (ranging from 6 years old to 18) live together with their Mum and Dad (Rosa and Root) and big brothers (Boy and Bay) as a family – with the children, staff and volunteers all learning together, sharing their experiences and taking care of one another.  It is an incredible place that totally lives up to it’s motto:

“A family place of love and learning.”

Home and Life Family

The children are welcoming, generous, energetic and so courageous, despite what they have been through, and now, thanks to the love of the staff, they are able to grow up in a safe and nuturing environment.

My husband, Jared, and I volunteered for a week, but despite it being such a short time,  managed to fall completely in love with Home and Life!  Highlights included:

• Helping the children with their English work.
• Going to school for an afternoon.
• Helping in their organic garden.
• Cooking Thai food – “a roy mak – delicious!”
• Serving dinner to the family.
• Learning how to bake their famous fresh bread, cookies and banana bread.
• Swimming at a nearby beach with the children – paradise!

The children have a wonderful life.  They learn life skills at the orphanage and are educated at a local school.  They are also taught English and Thai Dancing, among other things.

String games

Playing golf.

 

Home and Life currently have a couple of projects on the go.  They are building a big new bakery, with the plan to expand what they are able to cook and sell.  It will also be an ideal place for the older children to work, if they wish, once they leave school.  They have also started to build a bigger mushroom hut as part of their garden.

Home and Life is a charitable organisation.  They support themselves through selling coffee and baking; growing vegetables; and making crafts to sell.  However they still rely heavily on outside support.    Can you help?

• Do you have spare clothes, books or toys that you no longer need?  
• Perhaps you could spare a few dollars?
• You could even spread the word by sharing this blog 

You can donate directly to them via their website – www.homelifethailand.com.

Or if you would prefer, we will happily pass any donations along to them –  email us at info@optimumlearning.co.nz.

Anything they receive they are incredibly grateful for – and you know that every dollar goes directly to the orphanage.

More stories on our Home and Life adventures to come….

Sisters

Brothers

A Learning Revolution

We might think we have only one climate crisis, but Sir Ken Robinson disagrees.

In this thought-provoking TED Talk, he describes a second crisis – not of natural resources, but human resources.  Human talent is often buried deep – and we need to create the circumstances where they reveal themselves.  And this does not often happen through education.  Education is currently being reformed worldwide, but according to Sir Ken, this is not enough.  We don’t need evolution in education – we need a REVOLUTION.

Check out this talk to find out :

• Why the school system can be compared to fast food.
• How school often dislocates people from their natural talents
• Why not everybody needs to go to college

Hank Zipzer – The World’s Greatest Underachiever

Are you after a fresh, funny, entertaining series of books that shows understanding of the talents and challenges associated with dyslexia?

Check out Hank Zipzer – the World’s Greatest Underachiever, by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver.

Hank Zipzer is a young boy growing in New York City, who is dyslexic. He is smart, creative, funny….and really struggles with his schoolwork.

Winkler based the character on himself as a child and his own experiences with dyslexia.

Check out this website to find out more about these awesome books: http://www.hankzipzer.com/

Quick Tip for Parents & Teachers – Tip #4

Give your child frequent breaks when working.

When a child strikes confusion or becomes overloaded, their brain will no longer be taking in accurate information. This is when mistakes happen and frustration sets in. Pushing through does NOT help. Allow them to take a break, and then they will be able to return re-focused.

You could have a simple signal that either you or your child can make to show it is time for a break.

Breaks are a simple, yet powerful tool for the dyslexic learner.

The Davis Dyslexia Correction Program

Would you like to know more about the Davis Dyslexia Correction Program?

Watch some Facilitators in action, taking their clients through some of the program exercises.

 

Quick Tip for Parents & Teachers – Tip#3

Ensure your child has certainty before moving on to the next step.

People with dyslexia are quick to grasp many ideas and concepts, however there will be areas where there is confusion, especially if written words or numbers are involved. Make sure that they have certainty before moving on, otherwise they will end up with gaps in their knowledge and their confusion will become compounded.

Certainty is something people with dyslexia often live without. It is one of the most precious gifts you can give them.

The Gift of Dyslexia

Are you interested to hear some responses to Ron Davis’s book “The Gift of Dyslexia”?

Five people share their individual experiences with the book, and it gets a unanimous 5 out of 5 rating!

Read what these five people have to say about the book here:

http://www.topmedicalbooks.com/the-gift-of-dyslexia-revised-and-expanded-why-some-of-the-smartest-people-cant-read-and-how-they-can-learn