In 2002, three teachers from Forsyth Country Day School, a private K-12 school in Lewisville, NC, attended a Schools Attuned course. Excited about the prospect of using the All Kinds of Minds approach to address students whose learning challenges were occasionally puzzling, they eagerly met with Forsyth Headmaster, Henry M. Battle, Jr., to share their discovery. Mr. Battle had recently led the school’s efforts to open its Johnson Academic Center as part of his agenda to build the school’s focus on individualizing instruction to meet the needs of every one of its 948 students. He immediately saw the fit between his school goals and the All Kinds of Minds philosophy.
Mr. Battle and the faculty decided to work toward having all faculty members participate in an All Kinds of Minds professional development program and to require all new hires to complete the training within three years. They also began the application process for Forsyth to become one of a limited number of Professional Development Providers selected by All Kinds of Minds to deliver its courses regionally. The three lead teachers began planning and leading monthly information sessions to engage parents and other community members in conversations about the neurodevelopmental framework and its implications for better understanding students.
The staff continues to find new ways to implement the All Kinds of Minds approach into their instruction. For example, Forsyth’s educators’ curriculum maps are all aligned with the neurodevelopmental constructs, in that they apply a neurodevelopmental lens to the concept and content of what they teach, how they teach it (the strategies and activities they employ), and the skills students are expected to master. The faculty members continue to deepen their comfort level with neurodevelopmental content and terminology; this ease of reference is critical for faculty members because they are all required to reflect on their work with the program in their yearly evaluations.
Mr. Battle says the All Kinds of Minds program has made a substantial impact on the school, “…in terms of the way we reach students, the way we communicate with parents, and frankly, the way we attract families.”
