October-November 2020: What's Been Happening At PDC!?!

   A Journey Through The PDC Universe

    In the realm of academics, our students have been pressing forward with all of their might, individually & within a group setting. 

    On Planet ELA (AKA English/Language Arts) students are brainstorming, compiling interesting content, developing paragraphs, writing essays [realistic fiction & personal narratives], and revising essays line-by-line. In the Seas of Math, students are diving into decimals & geometry while also swimming through multiplication and division reviews. 

    During their travels through the countries of South America, students learned to spell and locate all 14 countries. The weeks before Christmas break, students will be digging away at different World Histories while stopping to take in the countries of Europe. Google Earth has been such an amazing tool to use in our travels around the world. One of our students LOVES trains and everything having to do with trains. He and his teacher (Ms. Jen) enjoy traveling all around the world checking out different train stations and following the tracks throughout a country.

    In the field of Science, students have been journeying through the microcosmos. Additionally, in Biology, they have been gaining a better understanding of just how connected LIFE on Planet Earth truly is. #academics

Day-by-day, year-by-year the development of PDC's academic curriculum is occurring. A part of the PDC vision is a replicable academic, social-emotional, and vocational curriculum. Additionally, we seek to publish a PDC educational board game.

    Now, there is one particular realm within the PDC universe that has truly been amazing to visit, daily. This is the Land of Zen. Zen, by definition, means a state of calm attentiveness. The Land of Zen has two most interesting provinces. Every morning, in the province of Calm & Concentration, students and staff engage in stretching exercises focused on releasing stress and tension. After stretching exercises, students and staff either do guided breathing exercises OR mindful activities focused on directing the mind toward the movement of their body and/or their mind (self-awareness). 

Calm & Concentration

    Peaceful Warrior Training also occurs in the Land of Zen. In this second province, students learn about themselves (self-awareness), about harmony, and about being at peace and having an “inner smile,” which is a state of contentment and gratitude. They do this through the process of what we call “silence,” “gathering,” “flow,” and “condensing,” as taught to Sifu Ramon Diaz by his teacher Sigung Jorge Gonzales, D.O. Assisting is NASM-Certified Personal Trainer Diane Simmons, owner of Healthy Movement: Cypress Taiji.

Sifu Ramon & Laoshi Diane

    The Land of Zen is very important at Paradigm Development Center. Why, you may ask? Because many people on the autism spectrum experience mild-to-severe anxiety, difficulties managing their emotions, and other mental health issues. In addition to these, social identity and communication challenges also directly contribute to an inability to focus, decreased concentration, racing thoughts, and low self-esteem. Our daily visits to the Land of Zen have proven to be beneficial for this particular student population because it allows for a consistent, safe space to dig deep into self-awareness, develop a calmer mind, bring detailed attention to one's surroundings, and it allows for the genuine ability to "be still" and sit in this stillness. #socialemotional

Part of PDC's vision is to expand the Peaceful Warrior program to include people and families from in and around our community.

Student Table Talks

    As PDC teachers, we learn from our students every day. So, it is of great importance to us to allow a space for our students to share what they know & what they want to know more about. Every Friday at PDC students and staff engage in an intellectual discussion on various topics. These talks are quite expansive and always bring forth the most thought-provoking information. 

Nature Hikes & Fitness

    PDC students and staff go on hikes every week. During these hikes, our students have become familiar with specific trail routes and features on these routes. This school year, our students and staff have already hiked a total of 18.41 miles [from September 3, 2020, to the present]. 

    These hikes do wonders for our student's self-esteem and confidence. This is because we don't just walk on trails, our students have to climb small inclines consisting of dirt and rocks. They have to continuously be mindful of where they are stepping. And they ALWAYS feel so good about themselves when they hike a certain distance. From the perspective of a teacher, the minds of our students need this release of energy every day. At PDC, we believe fitness activities are just as important as our students' academic prowess and social-emotional well-being. #holisticeducation

Hiking the Cypress Creek Trail System

One of many parts of PDC's vision is to expand our STEAM and Nature Education programs to include all of the same activities we execute during our annual STEAM + Nature Education Summer Camps. Click here to learn more about our camps.

Vocation & Independent Life (VIL)

    Did you know that most young adults on the spectrum have poor postsecondary employment and education outcomes? It is for this reason, our VIL program was developed to assist in transition planning while our students are in middle and high school. 

    Job Readiness Training at PDC includes online personality and/or career surveys, lessons focused on communication & interviewing skills, resume building, problem-solving through scenarios, role-playing through improv activities, team-building activities, leadership roles, and mindful activities to assist in handling different types of stress.

    The Independent Life component in the VIL program instructs and exercises simple skills that will help our students manage everyday life successfully. This school year our students have practiced maneuvering through automated phone systems, they have learned how to open a can with different can openers, and they have worked in pairs to learn how to properly wash dishes. As the school year moves forward, PDC students will also learn how to make a bed, simple budgeting, how to use coupons, the basics of bathroom cleaning, how to order food over the phone and online, Money Math, and they will practice filling out an online grocery list.

The frame around the VIL program is SURVIVAL. Expanding the VIL program is a part of PDC´s #vision.

Team-Building & Relationship Development

   

    The school director at PDC facilitated a social skills group for one year prior to the founding of PDC. During that year, she learned that social skills and a deeper understanding of how relationships are formed take more than once a week sessions. It takes long-term explicit exposure and immediate "teachable moments" to direct and guide people who find it difficult to communicate and socialize with others. 

    This process is much like planting a seed because you want to grow flowers. You can't just expect to plant a seed and immediately watch a flower grow. You must water the seed, allow the sun and the soil to provide nutrients to the seed, and you have to provide time and space for the flower to acclimate to its surroundings. There are many levels and systems that work together to ensure growth. The same is true for growth in human relationships. It takes time, nurturing, and elements of nature to form real bonds.

    At PDC, we spend time and take great efforts to nurture the relationships between our students. We use team-building activities such as yard work, synchronized drawing, collaborative drawing, peer-to-peer teaching opportunities, and unstructured free time to help our students "learn one another". 

    We have witnessed positive outcomes and friendships form right before our eyes. Friendships that are genuine and deeply embedded and framed with "Friends watch out for one another. Friends help one another. Friends think about the needs of each other."

                                                                

Featured Teachers of PDC

    At PDC, our teachers have a genuine passion to see progress in our students. On a daily basis, they actively seek to learn ways to reach our students where they are (and not where people think they should be). In this blog post, the Featured Teachers are Mr. Loren & Ms. Jen.

    Mr. Loren is the lead teacher at PDC. His animated instructional strategies keep staff and students, alike, entertained while at the same time learning. His teaching methods are second to none as he is able to pull and push student minds through cognitive fogginess, inattentiveness, and through "Mr. Loren, I just can't do it." We are lucky to have him as a super teacher. 

    Here is a fun fact! Did you know that Mr. Loren is working on a master's degree in counseling? Well, now you do! We look forward to one day building a PDC counseling center! #vision

One of the many SHOUT OUTs from Mr. Loren's former students!

 

    Ms. Jennifer's authentic natural sunshine, her flexible attitude, her on-the-spot creative mind explosions, and her laid back personality are 100 percent what students on the autism spectrum need AND deserve. Her energetic personality and genuine love for children are a valuable asset to the PDC school family. Jennifer first became aware of autism when her granddaughter was diagnosed in the third grade.

Ms. Jen working with her student.

PDC Super Teachers Making Halloween Decorations!
Mr. Loren & Ms. Jen

To learn more about Paradigm Development Center, click here.