APOGEE Learning

In Response to: The Upside of Dyslexia

2012-02-05T13:34:00.014-05:00

The Upside of Dyslexia

By ANNIE MURPHY PAUL

Published: February 4, 2012

THE word “dyslexia” evokes painful struggles with reading, and indeed this learning disability causes much difficulty for the estimated 15 percent of Americans affected by it. Since the phenomenon of “word blindness” was first documented more than a century ago, scientists have searched for the causes of dyslexia, and for therapies to treat it. In recent years, however, dyslexia research has taken a surprising turn: identifying the ways in which people with dyslexia have skills that are superior to those of typical readers. The latest findings on dyslexia are leading to a new way of looking at the condition: not just as an impediment, but as an advantage, especially in certain artistic and scientific fields.

Dyslexia is a complex disorder, and there is much that is still not understood about it. But a series of ingenious experiments have shown that many people with dyslexia possess distinctive perceptual abilities. For example, scientists have produced a growing body of evidence that people with the condition have sharper peripheral vision than others. Gadi Geiger and Jerome Lettvin, cognitive scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, used a mechanical shutter, called a tachistoscope, to briefly flash a row of letters extending from the center of a subject’s field of vision out to its perimeter. Typical readers identified the letters in the middle of the row with greater accuracy. Those with dyslexia triumphed, however, when asked to identify letters located in the row’s outer reaches.

Mr. Geiger and Mr. Lettvin’s findings, which have been confirmed in several subsequent studies, provide a striking demonstration of the fact that the brain separately processes information that streams from the central and the peripheral areas of the visual field. Moreover, these capacities appear to trade off: if you’re adept at focusing on details located in the center of the visual field, which is key to reading, you’re likely to be less proficient at recognizing features and patterns in the broad regions of the periphery.

The opposite is also the case. People with dyslexia, who have a bias in favor of the visual periphery, can rapidly take in a scene as a whole — what researchers call absorbing the “visual gist.”

Intriguing evidence that those with dyslexia process information from the visual periphery more quickly also comes from the study of “impossible figures,” like those sketched by the artist M. C. Escher. A focus on just one element of his complicated drawings can lead the viewer to believe that the picture represents a plausible physical arrangement.

A more capacious view that takes in the entire scene at once, however, reveals that Escher’s staircases really lead nowhere, that the water in his fountains is flowing up rather than down — that they are, in a word, impossible. Dr. Catya von Károlyi, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, found that people with dyslexia identified simplified Escher-like pictures as impossible or possible in an average of 2.26 seconds; typical viewers tend to take a third longer. “The compelling implication of this finding,” wrote Dr. Von Károlyi and her co-authors in the journal Brain and Language, “is that dyslexia should not be characterized only by deficit, but also by talent.”

The discovery of such talents inevitably raises questions about whether these faculties translate into real-life skills. Although people with dyslexia are found in every profession, including law, medicine and science, observers have long noted that they populate fields like art and design in unusually high numbers. Five years ago, the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity was founded to investigate and illuminate the strengths of those with dyslexia, while the seven-year-old Laboratory for Visual Learning, located within the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, is exploring the advantages conferred by dyslexia in visually intensive branches of science. The director of the laboratory, the astrophysicist Matthew Schneps, notes that scientists in his line of work must make sense of enormous quantities of visual data and accurately detect patterns that signal the presence of entities like black holes.

A pair of experiments conducted by Mr. Schneps and his colleagues, published in the Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society in 2011, suggests that dyslexia may enhance the ability to carry out such tasks. In the first study, Mr. Schneps reported that when shown radio signatures — graphs of radio-wave emissions from outer space — astrophysicists with dyslexia at times outperformed their nondyslexic colleagues in identifying the distinctive characteristics of black holes.

In the second study, Mr. Schneps deliberately blurred a set of photographs, reducing high-frequency detail in a manner that made them resemble astronomical images. He then presented these pictures to groups of dyslexic and nondyslexic undergraduates. The students with dyslexia were able to learn and make use of the information in the images, while the typical readers failed to catch on.

Given that dyslexia is universally referred to as a “learning disability,” the latter experiment is especially remarkable: in some situations, it turns out, those with dyslexia are actually the superior learners.

Mr. Schneps’s study is not the only one of its kind. In 2006, James Howard Jr., a professor of psychology at the Catholic University of America, described in the journal Neuropsychologia an experiment in which participants were asked to pick out the letter T from a sea of L’s floating on a computer screen. Those with dyslexia learned to identify the letter more quickly.

Whatever special abilities dyslexia may bestow, difficulty with reading still imposes a handicap. Glib talk about appreciating dyslexia as a “gift” is unhelpful at best and patronizing at worst. But identifying the distinctive aptitudes of those with dyslexia will permit us to understand this condition more completely, and perhaps orient their education in a direction that not only remediates weaknesses, but builds on strengths.

Annie Murphy Paul is the author of “Origins.” She is at work on a book about the science of learning.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/opinion/sunday/the-upside-of-dyslexia.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=thab1

In Response

Rose Marie Raccioppi

I have devoted the last thirty years serving hundreds of dyslexic students. Yes, their gifts and talents continue to amaze many. I am pleased to share with you a program that has brought reading mastery to each dyslexic student I have had the good fortune to have taught. APOGEE Learning Enhancement Training Systems provide the supports that are respectful of needs, talents, particular learning styles, interests and the creative orientations of each student.

My training as an occupational evaluator, and having studied the origins of the alphabet and how each letter is really a pictogram for movement and sound have allowed me to look at the reading process from a truly holistic paradigm. Each letter is its own experience, each sound is its own experience. The experience of each letter, both sound and configuration is taken into consideration in the therapeutic sessions. A child may have a stress response to a letter, a word, a sound. Through the use of Cognitive Kinesiology, stress responses are identified. Activities are then initiated to reverse the stress associations. I am here providing a link for further information and perusal. APOGEE Learning: Improved Reading Performance with APOGEE Somatic Phonics ~ A Breakthrough for the Dyslexic, The Learning Disabled, the Underachieved Reader. - http://apogeelearning.blogspot.com/2011/08/improved-reading-performance-with.html
Tracking, near and far point focus, visual perception, visual acuity, are all taken into consideration as the student encounters the printed word, on paper, on a computer screen, on a black board or white board. It is delight that each of my students experience when they master the confusions they have had with the lower case letters, b, d, p, q, or the numbers 3, 5, 8 and 6, 9. To master the sounding of 26 letters, their visual configuration and the 40 phonemes of the English language sets each student to masterful reading. Words that sound alike but are spelled differently are given particular attention. Once holding the key to every word, once appreciating that meaning and context are relative to one another, confusion gives way to interest and a willingness to travel across the printed page, ever ready to explore and seek understanding. With a newly developed certainty, students readily make a commitment to be the readers they know that they have the potential to become. Each student's program is uniquely tailored to meet the specific needs presented, is respectful of the student's potential, talents, interests and learning style.

The characteristics noted in, The Upside of Dyslexia, mirror my findings as well. A myriad of interests, abilities, talents and needs are indeed exemplified by dyslexic students across the age span. However, with one-on-one therapeutic tutorials that offer instant feedback, that addresses perception, attention, focus, hearing, seeing, speaking, stress, learning style, cognition and interest, I see the progression and development of masterful readers. Reading is understood by the student as a series of functions that require awareness, attention, practice and integration. Hundreds of students have proven that such an approach not only improves reading, but improves a sense of self that has a positive carry over to all recreational, academic and creative endeavors.

• Inquiries welcomed •
• Call or post •
• All Questions Answered •

For more information on services
provided for all learning needs:
http://www.apogeelearning.com
http://www.acu-tone.com

APOGEE Learning ~ A Whole Child Paradigm

•Learning styles honored and supported•
•Readiness experiences provided•
•Task analysis applied•
•Student interests as motivators•
•The Whole Brain approach to study and mastery•

Inquiries Welcomed
Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
845-359-9056
toll free: 1-866-228-8663
1-866-ACU-TONE

For information on Qualifications and Experience:
Rose Marie Raccioppi | LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rose-marie-raccioppi/20/509/293

RSA Animate - The Secret Powers of Time

2012-02-03T18:26:00.002-05:00

Another moment of your time please...

Rose Marie Raccioppi

What messages do the students I serve bring to me. "I am bored," in such and such a class... "it is a waste of my time." " It takes too much of my time to do that dumb homework. " "That project is just a waste of time, no one is going to really pay attention anyway."

Time is indeed a precious commodity. We each are given a 24 hour day and seek to enjoy a significant part of it. Why do some have what many may consider good time management skills and others fall short of the demands of time? schedules ? time frames?

Here presented are perspectives that call for our consideration. Change is being imposed as here outlined, and at the same time 'a bury your head in sand' mentality may be operative in our present day school room. Time to think ...

YES ... Allow the JOY!!

2012-01-20T15:57:00.011-05:00

As I read the article here posted, a conversation this past Monday, with the parents of a young student enrolled in the APOGEE Achiever™ Program, was clearly defined. A "Standardized" Reading Evaluation administered by the school, he is presently attending, indicated that the child was below grade level in reading, and obtained a reading comprehension score considerably below grade level. When looking at the reading passages, his answers, and the 53% rating he received, it became obvious that there was something amiss here. This young student is bright, verbal, sensitive, deeply aware and able to be discerning when what is presented is itself clear. It became evident that the passage was indeed confusing, firstly, because of the particular use of words that were not familiar to him. Once those words were 'cleared' his understanding was indeed on target.

This relates to an earlier discussion put forth on this blog. See: APOGEE Learning Enhancement Training Systems™ http://apogeelearning.blogspot.com/2010/04/apogge-learning-enhancement-training.html

The achiever learns that (1) one is to know the meaning and the particular context of each word in an assignment, in an instruction, in what is read, heard or demonstrated. No word that is not fully understood is to be glossed over. Every word is to be 'cleared' for understanding, application and relevance. The achiever learns that (2) there is to be 'mass' to what is learned, how does this idea, concept, object, function, in the world of action, interaction, purpose? The achiever learns that (3) there is a 'gradient' to all learning. One needs to identify what the prerequisite skills are for each step, each requirement, each expectation.

In addition decoding abilities are to be assured, and so the APOGEE Achiever™ Program offers for those students in need:

APOGEE Learning: Improved Reading Performance with APOGEE Somatic Phonics™ ~ A Breakthrough for the Dyslexic, The Learning Disabled, the Underachieved Reader.

http://apogeelearning.blogspot.com/2011/08/improved-reading-performance-with.html

Photo: I Love Reading: http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/beyondherbook/?p=1660

YES... Allow the Joy!

READING is ongoing discovery...

PARENT'S SIGNATURE
Dear Governor: Lobby to Save a Love of Reading

Jan. 20, 2012, 12:37 p.m.

By Anne Stone and Jeff Nichols

On New Year’s Eve, we and another couple sat, as we have for many years, playing party games — waiting for midnight, a final toast, and a conservative but not reactionary bedtime shortly thereafter.

In past years our friends’ two girls led (and clobbered) us in rousing games of Pictionary; this year they were too old to hang out with their parents on this most festive night of the year. Our kids (younger) were already asleep.

Instead of Pictionary without the champions we decided to play a new game: “take the third-grade English Language Arts practice test” that our son had brought home from school as his vacation homework (if that is not an oxymoron, it should be).

We felt pretty confident of our ability to do well on the test: we all have Ph.D.’s in the humanities, three of us are tenured professors and one is a university administrator. We all make a living through reading.

The first section of the test comprised reading a short story and answering six multiple-choice questions about it. The story, concerning a pair of tiger siblings (an older sister named Tikki and a younger brother named Mista), was short and simple.

“Tikki eyed Mista, her little brother,” it began. ” ‘You sure don’t say much,’ she said.”

In the course of the story Tikki gets annoyed with her little brother because he can’t talk yet, attempts to get him interested in looking for bugs, then joins him in tearing bark off a log.

She tries to instruct him in this task, but discovers to her surprise that he is better at it than she is.

The first question asked, “What is this story mostly about?” (bold present on the test question) and offered four choices:

A) what tigers like to eat
B) how tigers tear bark off logs
C) how two tigers get along
D) what tigers like to do

An intense literary debate followed the reading aloud of the story and this first question. In fact, we never got beyond it. One of our party felt that B, “how tigers tear bark off logs,” best summed up the action-oriented nature of the story, while another thought that C, “how two tigers get along,” best highlighted the interaction between the two animals.

The third felt that the story was mostly about sibling relations, and fretted that there was no E) none of the above.

And, predictably, the fourth felt that all the possible answers had merit: F), or all of the above.

The truth is, even such a banal story cannot be reduced to a single theme, nor should it be. By asking young students to spend time taking tests like this we are doing them a double disservice: first, by inflicting on them such mediocre literature, and second, by training them to read not for pleasure but to discover a predetermined answer to a (let’s not mince words) stupid question.

Consider for a moment what it would be like to try to answer this question of a major work of children’s literature. So: what is the story “Piglet Meets a Heffalump” mostly about?” Is it about hunting and trapping techniques? Facing one’s fear of scary monsters? Joining with others in a great enterprise? Trying to impress your friends by claiming knowledge you don’t possess? Or does it mostly reveal how friendship and love can transcend all our foibles?

It is about all these things and more. Discovering such themes and trying to understand how they are presented is worthwhile; deciding which is the “main” one is not.

Literary texts, whether by A.A. Milne or Leo Tolstoy, always admit multiple interpretations — and the greater the work, the more robust the tension among these readings, and the graver the loss in trying to reduce the work to a single idea.

We cannot help but see a connection between the reductive approach to literature exhibited by the test and the reading program in place in the classroom, which we learned about during curriculum night early in the school year. We were informed that the school’s system for teaching reading was that of Fountas and Pinnell, a widely used curriculum developed at Columbia Teachers College.

This system ranks books, and children’s reading skill, according to an alphabetical scale of difficulty (“Harry Takes a Bath,” level E; “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” level V).

During curriculum night the teacher admonished that our children should under no circumstances read books either above or below their assigned level, because that would hamper their progress. She also frowned upon their reading a book more than once, presumably because it wastes valuable time children could be spending improving their reading strategies on new books.

These instructions were completely at odds with the way we both read as children: we re-read beloved books dozens, if not hundreds, of times, for years after our initial encounters with them, long after they had ceased to be challenging.

This is how our love of literature was born: by having committed to memory our favorite books, by internalizing the rhythms and cadences of their language. And yes, also by tackling books that were too hard, experiencing the excitement and mystery of partially glimpsing visions we would only possess in the distant future (long after the spring testing season).

By turning the experience of reading into something that is to be quantified, both in the way it is taught and the way it is tested, our son’s curriculum ensures that children will learn to regard reading as a chore and not as one of life’s great pleasures. Worse, it can become an instrument of competition.

“Greg is only reading at level E,” our son informed us scornfully early in the year after Greg had hurt his feelings over something. “And I’m at level P!”

In his recent State of the State address, Governor Cuomo said he wants to be an advocate for children. Let him lobby to protect their natural curiosity and love of learning from the onslaught of anti-intellectual, ends-oriented teaching practices forced on our educators by over-emphasis on standardized tests.

Thus was our first, and only, new year’s resolution formed as the clock struck midnight and we opened one last bottle of Spanish Cava to toast the new year: We will boycott the standardized test this spring, and we will do everything we can to encourage fellow parents to join us.

Anne Stone is associate professor at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. Jeff Nichols is associate professor at Queens College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York. They are the parents of eight-year-old twins in the third grade in New York City schools.

Article Source: http://www.nytimes.com/schoolbook/2012/01/20/dear-governor-lobby-to-save-a-love-of-reading

An Added Word

In 1975, as Founder of the Rockland County Association for Children with Learning Disabilities, and subsequently the President of the New York Association for the Learning Disabled, I launched a campaign, "KEEP A SMILE...." It was later proclaimed by the Governor of New York, on behalf of all children with learning disabilities. We have yet to fulfill this promise, and so the work presently is defined. A young mother then, a grandmother now, and many a child's smile to save.

Autistic Girl Expresses Unimaginable Intelligence - a 2012 story once told of Helen Keller...

2012-01-20T13:14:00.006-05:00

Again...

Belief Beyond Doubt

For those who are deemed learning disabled, dyslexic, underachievers, ADD, ADHD, Asperger's, I too live, YES, I CAN! I live the belief, the faith, the inner knowing, that defines success for my students.

Yours in Faith, in Belief, Beyond Doubt
Rose Marie Raccioppi

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." Helen Keller

APOGEE Learning™ allows us to better understand and implement the supports, modifications, adjustments and educational approaches that are needed to assure effective learning and stress management.

and so the intent and goal of
The APOGEE Achiever™ Program...

With autonomy, mastery, and purpose
creative, caring, free thinkers
and doers are developed.

All inquiries are welcomed. All posts will receive a response.

(Rare!) Helen Keller & Anne Sullivan (1930 Newsreel Footage)

2012-01-20T09:10:00.006-05:00

When Belief Overrides Doubt

One of my students found inspiration from what he learned about Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan. There was, because of his own early learning needs, a deep appreciation for what it was that Helen Keller had to overcome and a deep appreciation for the dedication of Anne Sullivan.

I am sharing his completed paper, in response to a school assignment, for it speaks to the very principles inherent in the APOGEE Achiever™ Program of which he has been a participant. Yes, he knows that belief can and does override doubt. Yes, he has learned that different learning styles are to be seen as challenges that require understanding and appropriate supports. His progress has been notable, his humanity exemplary.

Helen Keller

During the 1880s people who were deaf or blind were considered mentally handicapped and generally put in mental asylums. This was because the community felt there was no where else to send people with these handicaps. Handicapped people generally did not have the resources or understanding from the whole community as they do today. In the, “Miracle Worker,” Helen Keller, as a very young child was not blind nor deaf. An illness ensued and she lost her hearing and sight. In that time, people did not have the medical knowledge to understand what caused such a loss. It was assumed that if one was blind and also deaf, that they could not be educated nor disciplined as a normal child could be. The assumption was that without the ability to be taught or disciplined they could never learn the skills that would allow themselves to earn a living. Without the ability to earn a living, it was concluded that such a person could not have an independent life nor hope for a family of their own.

It becomes clear that knowledge and belief direct a course of action. It was the belief of “The Miracle Worker,” Anne Sullivan, that within Helen Keller there was a deep intelligence that was not able to be expressed. When first being introduced to Helen, it was clear that discipline was never introduced to Helen by her parents. Helen was given free reign without the usual requirements that would allow one to develop appropriate social skills. Anne Sullivan knew that if she was to be of any benefit to Helen Keller, the first step had to be one of disciplinary action. The kind yet strong position of care that Anne Sullivan took, was based on what were to become the very words that Helen Keller presented in her later adult years.

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." Helen Keller

Anne Sullivan proves that Helen was indeed capable, could be made to understand commands, was capable of developing a means of communication, and could indeed be a model of hope, faith and promise for others with handicapping conditions. The landmark progress that Anne Sullivan was able to bring to Helen Keller redefined the meaning of ‘can’t and can.‘ Programs that support, rather than confine those that are blind and/or deaf, have allowed many to live fully productive and satisfying lives. Braille, sign language, lip reading, and many newly developed technical supports have allowed what was once seen as impossible to be a new reality.

Well trained seeing eye dogs can further bring mobility and safety to a blind person. Hearing aids have been developed that have brought improved hearing to one that may otherwise be deaf. Books on tape have brought the spoken word to blind people. Technology, along with the determination to improve the quality of life with those with handicapping conditions have brought about significant changes and most certainly a measure of dignity that once did not exist. MF

YES, I CAN!!

APOGEE Learning ™ is a system of learning and educational therapy that considers the visual, auditory, motor, psychological, attitudinal, kinesthetic, cognitive, biochemical, nutritional, neurological, educational, vibrational and reciprocal factors that relate to learning and creativity. It addresses the Academics and the Arts.

Through the use of Cognitive Kinesiology™ the student is brought closer to understanding the integrative action of the mind-body energy system. The student experiences the communication between the mind and body and comes to more fully appreciate the power of one’s own inner resources.

The assessment experience provides the student with opportunities to explore how behavior and stress patterns affect mind-body energy. The student is given the opportunity to more fully appreciate the interrelationship of the physical, mental, creative, and spiritual self. The student comes closer to understanding how his or her learning and creativity are influenced by what he or she has experienced, feels, attracts, knows, thinks, believes, wants, enjoys and fears. To know these aspects of self is to know the keys or locks to learning and creativity.

APOGEE Learning™ allows us to better understand and implement the supports, modifications, adjustments and educational approaches that are needed to assure effective learning and stress management.

and so the intent and goal of
The APOGEE Achiever™ Program...

With autonomy, mastery, and purpose
creative, caring, free thinkers
and doers are developed.

All inquiries are welcomed. All posts will receive a response.

The APOGEE Achiever Program™
The Academics and the Arts
~ Soar To Success ~

•Individualized Subject Tutoring•
•Study Skills and Mastery Strategies•
•All Learning Styles•
~Reading~
~Mathematics~
~Writing~
~Organization~
~Communication Skills~
~Assignment Management~
~Stress Management~
~ Acu-Tone™ Sound Therapy~
~Relaxation, Breathing, Attention and Focusing Exercises~
~Achievement Goals~
~All Ages ~ All Grades ~ All Subjects~
~PSAT~ SAT ~ All Test Preparation~
~Coaching~
~Family Therapy~

• Inquiries welcomed •
• Call or post •
• All Questions Answered •

For more information on services
provided for all learning needs:
http://www.apogeelearning.com
http://www.acu-tone.com

APOGEE Learning ~ A Whole Child Paradigm

•Learning styles honored and supported•
•Readiness experiences provided•
•Task analysis applied•
•Student interests as motivators•
•The Whole Brain approach to study and mastery•

Inquiries Welcomed
Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
845-359-9056
toll free: 1-866-228-8663

1-866-ACU-TONE

For information on Qualifications and Experience:
Rose Marie Raccioppi | LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rose-marie-raccioppi/20/509/293

To listen to a recent interview by the Progressive Radio Network of
Rose Marie Raccioppi
go to: Pure Imagination - 08/31/11 - Pure Imagination
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/pure-imagination/2011/8/31/pure-

The Way of the Wayseers ~ He Sings Out ~ An Educational Manifesto

2012-01-06T12:45:00.006-05:00

Garret John LoPorto

This is for you...
Lyrics:

This is your calling Wayseer
You’ve found your tribe
Welcome home…
Welcome home to a family of 7 billion souls – struggling to survive
Welcome home to a planet in desperate need – a tiny dot of life – hurling through the outer reaches of space alone
Welcome home to your generations calling – to heal this world

Society is sick but you have a unique capacity to change things
because your awakened mind can replace the thousand dysfunctional rules of society
with just three simple guidelines
Turn on. Tune in. and Drop Out.
Each of these sacraments builds on the next… First you must…

Turn on – to what you are.
You’re wild and intuitive and you take it too far. Your ability to see out of the cage.
Lets you take us all – to the next stage.
Doesn’t matter – what the experts claim -
You got the vision that’ll change the game
Now you know what you came here for.
You got the keys to unlock the door
Turn on to what you are.
Tune in the Sacred Light.
Drop out of all the lies.
Turn on to what’s inside.

you might have felt alone
Cuz you were different in a world that never understood you
Authority figures looked down on you – you wouldn’t conform to their expectations
You wouldn’t give in to their misguided rules and you didn’t respect their unjust systems
you just knew there was a better way
Deep inside you could feel the heavens open up -
starlight beaming down upon your consciousness
trying to remind you of the higher calling you came here to fulfill
trying to incite you to riot against the prison walls erected inside your mind
trying to get you to experience the revelation that awaits you
when you

Tune in – to the Sacred Light.
Giving the authority to the power inside. The Way, the Truth, the intelliegence of Life.
Lay claim to what society denied.
Love – unites us (all). Doesn’t
matter what you call it – just that you call.
tap – the ancient wisdom of creation
Let your mind fill with light and revelation
[Now you’re flyin with divine revelation]
Turn on to what you are.
Tune in the Sacred Light.
Drop out of all the lies.
Turn on to what’s inside.

Now you’re turned on.
you’re tuned in.
You see things differently.
You see the answers that are intertwined and contained inside of the problems.
You see the opportunities to create better systems that shed light into this world.
(But don’t get hooked on your new ideas.)
You see all those helpless souls still stuck in their systems?
You know attachment is what keeps them there…
You know programs are the shackles that bind your consciousness -
But they’re only supported by your choice to stay hooked into images from the past
At any time you can withdraw your support from old structures
that are no longer helpful or necessary
That’s when you exercise the third step…

Drop out of all the lies.
Sure the system had you – till you opened your eyes
Bad habits, Status, Greed and compromise
That’s all just slavery in disguise.
Don’t get hooked on nonsense from the past
You gotta realize nothing man made will last
men can’t offer a permanent solution
That’s why we need this nonstop revolution
Turn on to what you are.
Tune in to the Sacred Light.
Drop out of all the lies.
Turn on to what’s inside.

Click here and listen ~ feel the "Potential Made Real"

Turn on. Tune in. Drop out.

An Added Word...

This the Educational Reform of 2012
All Learners ~ Potential Made Real
http://www.apogeelearning.com

Garret and I co-presented at a workshop several years ago. I first learned of his work via: "The Davinci Method," which was in total alignment with the APOGEE Achiever™ Program I had initiated in 1983. He presents most certainly a spirited, heartfelt and defined mission of awareness, confront, resolve and change, one that echoes a mission I defined in 1960, when I began my teaching career. As you peruse the various offering and articles here posted, you will see that it is YOU that defines the Winning!!

Living Cause and Effect - Epigenesis - APOGEE Learning ~ A Whole Child Paradigm

2011-12-02T12:31:00.007-05:00

Living Cause and Effect

Rose Marie Raccioppi

Behavior must be looked at from varied and integrated perspectives. All that a child experiences weaves his/her cloak of response. Each thread, be it genetic, environmental, physical, emotional, cognitive, chemical, energetic, cultural, spiritual, perceptual, contributes to the nature and weave of this fabric of BEING. To understand behavior is to understand the interplay of cause and effect. The APOGEE Learning™ paradigm has and continues to support children, teens and adults across the age span by creatively exploring this interplay of cause and effect to determine a course of action and supports that address each identified need. Programs are tailored to each individual and may include, nutritional guidance, exercise, specific academic supports, study skills, sport activities, music, art, dance, creative writing, and the special talents and/or interests of the student. When one, at any age, understands what may trigger a positive or negative response, one moves toward becoming an empowered self.

image: bcrw.barnard.edu/.../ uploads/2008/03/dna.jpg

The Observations

"No, they are not the same" was my hue and cry. My identical twin sons born to me were not the same. Yes, they split from the one egg, yes, they contain the genetic code of each parent, but from the very start of the split, they were positioned differently in the womb. Each twin experienced everything in utero from a different position in space. They each had very different birth experiences. Yet, all I had been taught in my undergraduate and graduate studies of physiology and psychology in the 60's, did not seem to consider these 'different' experiences as holding significant influences on their growth, development or perceptions. As a student of psychology and education, guided by the works of Jean Piaget, I observed. What I observed over the last four decades was that ALL influences. Holding a view that a particular experience, for the 'experiencer' holds no significance, may indeed be a misguided judgment of the observer.

When my third son was born, three years later, again, I had a whole new opportunity for observation. Each of my sons, in their own particular way, has taught me the meaning of life, care, unconditional love, and the significance of each and every experience, each and every relationship, each and every exposure to stress, be it environmental, physical or emotional.

There is more to the story of the 'differences' that developed, as each twin son made different choices, developed different interests, went to different schools, yes, very much an epigenetic accounting of growth and development. Matrix, hologram, kaleidoscopic emergence, epigenesis, are very much a part of the story that is yet to be fully told.

Man is born with potential, the propensities that come from origination, yet man was never meant to be limited to this origination, if he was, he would not have been given 'Free Will.' It is the breaking of this 'will' that enslaves.

Equipped with two decades of 'hands on learning,' post graduate work, along with continued studies of consciousness, creativity and learning, I initiated APOGEE Learning™ in 1983, a holistic, inclusive paradigm that has successfully served learners across the age span for what will soon be three decades.

As I read of the "Epigenetic theory," and its defined findings, I found a deep accord with my own observations... "an emergent theory of development that includes both the genetic origins of behavior and the direct systematic influence that environmental forces have, over time, on the expression of those genes. The theory focuses on the dynamic interaction between these two influences during development." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigenetic_Theory) From these perspectives, one can more fully appreciate why APOGEE Learning™ has brought about such outstanding change, benefit and growth for learners across the age span.

APOGEE Learning ™ is a system of learning and educational therapy that considers the visual, auditory, motor, psychological, attitudinal, kinesthetic, cognitive, biochemical, nutritional, neurological, educational, vibrational and reciprocal factors that relate to learning and creativity. It addresses the Academics and the Arts.

Through the use of Cognitive Kinesiology™ the student is brought closer to understanding the integrative action of the mind-body energy system. The student experiences the communication between the mind and body and comes to more fully appreciate the power of one’s own inner resources.

The assessment experience provides the student with opportunities to explore how behavior and stress patterns affect mind-body energy. The student is given the opportunity to more fully appreciate the interrelationship of the physical, mental, creative, and spiritual self. The student comes closer to understanding how his or her learning and creativity are influenced by what he or she has experienced, feels, attracts, knows, thinks, believes, wants, enjoys and fears. To know these aspects of self is to know the keys or locks to learning and creativity.

APOGEE Learning™ allows us to better understand and implement the supports, modifications, adjustments and educational approaches that are needed to assure effective learning and stress management.

and so the intent and goal of
The APOGEE Achiever™ Program...

With autonomy, mastery, and purpose
creative, caring, free thinkers
and doers are developed.

Deepak Chopra
December 1, 2011

The soul is disguised when you are tired or stressed; you are pulled outside yourself; your attention is dominated by externals; you let others think for you; you act out of compulsion; you are influenced by fear and anxiety; you struggle and suffer.

Theses conditions have to change before the soul connection can be reestablished. Death provides access to the domain of the soul, but Vedanta declares that the soul has a great deal to offer before death. Life is conducted under the gaze of the soul.

Your portion of pure consciousness has certain universal qualities: It is constant; it never loses sight of you; it is connected to every other soul; it shares God’s omniscience; it is untouched by change; it lives beyond time and space.

So it isn’t only tender, loving, quiet moments that reveal the soul. Rather, it’s those moments when the soul’s own qualities come to the surface that are most important.

The soul is revealed when you feel centered; your mind is clear; you have the sensation that time has stopped; you suddenly feel free of boundaries; you are keenly self-aware; you feel merged with another person, either in love or silent communication; you feel untouched by aging and change; you feel blissful and ecstatic; you have an intuitive flash that turns out to be true; you somehow know what is going to happen; you sense the truth; you feel supremely loved or absolutely safe.

If there is only one reality, as the rishis declare, then life is not a struggle between good and evil, but a tangled web where all actions, good and bad, move us closer to reality or deeper into illusion. Karma spins the web. Hell, like every other location in consciousness, ultimately reflects the state of our own awareness, and freedom from hell is won, like every other achievement, by coming closer to the reality of the soul.

Adapted from Life After Death: The Burden of Proof, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2006).

When a Song is Sung

2011-11-15T14:17:00.006-05:00

Are You Singing Your Song?

posted by Deepak Chopra
Nov 14, 2011 5:00 am

Whenever people actually find their own song to sing, their deep-seated sense of self-doubt begins to be released, leaving a space for creativity to fill. The song turns out to be beautiful; people find that they can sing it without being punished and even earn a living being themselves.

In every case, the song is socially positive and acceptable. Beneath the fear of being unique, each of us has a powerful craving for as much uniqueness and specialness as possible.

Why is it that at first the prospect of being ourselves is so horrifying? Deep down, as much as we might deny it, all of us have been hurt by having our childhood wishes trampled on, but we accepted it “for our own good.”

A child needs and demands to be respected as a unique person, but being small and helplessly attached to his parent’s approval, he will sacrifice his own feelings to win the reward of their love.

For most of us, our parents fed us their own concept of “being good,” and we conformed to that even if it rankled our still-selfish childhood egos. We were all taught to be good before we wanted to be good. This may sound like a fine distinction, but in later life it makes all the difference between freedom and slavery.

A gap was created between true and false emotions, between what I should feel and what I actually feel. The process is subtle but treacherous. If it goes on long enough, one forgets what it is like simply to be, to let happiness and sadness come when they will, to give or keep as the moment dictates.

Adapted from Unconditional Life: Discovering the Power to Fulfill Your Dreams, by Deepak Chopra (A Bantam Book, 1991).

And so... as it prevails...

Rose Marie Raccioppi

A child's song is sung with delight. It is heard in the scamper of joyful steps. It is felt in the knowing smile. It is the light shuffle of skipping, dancing, jumping, hopping. It is the colors upon paper, the words shared, the questions asked, the wonder experienced, the world perceived. And so here shared is the special song of a seven year old...

Blue Jay Angel

A flower
A bird
An angel of heart
With magical beauty
A creation has its start
Wings of feathers
And touched with love
By all of God’s grace
Here and above.

Grace Page Boyle
7 years of age

Image, Blue Jay Angel, Pen and Ink, ©Grace Page Boyle, 2010-2011.

an added word
Grace loves, flowers, birds and angels.
She created Blue Jay Angel
to express her love for these beautiful gifts of Creation.

Thank You Grace for sharing your love.
Your song is sung
Your song is heard.

Cause and Effect ~ Judge confirms Prozac caused teen to murder

2011-11-09T13:31:00.007-05:00

Peter R. Breggin, MD

Judge confirms Prozac caused teen to murder based on Peter Breggin M.D.'s court report and testimony to the Provincial Court of Manitoba, Canada. Boy sentenced and to be released in 10 months

"This is a landmark legal confirmation of the scientific fact that the newer antidepressants like Prozac, including the SSRI and SNRI antidepressants, can cause violence and even murder." ~ Peter R. Breggin MD

(PRWEB) November 08, 2011

Final sentencing for the teenager who inexplicably murdered his friend while on Prozac occurred November 4, 2011. The case involved a Winnipeg, Canada teenage high school student with no prior history of violence who, while chatting in his home with two friends, abruptly stabbed one of them to death with a single wound to the chest according to court documents. Provincial Court Judge Robert Heinrichs based his decision upon psychiatrist Peter R. Breggin, M.D.'s report and formal testimony to the court according to the Judge's Opinion.

In the case of “Her Majesty the Queen and C.J.P” (Citation #2011 MBPC 62), in the Provincial Court of Manitoba, Canada, Judge Robert Heinrichs gave the boy a three-year sentence, less time already served, so that he has only 10 months remaining in jail. The judge additionally required community supervision for four years.

Psychiatrist and expert witness for the defense Peter R. Breggin, M.D. said, "This is a landmark legal confirmation of the scientific fact that the newer antidepressants like Prozac, including the SSRI and SNRI antidepressants, can cause violence and even murder."

Dr. Breggin testified that the boy’s primary care physician and his parents alerted the prescribing psychiatric clinic to his deteriorating condition, which included agitation, anger and mood swings. But the clinic continued the Prozac and then doubled it. Seventeen days later, the teen knifed his friend to death, according to court documents.

Provincial court judge Robert Heinrichs read Dr. Breggin’s report and listened to his expert testimony in court. In his written opinion, Judge Heinrichs found “Dr. Breggin's explanation of the effect Prozac was having on C.J.P.'s behaviour both before that day and in committing an impulsive, inexplicable violent act that day corresponds with the evidence; as Dr. Breggin states in his report, there was no significant deliberation or organization by C.J.P. that afternoon.”

Earlier in the year on September 16, 2011 Judge Hendrichs issued his opinion that the sixteen-year-old should be tried as a youth instead of an adult. The judge found that “his mental deterioration and resulting violence would not have taken place without exposure to Prozac." Also confirming Dr. Breggin’s lengthy report and testimony, the judge found , "He has none of the characteristics of a perpetrator of violence. The prospects for rehabilitation are good."

In his report and testimony, Dr. Breggin found that the boy's symptoms were consistent with a Prozac (fluoxetine) Induced Mood Disorder with Manic Features and that he would not have committed the violence if he had not been given the antidepressant. He also testified that the teen had improved dramatically when removed from the Prozac after a few months in jail and that he was no longer a danger to himself or others. He brought numerous independent scientific studies to court confirming that a large percentage of youth exposed to the newer antidepressants will develop these hazardous adverse drug reactions. He also noted that the observations and even the wording of his own earlier scientific publications had been included into the information now found in the official FDA-approved labels. Dr. Breggin’s scientific articles concerning antidepressants can be found on his website at: http://breggin.com.

The defense attorney in the case was Greg Brodsky of Manitoba.

Peter R. Breggin, MD is a psychiatrist in private practice in Ithaca, New York, and the author of dozens of scientific articles and more than twenty scientific and popular books. His two most recent books deal with medication induced violence: Brain-Disabling Treatments in Psychiatry, Second Edition, and Medication Madness: the Role of Psychiatric Drugs in Cases of Violence, Suicide and Crime. Dr. Breggin's home website is http://www.breggin.com where many of his scientific reports on antidepressants and other subjects can be retrieved. On April 13-15, 2012 in Syracuse, New York, the annual conference of Dr. Breggin's 501c3 nonprofit international organization,the Center for the Study of Empathic Therapy, will be held. The conference will include a panel of lawyers, experts, survivors and families concerning antidepressant-induced violence, suicide, and crime.

And here an added word

Living Cause and Effect

Rose Marie Raccioppi

and so the intent and goal of
The APOGEE Achiever™ Program...

With autonomy, mastery, and purpose
creative, caring, free thinkers
and doers are developed.

All inquiries are welcomed. All posts will receive a response.
.
The APOGEE Achiever Program™
The Academics and the Arts
~ Soar To Success ~

•Individualized Subject Tutoring•
•Study Skills and Mastery Strategies•
•All Learning Styles•
~Reading~
~Mathematics~
~Writing~
~Organization~
~Communication Skills~
~Assignment Management~
~Stress Management~
~ Acu-Tone™ Sound Therapy~
~Relaxation, Breathing, Attention and Focusing Exercises~
~Achievement Goals~
~All Ages ~ All Grades ~ All Subjects~
~PSAT~ SAT ~ All Test Preparation~
~Coaching~
~Family Therapy~

• Inquiries welcomed •
• Call or post •
• All Questions Answered •

For more information on services
provided for all learning needs:
http://www.apogeelearning.com
http://www.acu-tone.com

APOGEE Learning ~ A Whole Child Paradigm

•Learning styles honored and supported•
•Readiness experiences provided•
•Task analysis applied•
•Student interests as motivators•
•The Whole Brain approach to study and mastery•

Inquiries Welcomed
Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
845-359-9056
toll free: 1-866-228-8663

The Genius of Jobs

2011-11-07T21:10:00.005-05:00

The Genius of Jobs

By WALTER ISAACSON
The New York Times
Sunday Review
The Opinion Pages
Published: October 29, 2011

What is the difference between intelligence and genius?
Steve Jobs’s biographer has an idea.

ONE of the questions I wrestled with when writing about Steve Jobs was how smart he was. On the surface, this should not have been much of an issue. You’d assume the obvious answer was: he was really, really smart. Maybe even worth three or four reallys. After all, he was the most innovative and successful business leader of our era and embodied the Silicon Valley dream writ large: he created a start-up in his parents’ garage and built it into the world’s most valuable company.

But I remember having dinner with him a few months ago around his kitchen table, as he did almost every evening with his wife and kids. Someone brought up one of those brainteasers involving a monkey’s having to carry a load of bananas across a desert, with a set of restrictions about how far and how many he could carry at one time, and you were supposed to figure out how long it would take. Mr. Jobs tossed out a few intuitive guesses but showed no interest in grappling with the problem rigorously. I thought about how Bill Gates would have gone click-click-click and logically nailed the answer in 15 seconds, and also how Mr. Gates devoured science books as a vacation pleasure. But then something else occurred to me: Mr. Gates never made the iPod. Instead, he made the Zune.

So was Mr. Jobs smart? Not conventionally. Instead, he was a genius. That may seem like a silly word game, but in fact his success dramatizes an interesting distinction between intelligence and genius. His imaginative leaps were instinctive, unexpected, and at times magical. They were sparked by intuition, not analytic rigor. Trained in Zen Buddhism, Mr. Jobs came to value experiential wisdom over empirical analysis. He didn’t study data or crunch numbers but like a pathfinder, he could sniff the winds and sense what lay ahead.

He told me he began to appreciate the power of intuition, in contrast to what he called “Western rational thought,” when he wandered around India after dropping out of college. “The people in the Indian countryside don’t use their intellect like we do,” he said. “They use their intuition instead ... Intuition is a very powerful thing, more powerful than intellect, in my opinion. That’s had a big impact on my work.”

Mr. Jobs’s intuition was based not on conventional learning but on experiential wisdom. He also had a lot of imagination and knew how to apply it. As Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Einstein is, of course, the true exemplar of genius. He had contemporaries who could probably match him in pure intellectual firepower when it came to mathematical and analytic processing. Henri Poincaré, for example, first came up with some of the components of special relativity, and David Hilbert was able to grind out equations for general relativity around the same time Einstein did. But neither had the imaginative genius to make the full creative leap at the core of their theories, namely that there is no such thing as absolute time and that gravity is a warping of the fabric of space-time. (O.K., it’s not that simple, but that’s why he was Einstein and we’re not.)

Einstein had the elusive qualities of genius, which included that intuition and imagination that allowed him to think differently (or, as Mr. Jobs’s ads said, to Think Different.) Although he was not particularly religious, Einstein described this intuitive genius as the ability to read the mind of God. When assessing a theory, he would ask himself, Is this the way that God would design the universe? And he expressed his discomfort with quantum mechanics, which is based on the idea that probability plays a governing role in the universe by declaring that he could not believe God would play dice. (At one physics conference, Niels Bohr was prompted to urge Einstein to quit telling God what to do.)

Both Einstein and Mr. Jobs were very visual thinkers. The road to relativity began when the teenage Einstein kept trying to picture what it would be like to ride alongside a light beam. Mr. Jobs spent time almost every afternoon walking around the studio of his brilliant design chief Jony Ive and fingering foam models of the products they were developing.

Mr. Jobs’s genius wasn’t, as even his fanboys admit, in the same quantum orbit as Einstein’s. So it’s probably best to ratchet the rhetoric down a notch and call it ingenuity. Bill Gates is super-smart, but Steve Jobs was super-ingenious. The primary distinction, I think, is the ability to apply creativity and aesthetic sensibilities to a challenge.
In the world of invention and innovation, that means combining an appreciation of the humanities with an understanding of science — connecting artistry to technology, poetry to processors. This was Mr. Jobs’s specialty. “I always thought of myself as a humanities person as a kid, but I liked electronics,” he said. “Then I read something that one of my heroes, Edwin Land of Polaroid, said about the importance of people who could stand at the intersection of humanities and sciences, and I decided that’s what I wanted to do.”

The ability to merge creativity with technology depends on one’s ability to be emotionally attuned to others. Mr. Jobs could be petulant and unkind in dealing with other people, which caused some to think he lacked basic emotional awareness. In fact, it was the opposite. He could size people up, understand their inner thoughts, cajole them, intimidate them, target their deepest vulnerabilities, and delight them at will. He knew, intuitively, how to create products that pleased, interfaces that were friendly, and marketing messages that were enticing.

In the annals of ingenuity, new ideas are only part of the equation. Genius requires execution. When others produced boxy computers with intimidating interfaces that confronted users with unfriendly green prompts that said things like “C:\>,” Mr. Jobs saw there was a market for an interface like a sunny playroom. Hence, the Macintosh. Sure, Xerox came up with the graphical desktop metaphor, but the personal computer it built was a flop and it did not spark the home computer revolution. Between conception and creation, T. S. Eliot observed, there falls the shadow.

In some ways, Mr. Jobs’s ingenuity reminds me of that of Benjamin Franklin, one of my other biography subjects. Among the founders, Franklin was not the most profound thinker — that distinction goes to Jefferson or Madison or Hamilton. But he was ingenious.

This depended, in part, on his ability to intuit the relationships between different things. When he invented the battery, he experimented with it to produce sparks that he and his friends used to kill a turkey for their end of season feast. In his journal, he recorded all the similarities between such sparks and lightning during a thunderstorm, then declared “Let the experiment be made.” So he flew a kite in the rain, drew electricity from the heavens, and ended up inventing the lightning rod. Like Mr. Jobs, Franklin enjoyed the concept of applied creativity — taking clever ideas and smart designs and applying them to useful devices.

China and India are likely to produce many rigorous analytical thinkers and knowledgeable technologists. But smart and educated people don’t always spawn innovation. America’s advantage, if it continues to have one, will be that it can produce people who are also more creative and imaginative, those who know how to stand at the intersection of the humanities and the sciences. That is the formula for true innovation, as Steve Jobs’s career showed.

Walter Isaacson is the author of “Steve Jobs.”

...and so an added word...

Thank You Steve Jobs

by
Rose Marie Raccioppi

The creative, risk taking, visionary is not always the ideal school student. The student who questions the status quo and looks to innovation may not find an alluring enough attraction to 'book learning' that has little relevance to particular goals and aspirations. Hundreds of students that have availed themselves of the understanding and the supports inherent in the offerings of APOGEE Learning,™ have been empowered to understand and work with their learning style, their particular way to brain storm, plan and act, move to resolve and/or completion in ways that did not always follow the 'customary' study approaches taught in his/her school of attendance. Steve Jobs exemplified a unified, integrated approach to inquiry, exploration, experimentation, execution and completion. Form and function have been consistently inclusive of a pleasing aesthetic. I have had the pleasure of my first APPLE in 1979 and have enjoyed the benefits of change in each subsequent model. Yes, the mind of a scientist, the temperment of an innovator, the heart of a humanist, the soul of a missionary, defined a journey and we the recipients of his genius have been gifted with a technology that has been life changing.

Teacher - Teacher - We Remember!!

2011-10-27T12:11:00.003-04:00

The joys of REUNION, October 9, 2011, are ongoing as the 5th grade class of 1963, PS 106 Bronx, continue to express the fond memories of the school days past. Honor has been bestowed upon the meaning of care and devotion. Each reflection, each smile, each outreach, each realized right intention, individually and collectively celebrate the gift of teaching, the gift of friendship, the gift of heart.

Developing a YES I CAN attitude - Empowerment Training for Children - APOGEE Achiever™ ~ WHOLE BRAIN ~ RSA Animate ~ The Divided Brain

2011-10-25T14:51:00.006-04:00

Left Brain ~ Right Brain

Whole Brain

When one considers what is put forth here by Dr. Iain McGilchrist one fully appreciates the unity, the communication, the balance, that is sought and created by the whole of the brain. Each half in complement, not in competition of the other. When students present a particular difficulty, be it cognitive, emotional or physical, the best 'remedy' to assure progress, to assure reason, to assure creativity, to assure healing and ultimate resolve, is the whole brain in response.

APOGEE Learning™ was founded and developed to provide those experiences, those approaches, those explorations, that integrate the academics and the arts. APOGEE Learning™ supports the whole of learning that serves and enhances both understanding and application. It is in all of its manifestation a whole brain system.

A number is a symbol. It has a particular configuration, a particular meaning. It represents itself and it represents the parts that define it. Let us further consider that all numbers have their start from the value of ONE. It is this 'one' that is repeated, added, multiplied to become many or that which is more than 'one.' There is the physical representation of a number value, by its 'design', by its object referent, by the measurement it denotes. It is physical, conceptual and symbolic. It is of parts, it is of the whole. Many students, in their early learning of numbers, take comfort in the stability and consistency that numbers represent. 1+1=2, be it written, spoken, or demonstrated. A 'truth' is mastered and a feeling of power in mastery prevails. However, when numbers become part of a word problem, where language implies interpretation, difficulties often ensue. Here is where math most obviously calls for the integration of both left and right brain into a whole brain consideration.

Some students present themselves with a tendency to process more with right brain orientations, while others process more with left brain orientations. Either extreme can make learning of particular skills and/or subject matter more difficult. Orientations, learning style, problem solving strategies are all taken into consideration and are viewed from the perspective of how they contribute or detract from reaching a resolve or a completion of a task.

Be it learning to be masterful in school, on the playground, on the sports field, on the dance floor, at the piano, with any musical instrument, on stage, off stage, one needs to integrate responsive movement with discernment. Approaching each new learning, each new challenge, with a healthy interplay of right and left brain is to assure command and ultimate mastery.

With whole brain approaches the student learns to consider an assignment, a problem, a challenge, a goal, a quest, understand the ways of approach, the means toward resolve, attainment or completion.

and so the intent and goal of
The APOGEE Achiever™ Program...

With autonomy, mastery, and purpose
creative, caring, free thinkers
and doers are developed.

1-866-ACU-TONE

For information on Qualifications and Experience:
Rose Marie Raccioppi | LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rose-marie-raccioppi/20/509/293

Young Minds and Questing Hearts

2011-10-24T13:37:00.005-04:00

Young Minds and Questing Hearts
5th Grade Class of 1963
PS 106, Bronx, New York

When impressions are made and memories held our consciousness is formed. The RNA/DNA of one's heritage, the nurturing care received during one's prenatal term, our beginning years, the joys and tears of one's days are all brought to bear on each of us as a learning child.

To have the young minds and the questing hearts of 5th graders look to you for several hours of the school day for acceptance, for understanding, for praise, for support, indeed defines the honored position of a teacher. Here pictured is my 5th Grade Class of 1963, PS 106, Bronx, NY. Forty eight years later, on October 9, 2011, a Reunion in celebration of friendship, love and gratitude.

This event, a most heart touching Reunion 2011, has validated my long held perspectives and have sounded anew the words I wrote in 1988, five years after I initiated my private practice as an educator consultant/therapist. Yes, it is with "Wisdom of All" that we as caretakers of children are to be guided.

Wisdom Of All

Oh how the mind conceives the thought
With restlessness your heart is wrought
For there is a just and kingly goal
Distant yet touching your crying soul
Be burdened not by task and deed
Lest you be lost to the greater creed
Inspired by self and the knowing within
Shall you pass the haunt, the doom of the din
Listen dear child to thy self sovereign and wise
Heed not to temptation, deception and lies
For it is the tear of joy that you shall weep
When the Promise you vow, you do keep
And when you reach and court the dream
With God's love stand thou supreme
Deception takes not your abiding soul
You have reached a kingly goal
As many may doubt and may berate
You shall prevail for love is thy fate
Guide the children, know their call
With God's tender love and wisdom of all.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

We as parents, as educators, as coaches, as family, as neighbors and friends, are to appreciate our own perceptions, beliefs, orientations and practices as they may impact upon the learning growing child. We are to be aware of and sensitive to the myriad of needs of the learning child, as too, aware of our own needs and aspirations. To have the opportunity to reunite with my 5th graders of 1963, is to have care, friendship, love, and the meaning of teaching defined as ONE.

I invite you to view a slide show put together by one of the students 'all grown up.' Feel the delight and share in the smiles... just a click away...

Our 5th Grade Class Reunion - October 9, 2011 Slideshow & Video | TripAdvisor™

and so the intent and goal of
The APOGEE Achiever™ Program...

With autonomy, mastery, and purpose
creative, caring, free thinkers
and doers are developed.

1-866-ACU-TONE

For information on Qualifications and Experience:
Rose Marie Raccioppi | LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rose-marie-raccioppi/20/509/293

A Bouquet for the Teacher - 48 years later...

2011-10-21T16:25:00.007-04:00

1963 ~1983~2011

October 9, 2011 was indeed a marked CELEBRATION of time and the gifts of friendship. It also marked the anniversary of October 9, 1983, when "Rose Marie Raccioppi Day" was proclaimed by the Rockland County Legislature, in honor of my community service and leadership on behalf of children with special needs. Through the initiative of George Nardone, indeed, an outstanding 5th grade student of 1963, and the connections made via FB, a Class Reunion was put into place. Here I am in my kitchen unwrapping the beautiful bouquet presented to me. A happy happy camper am I!! Held within every fiber of my BEING are the SMILES shared on this most most beautiful day. YES, Life is Good and time is a gift!

The many smiles and memories shared this day have come to validate each of my long held perspectives of what is of value that a teacher brings to her students. Here 48 years after their 5th grade placement at PS 106, Bronx, New York, they gathered at my home to share in a Class Reunion of Joy. Yes, remembered was a particular lesson, a particular event, a particular day, a particular impression, but most importantly they remembered the respect I held for each of them, the faith I had in their abilities and potentialities, the personal touch in response to their interests and needs. As each in their own special way, expressed their 'impressions' of me as their 5th grade teacher, tearful joy was brought to heart.

I invite you to view a slide show put together by one of the students 'all grown up.' Feel the delight and share in the smiles... just a click away...

Our 5th Grade Class Reunion - October 9, 2011 Slideshow & Video | TripAdvisor™

and so the intent and goal of
The APOGEE Achiever™ Program...

With autonomy, mastery, and purpose
creative, caring, free thinkers
and doers are developed.

All inquiries are welcomed. All posts will receive a response.
.

The APOGEE Achiever Program™
The Academics and the Arts
~ Soar To Success ~

•Individualized Subject Tutoring•
•Study Skills and Mastery Strategies•
•All Learning Styles•
~Reading~
~Mathematics~
~Writing~
~Organization~
~Communication Skills~
~Assignment Management~
~Stress Management~
~ Acu-Tone™ Sound Therapy~
~Relaxation, Breathing, Attention and Focusing Exercises~
~Achievement Goals~
~All Ages ~ All Grades ~ All Subjects~
~PSAT~ SAT ~ All Test Preparation~
~Coaching~
~Family Therapy~

• Inquiries welcomed •
• Call or post •
• All Questions Answered •

For more information on services
provided for all learning needs:
http://www.apogeelearning.com
http://www.acu-tone.com

APOGEE Learning ~ A Whole Child Paradigm

•Learning styles honored and supported•
•Readiness experiences provided•
•Task analysis applied•
•Student interests as motivators•
•The Whole Brain approach to study and mastery•

Inquiries Welcomed
Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
845-359-9056
toll free: 1-866-228-8663

1-866-ACU-TONE

For information on Qualifications and Experience:
Rose Marie Raccioppi | LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rose-marie-raccioppi/20/509/293

A Shared Perspective... A Defined Paradigm... Teaching Students to Think in a Rapidly Expanding Universe...

2011-10-21T13:03:00.007-04:00

South Orangetown Central School District

Dr. Ken Mitchell, Superintendent

Earlier this month, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to a trio of American astronomers who have discovered through the tracking of distant supernovae that the universe is expanding at a faster rate than previously believed. This is not unlike the amount of curriculum content that New York and other states are expecting our students to learn. Since the 1950’s there has been a continual expansion of content requirements within each curriculum and across all content areas, yet the amount of time that we spend in school has remained essentially the same.

In spite of this discrepancy, our students have kept pace with teachers helping them to discern what is essential and what might be tested. This coincides with the fact that more students than ever are attending school and for a longer period of time. Prior to the 1960’s students of diverse backgrounds, English language learners, and students living in poverty, in spite of what some people might remember, did not populate the halls of the American high school to the extent to which they do today. Even with a homogeneous student body, the graduation rate was only around 50%. A small percentage of these graduates went on to college with less than a quarter of them graduating with a degree.

Today, we hear that our students need to be “college and career ready” so that America can be globally competitive. This readiness must happen in spite of the fact that the organizational architecture of the public school has not changed, the curriculum continues to expand, and the population that attends school presents more challenges than ever before. Of course, there will be more tests in this era of accountability that will take a different form and be based on national Common Core Standards.

In South Orangetown, we have an aligned curriculum and use assessment, not merely as a tool to determine grades, but as a mechanism to determine how well students have learned content or acquired skills. With that information, we adjust our lessons accordingly, although this often becomes difficult to do when teachers feel pressured to cover the content of a rapidly expanding curriculum.

We have accepted the reality that not all curriculum content can be “covered” well. Yes, it can be disseminated, but there is a good chance that it will be forgotten shortly after the assessment as the brain tends to dump data that it no longer considers useful or for which there has been neither meaningful engagement nor emotional connections. The brain is efficient, unlike those who mandate additions to the curriculum.

To help embed learning by making it more meaningful, district instructors have been encouraged to employ approaches that require students to use information or skills that we teach or to which we provide access to think both critically and creatively to solve problems. In some cases, we present a problem and ask them to find solutions – a task that will undoubtedly be asked of them as they venture to college or in a career.

Gone are the days when American workers are paid well to perform routine tasks that require little independent thinking. Machines, robots, computers, and cheap offshore labor have provided leaders of the free market with greater opportunities for profit without paying high wages and benefits to American workers. This reality has changed our world and economy.

Recently, parents contacted me indicating that their child would learn better in an instructional environment in which there were direct transactions between the teacher and his students – a straightforward dissemination of information – and the students and the teacher – demonstration of content retention on a test. In the experiences and mental models of these parents and many adults of previous generations, this is how school is supposed to work. In such a model, there is control, predictability, certainty, and a clear cause and effect.

This instructional model no longer works in a world in which there has been an explosion of information with immediate access to it. This instructional model no longer works in an information age in which knowledge workers are required to solve problems, create alternatives, understand the complexity of systems, and perform a host of critical thinking processes while technology transforms our society and workplace at an unprecedented rate.

If we want our children to be prepared for a complex future that will likely be packed with more information than ever in our rapidly expanding universe, then we need to require them to become independent thinkers who will have the skills and capacity to manage vast volumes of information with critical and creative thinking. This will require an acceptance and understanding that there is too much information for anyone to absorb and retain, and even if one had the capacity to do so, what good would it be if there was no independent ability to use it in a productive way?

and so the intent and goal of
The APOGEE Achiever™ Program...

With autonomy, mastery, and purpose
creative, caring, free thinkers
and doers are developed.

All inquiries are welcomed. All posts will receive a response.
.

The APOGEE Achiever Program™
The Academics and the Arts
~ Soar To Success ~

•Individualized Subject Tutoring•
•Study Skills and Mastery Strategies•
•All Learning Styles•
~Reading~
~Mathematics~
~Writing~
~Organization~
~Communication Skills~
~Assignment Management~
~Stress Management~
~ Acu-Tone™ Sound Therapy~
~Relaxation, Breathing, Attention and Focusing Exercises~
~Achievement Goals~
~All Ages ~ All Grades ~ All Subjects~
~PSAT~ SAT ~ All Test Preparation~
~Coaching~
~Family Therapy~

• Inquiries welcomed •
• Call or post •
• All Questions Answered •

For more information on services
provided for all learning needs:
http://www.apogeelearning.com
http://www.acu-tone.com

APOGEE Learning ~ A Whole Child Paradigm

•Learning styles honored and supported•
•Readiness experiences provided•
•Task analysis applied•
•Student interests as motivators•
•The Whole Brain approach to study and mastery•

Inquiries Welcomed
Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
845-359-9056
toll free: 1-866-228-8663

1-866-ACU-TONE

For information on Qualifications and Experience:
Rose Marie Raccioppi | LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rose-marie-raccioppi/20/509/293

Building Mindfulness ... children and the NOW...

2011-10-19T13:49:00.007-04:00

Building the Mindfulness Toolbox
by kiwilog

Ulcers. Migraines. Panic attacks. Are today’s pressures slowly killing our children?

Tara Parker-Pope, in her New York Times “Well” column, recently profiled the phenomenon of “back-to-school” headaches.

“For kids around the country it’s back-to-school time. But for many of them, it’s also the return of headache season,” laments Parker-Pope.

While going back to school is nerve-racking for many kids (and their parents), it’s not the only time of year I hear complaints about headaches and stomachaches severe enough to cause families to bring their kids in to see me. Every day in my practice, I see at least one child suffering from physical symptoms of stress. Teens with chronic headaches, eight year-olds with recurrent abdominal pain, a three year-old with a bleeding ulcer. What’s going on?

Some have blamed our society’s new obsession with over-scheduling young ones. Judith Warner’s treatise on turbo-charged moms, “Perfect Madness,” takes parents to task for pushing their children too hard as a side-effect of martyred motherhood. School and travel sports teams have year-long seasons now, kids are booked several weeks ahead for play-dates, and kindergarteners have homework every night. While we work on addressing these societal ills – see my piece last month on the value of “free play” – we’ve got to find ways to help our kids build their virtual toolbox of mind-body skills to help them cope with life’s worries.

A few of my favorite mind-body relaxation therapies for kids? One of the most promising and appealing modalities is Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Jon and his wife Myla have also published a wonderful book to teach parents how to work with their kids from this perspective: “Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting.” Yoga, guided imagery, biofeedback, music therapy – these too have solid evidence supporting their use in the pediatric population to help children cope with stress. Another favorite resource is Dr. Amy Saltzman’s CD, “Still Quiet Place.” Amy does a wonderful job creating a variety of mind-body experiences for children and families, and the recording is a terrific tool to engage youngsters in the practice of mindfulness.

One of my favorite ways to bring the concept of mindfulness into my kids’ lives has been through reading stories. Since they were very young, my children have loved listening to stories we tell them about “the old days.” Though they’re getting older now, we still try and make time to read stories together before bed. There is magic in telling and listening to stories.

Hans Christian Andersen, the bard of Copenhagen, was immortalized as a master storyteller, played by Danny Kaye, in my wife’s favorite movie of all time. I’d like to think we’ve all been mesmerized from time to time by storytellers. Stories are a way many of us pass on tales of our past, our culture, and moral lessons to our children. Native American storytelling, an integral part of American history, teaches children about the ways we interact with nature and about the importance of ancient wisdom. There are modern-day storytellers as well. Jim Weiss is one – I heard him a few years ago at a children’s health fair; he had the kids in the palm of his hand after two minutes. I also had the privilege of meeting Vered Hankin at an integrative pediatrics conference. If you think there’s no one around today weaving tales “like they used to” – you’ve got to listen to Vered’s work. Her stories come alive – they’re almost 3D. The power to me is the hypnotizing transportation to other places. This is truly mind-body therapy. And it is a very useful tool to help young children (and us old kids too!) cope with stress.

And what better way to help our children learn about mindfulness than through stories? Not just via the act of storytelling and listening but through the telling of specific stories that weave in messages about mindfulness. Jon Muth’s “Zen Shorts“ is one of my all-time favorites. On the surface, the author introduces three contemporary Western children to a decidedly-Buddhist giant panda, Stillwater, but along the way, he gracefully weaves in three Zen philosophy tales. My personal favorite (though not my kids, of course!) is about letting go. Karl, the youngest child, goes to visit Stillwater, but he’s quite mad at his older brother, Michael. Karl spends the day being mad at Michael, as Stillwater tries to educate him about enjoying the moment and releasing his anger. The parable Stillwater shares with Karl to illustrate the point goes something like this:

Two monks are walking along a country path. They soon are met by a caravan, a group of attendants carrying their wealthy and not-so-kindly mistress and her possessions. They come to a muddy river, and cannot cross with both mistress and packages – they must put one down and cannot figure out how to do so. So the elder monk volunteers to carry the woman across the river, on his back, allowing the attendants to carry her things, and then all can go on their way. The woman does not thank him, and rudely pushes him aside to get back to her caravan. After traveling some way on their own, the younger monk turns to his master, and says, “I cannot believe that old woman! You kindly carried her across the muddy river, on your very own back, and not only did she not offer thanks, but she actually was quite rude to you!” The master calmly and quietly turned to his student, and offered this observation: “I put the women down some time ago. Why are you still carrying her?”

The story resonated with me as I read it, and both kids asked many questions about the literal events and about their meaning. We spoke about different religions – Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. They understood at a basic level the similarities and differences – though they interestingly both focused on the similarities. But it was the very nature of questioning that struck me as so apropos. I was reminded of a verse (15) from the Tao Te Ching:

Do you have the patience to wait

till your mud settles and the water is clear?

Can you remain unmoving

till the right action arises by itself?

This concept of mindfulness, of being in the present, is so important to both children and adults. I think children mainly do live in the moment. Both the past and future are strange concepts until they age a bit. Perhaps we should learn to keep more of this “now” with us as we age. It would serve us all well.

-KIWI columnist, Dr. Lawrence Rosen

In full accord with the NOW
the intent and goal of
The APOGEE Achiever™ Program...

All inquiries are welcomed. All posts will receive a response.

The APOGEE Achiever Program™
The Academics and the Arts
~ Soar To Success ~

•Individualized Subject Tutoring•
•Study Skills and Mastery Strategies•
•All Learning Styles•
~Reading~
~Mathematics~
~Writing~
~Organization~
~Communication Skills~
~Assignment Management~
~Stress Management~
~ Acu-Tone™ Sound Therapy~
~Relaxation, Breathing, Attention and Focusing Exercises~
~Achievement Goals~
~All Ages ~ All Grades ~ All Subjects~
~PSAT~ SAT ~ All Test Preparation~
~Coaching~
~Family Therapy~

• Inquiries welcomed •
• Call or post •
• All Questions Answered •

For more information on services
provided for all learning needs:

http://www.apogeelearning.com
http://www.acu-tone.com

APOGEE Learning ~ A Whole Child Paradigm

•Learning styles honored and supported•
•Readiness experiences provided•
•Task analysis applied•
•Student interests as motivators•
•The Whole Brain approach to study and mastery•

Inquiries Welcomed
Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
845-359-9056
toll free: 1-866-228-8663

1-866-ACU-TONE

For information on Qualifications and Experience:
Rose Marie Raccioppi | LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rose-marie-raccioppi/20/509/293

Improved Reading is a Guarantee!

2011-10-18T14:06:00.003-04:00

• All Inquiries Welcomed •
• All Questions Answered •
http://www.2learnnow.com

Steve Jobs and the 7 Rules of Success

2011-10-17T15:34:00.005-04:00

Steve Jobs and the 7 Rules of Success

By Carmine Gallo | Entrepreneur
Fri, Oct 14, 2011 2:36 PM EDT

Steve Jobs' impact on your life cannot be underestimated. His innovations have likely touched nearly every aspect -- computers, movies, music and mobile. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can, indeed, inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs' greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success.

Over the years, I've become a student of sorts of Jobs' career and life. Here's my take on the rules and values underpinning his success. Any of us can adopt them to unleash our "inner Steve Jobs."

1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, "People with passion can change the world for the better." Asked about the advice he would offer would-be entrepreneurs, he said, "I'd get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I was really passionate about." That's how much it meant to him. Passion is everything.

2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in the power of vision. He once asked then-Pepsi President, John Sculley, "Do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?" Don't lose sight of the big vision.

3. Make connections. Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. He took calligraphy classes that didn't have any practical use in his life -- until he built the Macintosh. Jobs traveled to India and Asia. He studied design and hospitality. Don't live in a bubble. Connect ideas from different fields.

4. Say no to 1,000 things. Jobs was as proud of what Apple chose not to do as he was of what Apple did. When he returned in Apple in 1997, he took a company with 350 products and reduced them to 10 products in a two-year period. Why? So he could put the "A-Team" on each product. What are you saying "no" to?

5. Create insanely different experiences. Jobs also sought innovation in the customer-service experience. When he first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores, he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand. What are you doing to enrich the lives of your customers?

6. Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can't communicate your ideas, it doesn't matter. Jobs was the world's greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation.

7. Sell dreams, not products. Jobs captured our imagination because he really understood his customer. He knew that tablets would not capture our imaginations if they were too complicated. The result? One button on the front of an iPad. It's so simple, a 2-year-old can use it. Your customers don't care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you'll win them over.

There's one story that I think sums up Jobs' career at Apple. An executive who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and asked for advice. His counsel? Dream bigger. I think that's the best advice he could leave us with. See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas.

Carmine Gallo is a communications coach, a popular keynote speaker and author of several books including The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs and The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs. His latest is The Power of Foursquare (McGraw-Hill, 2011).

Read more at Entrepreneur.com:

10 Things to Thank Steve Jobs For

Remembering Apple's Steve Jobs

Why Entrepreneurs Love Steve Jobs

Allowing success to beget success...

These are the same principles that apply to creating a masterful learner...
the intent and goal of
The APOGEE Achiever™ Program.

All inquiries are welcomed. All posts will receive a response.

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

2011-10-06T10:12:00.010-04:00

Apple 1 at the Smithsonian

Steve Jobs

His vision, his leadership, his standards of excellence, his many inspired words shared and the love he has made known, shall ever mark a period of history and innovation.

My first APPLE was purchased in 1979... followed by each of the updates over the years... and each an absolute pleasure... THANK YOU STEVE!!!

His brilliance unmatched... his spirit to prevail... loved, respected, admired, and so very missed he shall be. His words...his story...his gifts unto us...Thank you STEVE JOBS... yours is a message we are to heed... blessings and peace from my heart to your prevailing SPIRIT.

In admiration and gratitude,

Rose Marie Raccioppi

An Added Word...

In 1983 APOGEE Learning Enhancement Training Systems™ was founded, inspired by the innovation and creativity that Steve Jobs brought to the world of education. The first word processing program I had the pleasure of using and training others to use was "The Bank Street Writer," developed for APPLE for the young student. From this technology I developed an innovative multi-sensory approach to teaching of reading and spelling to the dyslexic student. As an educator, the friendliness of an APPLE has been welcomed indeed!!

And another has shared her tribute...

♥ Tribute to Steve Jobs- a Beautiful Legend ♥

Time and again humanity has been gifted many great authentic heroes, legends and warriors. Myriad rays of Hope, beacons of Light- spanning all boundaries of Space and Time. I am honored and grateful to be Here, at the time our Universe was gifted to experience the Breathing Passion of Steve Jobs amongst us, a rare Intuitive genius.Steve Jobs has not only innovated, inspired, motivated and created history in the world of technology, but also touched the Hearts and Souls of millions of not-so-technological Beings as myself. I discovered his celebration of embracing our natural eccentric sides via his bold conviction of letting go of the conventional obligation to "fit in" to the status quo, at a phase in my metamorphosis needing to hear this message absolutely relevantly. At a time when the majority in my vicinity kept reminding me every single day, to give up my Heart’s calling and settle for the comfortable status quo, I felt Home on receiving this revelation.

♥ "Here's to the Crazy Ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world - are the ones who DO!" ♥

I am humbly grateful Steve Job proved to us through his Journey how vital it is to follow our heart and intuition. How profoundly our Heart beats to manifest our innate passions.

♥ “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” ♥

Steve Jobs was a modern day Genius. Some considered him the Leonardo da Vinci of this era while some of us saw him with reverence as a prophet who eminently walked the talk focusing on spreading ripples of Light via intuitive innovation rather than waste precious Breaths complaining about any prevalent darkness. Steve Jobs will be remembered as revolutionizing communication via his own unique evolution. He paved the way for millions to connect with each other across the globe literally a touch away.

I believe, this moment Steve Jobs has physically bid us farewell, is profoundly relevant than any other epoch in history. The time when most of our race dissipate energy complaining and blaming each other of the injustice, unfairness and various imbalances, Steve Jobs’ graceful unfolding is a powerful role model as to how there is always space and pathways for refinement beginning with our Self and allowing the ripples to touch the lives of millions outwards.

Dear Respected Steve Jobs,

May you Rest in Peace with a Smile
O' Role model of Eccentric Mavericks
We admire and salute you in gratitude
a True authentic legend, a Peaceful Warrior
You literally changed our world for the better
You will indeed be remembered many centuries
unfolding from Here and Now, please remember
We appreciate you, within our Hearts you Live On...

~Dr. Dheena Sadik ♥

Here's to the crazy ones: Tribute to Steve Jobs. [VIDEO]
http://www.wimp.com/stevejobs/

And yet another word...

Steve Job’s Lessons for Caregivers
posted by AgingCare.com
Oct 11, 2011

Anne-Marie Botek, AgingCare.com

What can a caregiver learn from a commencement speech?

Particularly when that speech was delivered by a technology icon to thousands of young adults, graduating from one of the world’s most celebrated institutions of higher education.

The obvious answer may seem to be “nothing.”

After all, the majority of caregivers are many years removed from their last graduation. Life has the unfortunate ability to dull the messages of hope and promise infused in commencement speeches. As time passes, life’s inevitable losses add up, and youthful optimism gives way under the daunting assault of reality.

If You Knew Then What You Know Now

But, the recent death of Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple, has caused many to recall the powerful messages contained in his 2005 address to a group of Stanford graduates—messages which transcend age brackets and demographics, aiming at the essence of human existence.

Even people caring for an elderly loved one can benefit from being reminded of some of these lessons—even though they came from the mouth of a man barely old enough to join AARP.

In his address, Jobs discusses three main concepts of great import to recent college graduates; death, love and loss, and the connectedness of life.

Now, trying to educate a caregiver about love, loss, and death would be insultingly presumptuous to say the least. If you’re caring for an elderly person, then you are already intimately familiar with the fragility of life and the crushing reality of loss.
No, for a caregiver, the most relevant element of Jobs’ speech is undoubtedly his message about “connecting the dots.” During his address, Jobs discusses the winding, bramble-covered path that led him to his current position. In one of the most poignant statements of the entire address, he says, “you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”

This point is as true for caregivers as it is for business moguls—maybe even more so.

They may not connect in the way you originally envisioned on your graduation day. Your picture may have awkward lines, painful smudges, and obvious eraser marks, but it is yours. Learning to appreciate that picture, despite its flaws, can be a freeing revelation for any caregiver.

Courtesy of Steve Jobs, A Caregiver’s Commencement Speech originally appeared on AgingCare.com

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/courtesy-of-steve-jobs-lessons-for-caregivers.html#ixzz1aaEnM6he

The Educator - The Poet - The Sound Therapist - A Shared Paradigm - APOGEE Acu-Tone™

2011-10-02T18:38:00.007-04:00

The meter, the harmony, the balance, indeed a guide for the poetic word, yet each term defines the very core of our well being. Sound is signaling. The thoughts we hold, the words we speak, the inner language we live, the vibrations we respond to, influence and bear upon our health, physically, emotionally, spiritually,

APOGEE Acu-Tone™ was first conceived when I was but seven years of age. I had the opportunity of hearing an orchestra 'tune up.' I thought upon observing and hearing the process, that we and our world was also in need of a 'tune up.' Exploration of sound and understanding its implication for health and well being, have been a life long journey. After decades of research and development, APOGEE Acu-Tone™ , a system of sound therapy, was introduced formally in 1983. It is based upon the principles of yoga science and acupuncture. Pure acoustic sound applications are placed onto meridian pathways and acupuncture points. For the last 28 years those who have experienced an APOGEE Acu-Tone™ session, consistently report a deeply relaxed state of being, a feeling of renewed balance, a total sense of inner harmony, a peaceful interlude, and a most welcomed respite from stress.

APOGEE Acu-Tone™ has been particularly beneficial in bringing about readiness for learning, problem solving, and the willingness to move toward resolution of conflicts and relationship difficulties.

APOGEE Acu-Tone™ is particularly suitable for children where acupuncture may be counter indicated. The sound applications are totally safe, certainly noninvasive, and effective. There are a number of delightful activities integrated with the sessions for children. Children respond most favorably.

For more information and related research:
http://www.apogeelearning.com/acutone/about.asp
http://www.apogeelearning.com/acutone/sound.html

An added word...

What does an educator, artist, poet, sound therapist, counselor, and consultant have in common? Hmmm... they all share the name Rose Marie Raccioppi. Life is most certainly GOOD! ... many paths to follow in this life's journey. After being challenged by the ravages of cancer 28 years ago, I gave myself permission to do it all... and here I am in well being and in total celebration of life's gifts. YES, our potentialities are ever present... we just have to learn how to allow them freedom. This pursuit of quest, this inner drive for understanding and expression, success and satisfaction, are what APOGEE Learning™ and all its related services and supports make real. For all who are willing to see, explore and develop their many potentialities, be it for individual, family or professional development APOGEE Learning™ is but a call away.

All inquiries are welcomed. All posts will receive a response.

"Bright Not Broken"

2011-09-26T13:56:00.006-04:00

http://www.brightnotbroken.com/

About the book

Bright Not Broken sheds new light on this vibrant population by identifying who twice exceptional children are and taking an unflinching look at why they’re stuck.

The first work to boldly examine the widespread misdiagnosis and controversies that arise from our current diagnostic system, it serves as a call to action call for parents and professionals to question why our mental health and education systems continue to fail some of our brightest children.

Too often, these kids are caught in an endless cycle of chasing diagnostic labels, being prescribed dangerous medications, and are never given the tools to fully develop their gifts and talents.

An added word...

Yesterday, I attended a presentation by the authors and most certainly identify with the expressed perspectives. APOGEE Learning - http://www.apogeelearning.com/ - indeed shares in this mission of advocacy on behalf of our special children. Since 1983, APOGEE Learning has served the needs of 'Twice-Exceptional Children.' Self awareness, self knowledge, self mastery, along with appropriate supports for both the academics and the arts, have brought ongoing documented success to 'Twice-Exceptional Children.'

All inquiries are welcomed. All posts will receive a response.

Post Script to: "Get to Know" ADD & ADHD

2011-09-09T12:27:00.003-04:00

Food additives linked to ADHD
By Rachel : Healthy Living eTips

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently surveyed 73,000 children and found one in 10 has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This is a 22% increase since 2003. Research has shown that toxic and deficient lifestyle patterns are the chief contributing factor for this disorder. Natural lifestyle solutions can prevent and reverse ADHD.

Many researchers consider chronic ADHD symptoms a sign of mild-moderate brain damage. When regions of the brain are chronically inflamed it signals the primitive regions of the brain to be on overdrive. This inhibits frontal lobe function which is the region responsible for concentration and emotional stability. The primitive regions on overdrive include the reticular activating system and limbic system. When this primitive brain is imbalanced it leads to poor concentration and emotional outbursts.

ADHD is commonly caused by an inflammatory based diet and toxic food additives. These food additive chemicals are mild-moderately neurotoxic. They also have a strong synergistic effect when combined with sugars such as fructose. A recent Lancet study concluded that food dyes along with the preservative sodium benzoate (found in many soft drinks, fruit juices, & salad dressings) cause many children to become significantly more hyperactive and distractible. This study also found that food additives and dyes can do as much damage to children's brains as lead in gasoline.

Digestive problems can also dramatically affect brain function and development. A common factor with ADHD is a weak intestinal system and food allergies. Often times a Candida infection is present and producing brain damaging toxic metabolites. It is wise to address the gut and allow it to heal by avoiding allergens and supplementing with high quality Probiotics.

The most common food allergens to avoid include all pasteurized dairy products and gluten containing grains such as wheat, barley, rye, oats, kamut, & spelt. Soy products, some nuts, eggs, and heavy proteins are often not tolerated well. Other allergens include those of the nightshade family such as eggplant, tomatoes, & potatoes.

An anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle are critical for full recovery from this condition. Anti-inflammatory foods help to modulate the immune system and give it a more accurate pair of eyes so as to not over-inflame when stimulated. To effectively de-inflame it is key to completely avoid man-made foods, sugars, and food allergens as listed above. The long chain omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are critical for brain function.

Healthy movement patterns produce proprioception (movement information) which is a critical essential for healthy brain enhancing and neurodevelopmental patterns. Boosting proprioceptive input through good posture and spinal function is critical for healthy brain development. Regular chiropractic care along with spinal hygiene exercises are essential lifestyle factors for healthy neurological function.

Children, teenagers, & adults with ADHD symptoms do very well with a regular exercise program that incorporates core stability and functional balance training. Many hyperactive kids are naturally drawn to activities such as rebounding and jumping on a trampoline as well as balance sports such as skating, surfing and snowboarding. All of these dynamic balance based activities powerfully enhance proprioceptive input into the brain.

Other critical nutrients that are key for brain function include Vitamin D, Folic acid, Pyridoxine (B6), Vitamin B12, Zinc, CoQ10, and trace minerals. Vitamin D levels should be between 60-100 ng/ml. Boost Vitamin D naturally with 20-60 minutes of healthy sunlight every day or 5,000-50,000 IU of emulsified vitamin D3 daily to get the levels where they should be. A raw, whole-food multi-vitamin that supplies ample amounts of folic acid (400 mcg), B6 (4mg), B12(100 mcg), Zinc (15 mg), trace minerals, & CoQ10 (500 mcg) should be consumed daily.

Article Source: http://druglessdoctor.com/Resources/ArticlesandTips/tabid/2263/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/614/categoryId/3/Food-additives-linked-to-ADHD.aspx

"Get to Know" ADD & ADHD

2011-09-02T17:48:00.002-04:00

I have been in private practice serving the needs of those diagnosed with learning disabilities, ADD and ADHD for the last 28 years - (APOGEE Learning Enhancement Training Systems™) YES, my observations, research and experience are in accord with your protocol and presentation. Nutritional Guidance is integrated into the APOGEE Achiever™ educational programming. I encourage all parents, educators and all health care professionals to heed your message . Thank You for posting your most worthy work! Ours is a need to educate not medicate!!

Pure Imagination

2011-08-31T15:17:00.002-04:00

Pure Imagination

So pleased to post today's interview on, "Pure Imagination," a program of The Progressive Radio Network. It is ever a delight to share life’s heartfelt work and perspectives. The program's theme song, “Pure Imagination,” … so very much what defines the APOGEE™ Paradigm. Yes, I applaud a vision of a world where imagination holds its eternal quest.

Click on link and be brought to the recorded interview of Rose Marie Raccioppi.

Back to School - Better yet - BACK TO LEARNING ~ The APOGEE Achiever Program™

2011-08-12T18:36:00.007-04:00

Guest Post:

Back to School Success Strategy!
By Dr. Robert DeMaria

Hello! This is Dr. Bob with another
Healthy Living Tip for You!

This is the time of year when moms with children of all ages send their pride and joy off to school. There are children who are heading out for the first time while others are beginning a new level; first grade to elementary and/or junior to senior high school. Some are even sending their children off to their freshmen year of college. The dream and passion of parents of all children is the goal of great scholastic achievement. So how do you assist your child in getting ready for another school year?

Strive to provide the best environment and possibilities for your child—regardless of their age. The real key is getting to the basics. I have described a plan in great detail in “Dr. Bob’s Guide to Stop ADHD in 18 Days”. The fuel you provide your child first thing in the morning has a huge impact on their blood sugar all day long. Starting the day off with a pastry or breakfast cereal creates a blood sugar roller coaster of highs and lows. Children will have a reduced attention span when their blood sugar cycles up and down throughout the day; sleepy periods during the mid morning and afternoon has the potential to torpedo even the best of students. The best advice I can give is to provide a protein based breakfast including eggs with veggies, quinoa with almonds, veggies with protein (I use Applegate turkey or chicken).

Feed the brain and body with the right oil. The brain craves an adequate quality source of oil to fuel the entire cortex. I encourage our patients to use up to one tablespoon of Organic Omega Nutrition High Lignan Flax Oil at one tablespoon per one hundred pounds. There is a long chained metabolized from flax oil called DHA which is critical for long term brain and behavioral health. Individuals of all ages will appreciated the improved brain function by adding liquid gold or flax oil to one’s diet.

Improved Reading Performance with APOGEE Somatic Phonics™ ~ A Breakthrough for the Dyslexic, The Learning Disabled, the Underachieved Reader.

2011-08-09T18:13:00.007-04:00

Is your child struggling with dyslexia? Is he or she a misunderstood learner? APOGEE Learning Enhancement Training Systems™ is the answer. APOGEE Somatic Phonics™ is an integrated system developed for the dyslexic student to assure reading success. Twenty-eight years of documented success define the APOGEE Somatic Phonics™ Program. Reading with APOGEE Somatic Phonics™ becomes easier, word knowledge becomes more developed, and comprehension, spelling and writing improve. With a new and masterful command of reading, interest in other subject areas expand, focus is improved and grades soar to new heights.

APOGEE Learning™ takes a holistic approach to serving all learners at all ages and in all grades, including the special needs of those with learning disabilities. All programs are developed and administered by Rose Marie Raccioppi, a state-certified, honored, awarded and highly acclaimed educator, within a warm and nurturing environment. Each one-on-one session is personalized and available in all subjects.

With APOGEE Somatic Phonics™, specific letter sounding practices are initiated allowing one to confidently learn the distinction among letter sounds and letter names. Seeing, hearing, touching and perceiving define the scope of reading and the reading process. Observation itself is reading. Once the sound association is clear, the visual symbol is introduced via a three-dimensional object. Once that step is mastered, a two-dimensional representation is introduced. It is a truly integrated multi-sensory experience.

Each letter read and sounded is evaluated via APOGEE Cognitive Kinesiology™, a process that allows the student to understand the integrative action of the mind-body energy system. This process is utilized to determine if the letter brings about a stress response. If a stress response is found, a series of activities are initiated to address the specific finding. Once the stress response is abated, which is the result of the newly introduced experience of rebuilding the structure of the physical letter, one proceeds to view the printed word with renewed energy and focus. It is well known that people avoid that which is painful or stressful. By eliminating the stress associated with reading, the process then becomes an exploratory and pleasurable experience. Improved reading performance is a guaranteed outcome.

Rose Marie Raccioppi, MS FABI is state-certified in regular and special education, supervision and administration. With advanced studies in psychology, education, cognition, stress management and holistic health, Raccioppi's program is comprehensive. In addition to her academic excellence, she is an exhibiting artist, published poet and the Poet Laureate of Orangetown, New York. Raccioppi has developed supportive programs integrating the academics and the arts. Consultations for parents, educators and teacher training are offered, in addition to individualized student services.

Inquiries Welcomed

For more information on services
provided for all learning needs:

http://www.apogeelearning.com
http://www.acu-tone.com

With autonomy, mastery and purpose,
creative, caring, free thinkers
and doers are developed.

• Inquiries welcomed •
• Call or post •
• All Questions Answered •

The APOGEE Achiever Program™
The Academics and the Arts
~ Soar To Success ~

Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
•all sessions personalized and one-to-one•
•comfortable environment•
•warm and nurturing support•
845-359-9056
toll free: 1-866-228-8663
1-866-ACU-TONE

Bruce Lipton - Epigenetics

2011-07-30T00:06:00.005-04:00

I have found these expressed findings deeply related to issues of learning and education. A discussion has been put forth: Epigenetics and the APOGEE Learning™ Paradigm - http://www.apogeelearning.blogspot.com/2010/10/epigenetics-and-apogee-learning.html

This also provides an explanation of energy fields and vibrations as presented by APOGEE Acu-Tone™ - a paradigm first introduced in 1983. Acu-Tone™ - an integrated system of Attunement Therapy™ - http://www.apogeelearning.com/acutone/about.asp

Inquiries Welcomed

For more information on services
provided for all learning needs:

http://www.apogeelearning.com
http://www.acu-tone.com

With autonomy, mastery and purpose,
creative, caring, free thinkers
and doers are developed.

• Inquiries welcomed •
• Call or post •
• All Questions Answered •

The APOGEE Achiever Program™
The Academics and the Arts
~ Soar To Success ~

Fostering Intention and Attention

2011-06-20T15:27:00.005-04:00

There is something to explore, something to learn, something to hold fascination, something to encourage discovery, query, and challenge. The flutter of a butterfly, the flight of a bird, a flower in bloom, nature, the spoken word, music, song, the creation of letters, words and the printed page call for attention. Seeing, hearing, touching, perceiving, define the all encompassing scope of reading and the reading process. Observation itself is "reading" The expressions: "how do you read him/her...," "what's your read on that," speak to this very concept. Intention and attention are interrelated. One supports the other.

Energy Follows Attention, posted by Deepak Chopra Jun 20, 2011 (http://www.care2.com/greenliving/energy-follows-attention.html) addresses this relationship of intention-attention-attention-intention and is presented here for your consideration.

"Consciousness orchestrates its activity in response to both attention and intention. Whatever you put your attention on becomes energized. Whatever you take your attention away from dwindles. On the other hand, intention is the key to transformation, as we have seen. So you could say that attention activates the energy field, and intention activates the information field, which causes transformation.

Every time you speak you transmit information through an energy field using sound waves. Every time you send or receive e-mail, you use both information and energy. There is information in the words you select, and the energy is the electromagnetic impulse that travels through cyberspace.

Information and energy are inseparably connected. Have you ever noticed how, when you start paying attention to a particular word or color or object, that very thing seems to appear more often in your environment?

Millions of things happen every day that never penetrate our conscious minds: sounds from the street, conversations of people around us, newspaper articles that our eyes quickly scan, patterns on clothing, shoe colors, smells, textures, flavors.

Our consciousness can handle only so much information, so we have selective attention. Whatever we choose to focus our attention on will make it past the mind’s filtering system.

In the physical world we have many different ways of acquiring information. But if you want to tap in to the information at the level of the soul, you need a different way to get the information.

We don’t normally have our attention in that unseen dimension, but everything that’s happening in the visible world has its roots there. Everything is connected with everything else. In the spiritual world, those connections become visible."

Adapted from The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire, by Deepak Chopra (Three Rivers Press).

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/energy-follows-attention.html#ixzz1PqUaAl8C

Image credit: http://askmissa.com.

Inquiries Welcomed

For more information on services
provided for all learning needs:

http://www.apogeelearning.com
http://www.acu-tone.com

APOGEE Acu-Tone™ ~ Cymatics and Sacred Geometry

2011-06-20T10:47:00.003-04:00

The principles here presented form the basis of the sound therapy program, APOGEE Acu-Tone™. For more information on the benefits of this documented, non-invasive, effective program for body balancing, stress reduction, and readiness for learning, do visit: http://www.apogeelearning.com/acutone/about.asp

APOGEE Somatic Phonics ™ - Masterful Reading for the Dyslexic

2011-05-26T23:29:00.023-04:00

APOGEE Somatic Phonics™ is an integrated system developed for the dyslexic student to assure reading success. Recent studies have shown that sound can indeed stimulate the visual areas of the brain. Bringing awareness and attention to the sensation of sound vibration throughout the body when sounding a vowel, a consonant or a phoneme, allows a somatic impression that becomes translated into the visual symbol, phoneme or word. It is amazing to see the progress and the confidence a student develops when experiencing this successful integration.

Each vowel which is the "breath" of a word, and each consonant which is the "body" of the word stimulate specific organs and nerve networks. Specific letter sounding practices are initiated allowing one to confidently learn the distinction among letter sounds and letter names. Once the sound associations are clear, the visual symbol is introduced via a three dimensional object, once mastered, it is followed by its two dimensional representation. The students learn to 'see' (configure) with their ears and 'hear' (sound) with their eyes. Seeing, hearing, touching, perceiving, define the all encompassing scope of reading and the reading process. Herein is a truly integrated multi-sensory experience. Each letter read and sounded is evaluated via APOGEE Cognitive Kinesiology™ to determine if the letter brings about a stress response. If a stress response is found, a series of activities are initiated to address the specific finding. Once the stress response is abated, which is the result of the newly introduced experience of rebuilding the structure of the physical letter, one proceeds to view the printed word with renewed energy and focus. It is well known that one tends to avoid that which is painful or stressful. By abating the

stress association, reading becomes the exploratory experience it is meant to be.

The study posted below, although, pertains to the blind, is indeed related to the principles inherent and operative in APOGEE Somatic Phonics™. Sound translates to orientation in space and time which goes beyond just the 'seeing' with the eyes. Interesting to note that this bears a relationship to how reading is taught via braille to the blind person and how reading is taught via APOGEE Somatic Phonics ™ to the dyslexic student. For the dyslexic, sounding phonemes, is very much like sounding clicks as presented here, and likewise "light up the visual part of the brain," allowing the non-reader to integrate and become a master reader!

Twenty eight years of documented success define the APOGEE Somatic Phonics™ Program. Whole brain activities, integration of left brain and right brain functioning and perceptions, characterize the scope and range of program components. Reading via APOGEE Somatic Phonics™ becomes more fluid, word awareness and word knowledge are developed, comprehension improves, spelling improves, writing improves, the sense of one as being capable of mastery is experienced. With a new and masterful command of reading, interest in all other subject areas is expanded, focus is improved and grades soar to new heights. Improved reading performance is a Guaranteed outcome!

Rose Marie Raccioppi, MS FABI is State Certified in Regular and Special Education, Supervision and Administration. With advanced studies in psychology, education, cognition, stress management, and holistic health, her program offerings are comprehensive. In addition to her academic excellence, Rose Marie is an exhibiting artist, published poet and the Poet Laureate of Orangetown, New York. Her all inclusive studies have brought her to develop supportive programs integrating the academics and the arts. Consultations for parents, educators and teacher training, are offered in addition to individualized student services.

For more information: APOGEE Learning Enhancement Training Systems™ - http://www.apogeelearning.com/

Inquiries Welcomed

For more information on services
provided for all learning needs:

http://www.apogeelearning.com
http://www.acu-tone.com

With autonomy, mastery and purpose,
creative, caring, free thinkers
and doers are developed.

• Inquiries welcomed •
• Call or post •
• All Questions Answered •

The APOGEE Achiever Program™
The Academics and the Arts
~ Soar To Success ~

Blind people can learn

to navigate like bats

by 'SEEING' objects

using clicks and echoes

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Last updated at 3:02 PM on 26th May 2011

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1391020/Blind-objects-using-bat-skills-study-reveals-clicks-light-VISUAL-brain.html

Blind people can learn to navigate like bats by 'seeing' objects from sounds reflected off them, a study has shown.
They make clicking noises with their mouths and listen to the returning echoes to make sense of their environment.
A few are so adept at the skill that they use it to go mountain biking, play ball games, or explore unknown places.

Blind leading the blind: Daniel Kish is now teaching others with sight-loss how to use echolocation.
Daniel Kish, 43, was the best performer during tests at the University of Ontario. He had his eyes removed at 13 months of age due to retinoblastoma, a rare blinding cancer.
He said he naturally used echolocation as a child to help him move around.
'People used to call it my "radar,” he says. I’ve been echolocating for as long as I can remember.'
Surprisingly, the echoes are processed using the visual part of the brain - not the auditory region that receives sound signals from the ears, scientists have discovered.
The university team carried out functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans to study the brain activity of Mr Kish and Brian Bushway, 27, who had also been left completely blind in childhood.
On the move: Daniel Kish said he started clicking to get his bearings from a very young age. He now teaches other blind people to use echolocation
Senior scientist Dr Mel Goodale, from the University of Western Ontario, said: 'It is clear that echolocation enables blind people to do things that are otherwise thought to be impossible without vision, and in this way it can provide blind and vision-impaired people with a high degree of independence in their daily lives.'
It may be possible for anyone to learn to echolocate like a bat, according to the researchers.
Bats emit a high-pitched sound while flying at night. The sound waves bounce off an object and send an echo back. Just as light waves provide information to our eyes for our brain to interpret, similarly the echo sound waves have impressions from the objects they bounce off of. 
The sounds illuminate the environment acoustically, rather than optically. 
'You can hear those imprints,' Mr Kish told Western News.
'You can hear the differences in the sound waves as they come back. So basically what you can do is extract information now imbedded in those sound waves. That information corresponds to the surfaces from which the sound waves bounce.'
He added that hearing is a 360-degree sense, whereas vision is limited to 180 degrees and that auditory information is processed more quickly than visual data.
The findings from the study were published in the online journal Public Library of Science ONE.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1391020/Blind-objects-using-bat-skills-study-reveals-clicks-light-VISUAL-brain.html#ixzz1NWI4uc99

THE WAYSEER MANIFESTO ~ THE APOGEE ACHIEVER

2011-05-12T09:43:00.000-04:00

"...attracted to the flame..."
THE WAYSEER...
THE APOGEE ACHIEVER

I live and know the calling spirit of the different learner. The one who is indeed "attracted to the flame." In all I teach, in all I create, in all I share, in all I stand in support of, in all I advocate, in all I AM... the gift of...

Divine Frenzy

All sensibilities known to me
From passion I shall not flee
The enchanted call of the divine
Heard within heart's chambers mine
This pulsing flame and fire
The throb of inner desire
With poet's pen a quest to write
Of the eternal now be day or night
With paint brush strokes of emotion
In glory and in reverent devotion
The silence filled by whispers heard
And so be known is the divine WORD
The Muse ever shall you heed
'Tis the echo of the creator's creed.

Rose Marie Raccioppi
Poet Laureate
Orangetown, New York

Several years ago I co-presented with Garret Loporto, the creator of the "WAYSEER MANIFESTO." We first became connected in 2005, via his book, "The DAVINCI Method." The APOGEE Achiever Program™ integrates the principles and practices he has put forth. As an Educational Therapist, I serve those, "...attracted to the flame..."

http://www.apogeelearning.blogspot.com/
http://www.apogeelearning.com/

With autonomy, mastery and purpose,
creative, caring, free thinkers
and doers are developed.

• Inquiries welcomed •
• Call or post •
• All Questions Answered •

The APOGEE Achiever Program™
The Academics and the Arts
~ Soar To Success ~

•Individualized Subject Tutoring•
•Study Skills and Mastery Strategies•
•All Learning Styles•
Reading
Mathematics
Writing
Organization
Communication Skills
Assignment Management
Stress Management
Acu-Tone™ Sound Therapy
Relaxation, Breathing, Attention and Focusing Exercises
Achievement Goals
All Ages ~ All Grades ~ All Subjects
PSAT~ SAT ~ All Test Preparation
APOGEE Cognitive Kinesiology™ - Cause and Effect
Coaching
Family Therapy

For more information on services
provided for all learning needs:

http://www.apogeelearning.com
http://www.acu-tone.com

APOGEE Learning ~ A Whole Child Paradigm

•Learning styles honored and supported•
•Readiness experiences provided•
•Task analysis applied•
•Student interests as motivators•
•The Whole Brain approach to study and mastery•

Inquiries Welcomed
Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
845-359-9056
toll free: 1-866-228-8663
1-866-ACU-TONE

Is the Environment Poisoning Our Children? | Sandra Steingraber | Orion Magazine

2011-05-04T21:37:00.008-04:00

How toxic chemicals

are impairing children’s ability to learn

by Sandra Steingraber

The research studies cited, the stories told, the perspectives held, the call, the plea made for change, are those I most certainly identify with and are the very perspectives that define the APOGEE™ Learning mission... the health and well being of our children ... A most heartfelt plea...

click on title to be brought to posted article ...
indeed a worthwhile read

APOGEE Learning™ in the market place...

2011-04-21T12:18:00.006-04:00

APOGEE™ Learning Enhancement Training Systems™
Tappan, NY 10983
Phone: (845)359-9056 / (866)228-8663

http://www.apogeelearning.com

Is your child struggling in school? Is he or she a misunderstood learner? If so, then APOGEE™ Learning Enhancement Training Systems is the answer. APOGEE™ is a system of learning and educational therapy that considers the educational, physical, emotional and environmental factors that relate to learning and creativity. Integrating the academics and the arts, APOGEE™ takes a holistic approach to serving all learners at all ages and in all grades, including the special needs of the Learning Disabled, ADD/ADHD, Dyslexic, Gifted, Under Achievers, and the Highly Motivated. All programs are developed and administered by Rose Marie Raccioppi, a fully state-certified, honored, awarded and highly acclaimed educator, in a warm, comfortable and nurturing environment. These completely individualized one-on-one sessions provide support in all subjects, from organizational skills and presentation skills to math, reading, writing and language skills, to college level academics. With specialized support from APOGEE™ students are given the opportunity to more fully appreciate the interrelationship of their physical, mental, creative, and spiritual selves. Students come closer to understanding how his or her learning and creativity are influenced by what he or she has experienced, feels, attracts, knows, thinks, believes, wants, enjoys and fears. APOGEE™ offers proven methods....and proven results! For a FREE introductory consultation, call Rose Marie Raccioppi, MS, FABI, Holistic Educational Therapist at (845)359-9056 or (866)228-8663.

All inquiries Welcomed.

NYMetroParents.com Article

Rose Marie Raccioppi, founder of

APOGEE Learning Enhancement Training Systems™:

Rose Marie Raccioppi, MS FABI is an awarded and honored Holistic Educational Therapist, founder and director of APOGEE Learning Enhancement Training Systems™, Past President of the Rockland and the New York Association for the Learning Disabled. In private practice for 28 years, Raccioppi creatively serves the needs, gifts, and the potential of all learners of all ages. She integrates the academics, the arts, music, dance, sports, using the interests of each child to support improvement goals. Her effective approaches have consistently resulted in positive change for the student, academically, creatively, socially, physically and psychologically.

APOGEE - a defined purpose - a living destiny...

2011-04-18T13:38:00.005-04:00

Dictionary: ap·o·gee

noun/ˈapəjē/

apogees, plural

1. The highest point in the development of something; the climax or culmination.

2. The point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is furthest from the earth.

image source: www.jgiesen.de/.../ PerigeeApogeeDistance.html

Edward Merrill Root (January 4, 1895 - October 26, 1973) was an American educator and poet. For the individual, Root stated his philosophy as a person's "outermost expression of his innermost essence... Man, being finite in existence, but infinite in essence, succeeds by reaching his highest point of failure."

Root's central philosophy was what he called "Essentialism". His intention was "...to make coherent and affirmative a certain philosophy, and American philosophy, and to do so in terms of art."

He stated his philosophy thus: "More and more as my life has matured ... I have realized that I wish to preserve the roots of life whence grow the blossoms and the fruits of life, and that I have become a genuine radical - i.e., one who works with the roots of life, laboring to set them more firmly and to nourish them more richly. I applaud fruitful change that comes from an enhancement and intensification of the last things that maintain their continuity with first things. But, as I see it, such change must be growth from within, so that you and I and our nation become ever more clearly, more richly, more truly, what we always are, potentially in principle. Man is ever seeking novelty; God is forever and ever making things new. He does not make the seasons, nor the rose, nor the Labrador retriever, nor the lover nor the poet, novel - He makes them new. And because they are new in their fundamental being, they are vitally old; as tomorrow's sunrise will be the newest of dawns and the oldest of dawns, since it shone upon the Birthday of Creation."

To all my students...

You aspire and hold to your potential, your unfolding abilities and developing competencies, your vision, and known will be the success inherent in who you are. This in belief, in faith, in trust.

Beyond content mastery be there application and purpose, beyond grade point average, be there relevancy and identity, beyond frustration and failure, be there untapped potential and undefined quest. Learn and live the way of the APOGEE Achiever™.

Best always,
Rose Marie Raccioppi

With autonomy, mastery and purpose,
creative, caring, conceptual thinkers
and doers are developed.

A Natural Joy for a Growing Child ~ Visit Our Organic Farm

2011-04-10T23:19:00.004-04:00

Food and nature as it is intended.
Open land, natural setting, organic farming.
Enjoy!

Which Food Additives Make Children Behave Badly?

2011-04-09T10:23:00.003-04:00

Which Food Additives

Make Children Behave Badly?

by TIM UTTON, Daily Mail, UK

Research has shown that the food additives used in hundreds of children's foods and drinks can cause temper tantrums and disruptive behavior. A Government-funded study confirms what many parents have long suspected about the effect of chemicals put into sweets, biscuits and foods. Colorings in products such as Smarties, Jelly Tots and fizzy drinks could spark behavior changes in up to a quarter of toddlers.

Research into a group of three year-olds found they were more likely to lack concentration, lose their temper, interrupt others and struggle to get to sleep when they drank fruit juice dosed with colorings and preservatives.

Following the study, food watchdog the Food Commission has found that 200 children's foods and drinks contain one or more of the additives called into question by the research.

The Commission is calling for the additives to be removed from the everyday foods and drinks which appeal to children. Even youngsters with no history of hyperactivity can be affected, said the scientists. They concluded that all children could benefit from the removal of specified artificial food colorings from their diet.

The Food Commission claims it is the first time a Government-sponsored scientific study has corroborated the link between food colorings and preservatives and changes in children's mood and behavior.

A group of 227 three-year olds from the Isle of Wight took part in a month long project by the UK Asthma and Allergy Research Center. For two weeks the children drank a daily fruit juice dosed with 20mg of artificial colorings and 45mg of preservative, which are either equal to or below permitted levels. The additives tested were the artificial food colorings Tartrazine E102, Sunset Yellow E110, Carmoisine E122, Ponceau 4R E124, and the preservative Sodium Benzoate E211. All five were given at the same time in a single drink.

For the other two weeks the children drank a fruit juice which was identical in appearance but without the additives. Parents filled in reports assessing their child's behavior on criteria such as interrupting, fiddling with objects, disturbing others, difficulty settling down to sleep, concentration and temper tantrums. The report said the results showed the artificial food colorings and sodium benzoate preservative had 'substantial effects' on behavior.

The scientists concluded that significant changes in children's hyperactive behavior could be produced by removing colorings and additives from their diet. They added: 'The findings suggest that benefit would accrue for all children from such a change - and not just for those already showing hyperactive behavior or who are at risk of allergic reactions.'

The Food Commission wants a ban on the additives and says the colourings tested have been restricted in other countries to protect children.

A spokesman for the Government's Food Standards Agency said the research was not conclusive. Nestlé Rowntree, which makes Smarties, Fruit Pastilles and Jelly Tots, said food additives it used were permitted by European and UK laws and any additives or colours had been tested to the highest standards. GlaxoSmithKline, which produces Ribena, said: 'We certainly wouldn't use any additives unless they were approved as safe.' Burton's Foods, which makes Jammie Dodgers, said its biscuits contained only half the amount of Carmoisine stated in legal guidelines. Cadbury Trebor Bassett, which makes Maynard Wine Gums, said: 'Carmoisine is a permitted colouring which has been used for many years.' Campina UK, which produces Yazoo Milk Drinks, said it used only approved ingredients.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk/health...

Which Additives Do We Need To Look Out For?

Artificial Colors

(in sweets, drinks, takeaways, cereals and many processed foods)

102 tartrazine,
104 quinoline yellow,
107 yellow 2G,
110 sunset yellow,
122 azorubine,
123 amaranth,
124 ponceau red,
127 erythrosine,
128 red 2G,
129 allura red,
132 indigotine,
133 brilliant blue,
142 green S,
151 brilliant black,
155 chocolate brown Natural colour,
160b annatto (in yoghurts, icecreams, popcorn etc, 160a is a safe alternative)

Preservatives

Preservatives200-203 sorbates (in margarine, dips, cakes, fruit products)
210-213 benzoates (in juices, soft drinks, cordials, syrups, medications)
220-228 sulphites (in dried fruit, fruit drinks, sausages, and many others)
280-283 propionates (in bread, crumpets, bakery products)
249-252 nitrates, nitrites (in processed meats like ham)
Synthetic antioxidants - in margarines, vegetable oils, fried foods, snacks, biscuits etc
310-312 Gallates 319-320 TBHQ, BHA, BHT (306-309 are safe alternatives)
Flavour enhancers - in flavoured crackers, snacks, takeaways, instant noodles, soups 621 MSG 627, 631, 635 disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, ribonucleotides

Table compiled by Sue Dengate, author of the bestselling book and film 'Fed Up: Understanding how food affects your child and what you can do about it.'

Our food has changed so drastically in the last few decades it is no wonder that food-related behavior and learning problems in children are increasing. Contrary to what many parents think, additives - more importantly than just sugar - are to blame for behavior problems. Reactions are related to dose, so the more additives children eat, the more likely they are to be affected.

Additives are now used widely in foods such as bread, butter, crackers, yogurt, juice and muesli bars as well as in junk food. Parents who say ‘we eat healthy food’ are generally shocked to find that their children can be consuming 20 additives or more per day.

Irritability, temper outbursts, oppositional defiance, restlessness and difficulty falling asleep are the main behavioral effects of additives. But parents rarely realize that food chemicals can be associated with many other effects including arguing with siblings, making silly noises, speech delay, anxiety, depression or difficulty concentrating. Additive-free children are generally calmer, happier and more cooperative.

Rashes, headaches, bed wetting, stomach aches, sneaky poos, constipation or asthma can also be a problem. Parents of asthmatic children are usually unaware that sulphite preservatives (220-228) in foods such as dried fruits, sausages, cordials and some fruit drinks can irritate airways.

So what can we eat? Read ingredient labels. Choose preservative-free bread. Buy color-free yogurts, ice creams and lollies such as caramels and toffees. Choose plain rather than flavored chips, crackers and noodles. Encourage your children to drink water as their main drink.

Source: www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info

Pesticides harm kids’ ability to learn

2011-03-24T15:11:00.006-04:00

Sat, 2011-03-12 12:00

Pesticide Action Network

Kids and pesticides just don't mix, according to scientists. The body of evidence showing children's health harms from pesticide exposure continues to grow. Case in point: current research by Dr. Warren Porter, covered by the Bay View Compass reveals how pesticide exposure in the womb harms the ability to learn. According to the Compass article, girls may be especially vulnerable.

Porter found that:

... female mice whose mothers were exposed to the pesticide chlorpyrifos during pregnancy were slow learners. Male mice from the same mothers were unaffected, possibly because they have different levels of liver-detoxifying enzymes.

The article notes that 94% of the U.S. population has measurable pesticide break–down products in our urine from the family of pesticides to which chlorpyrifos belongs. Additional data is forthcoming, though the Compass reports that Porter is hesitant to offer public preview before publishing due to his experience with attacks from the pesticide industry.

Porter's work builds on other research that links pesticides with learning and developmental disorders, such as ADHD. “I really got into the issue of children’s pesticide exposure after reading an article in 1997 that looked at student disabilities in the Madison Metropolitan School District,” Porter explained in his 2004 article, "Do Pesticides Affect Learning and Behavior?" “The data showed that the number of children in Madison [who] were emotionally disturbed increased 87 percent, children with learning disabilities increased 70 percent, and children with birth defects increased 83 percent” from 1990 to 1995.

Porter's scientific assessment is blunt:

We’re dosing our kids with neurotoxins like chlorpyrifos, and then we wonder why they’re having trouble learning and concentrating. We wonder why we have to medicate them all the time.

The Compass article also highlighted research showing the power of personal food choices as a solution. A recent study of 23 elementary-school-age children in Seattle showed:

When parents in the study fed their children an organic diet...for as little as one week, the levels of chlorpyrifos metabolites in their urine dropped more than four-fold to undetectable levels. This study demonstrated that an organic diet provides a dramatic and immediate protection against exposures to organophosphate pesticides commonly used in agricultural production.
Article source: http://www.panna.org/blog/pesticides-harm-kids%E2%80%99-ability-learn

Children
Children | Pesticide Action Network
Article source: http://www.panna.org/your-health/children

When it comes to pesticides, children are among the most vulnerable. Pound for pound, they drink 2.5 times more water, eat 3-4 times more food, and breathe 2 times more air. They therefore absorb a higher concentration of pesticides than do adults.

Infants and children also face unique exposure because of how they interact with the world: they crawl on the ground, and put things in their mouths - including their hands. They also face exposure during critical windows in the womb and via breast milk.

Developing Brains & Bodies

Since they grow so fast, infants and young children are more susceptible to the effects of pesticide exposure than adults. Their developing brains and bodies are in the midst of complex and fragile developmental processes that regulate tissue growth and organ development - these developmental processes can be irreversibly derailed by pesticide exposure.
Drawings by preschoolers exposed to pesticides (Valley) compared to those by preschoolers not exposed (Foothills). See "Developmental Delay" below.

Research indicates that children exposed to pesticides either in utero, or during other critical periods face significant health risks including higher incidence of:

Birth defects
Childhood brain cancers
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)
Neurodevelopmental delays
Endocrine dysruption

Many of the worst pesticides, known as “persistent organic pollutants,” or POPs, contaminate our water and soil for years. They move on the wind and in streams, rivers and oceans and concentrate as they move up the food chain. So, while farmer and farmworker's children bear some of the highest risks, pesticides contaminate the environment and permeate the food chain such that even kids in city cafeterias face daily exposure.

Health Effects: the State of the Science

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder & dietary pesticide exposure :: A May 2010 study out of Harvard shows that even tiny, allowable amounts of a common pesticide class can have dramatic effects on brain chemistry. Organophosphate pesticides (OP’s) are among the most widely used pesticides in the U.S., they work by interfering with brain signaling in insects. OPs have long been understood to be particularly toxic for children, but this is the first study to examine their effects across a representative population with average levels of exposure.

Childhood Brain Cancer :: Brain cancer is the second most common type of cancer in children, and it has been on the rise, but why it develops remains unclear. This February 2009 study finds that children who live in homes where their parents use pesticides are twice as likely to develop brain cancer versus those that live in residences in which no pesticides are used.

Developmental Delay :: A study of Yaqui Indian children in Mexico sharing similar genetic and cultural backgrounds with one significant difference - those living in one area were regularly exposed to pesticides in an agricultural community. Researchers found that an array of impaired brain and nervous system functions, including social behaviors and the ability to draw, are correlated to pesticide exposure during development.

Acta Pediatrica, Vol. 98, Issue 4, 2009

Birth Defects :: This April 2009 study reports that birth defect rates in the United States are highest among women conceiving in the spring and summer, a time period correlated with increased levels of pesticides in surface water.

Autism Spectrum Disorder :: Researchers found a sixfold increase in risk factor for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) for children of women who were exposed to organocholorine pesticides, this study was one of the first to link in utero pesticide exposure to ASD.

Brain Development :: Many developmental effects are not measurable at birth, or even later in life, because brain and nervous system disturbances are expressed in terms of how an individual behaves and functions. Reviewing the literature on pesticide exposure at various points in neurological development, this article finds that current pesticide risk assessment strategies are ill-equipped to measure or protect against the many kinds of exposure faced by developing fetuses, infants and children.

Developmental Neuroxicity :: Results indicate that chlorpyrifos (CPF) affects serotonin—a neurotransmitter involved in brain development—in several ways during discrete critical gestational periods. These effects are likely to contribute to the noncholinergic component of CPF's developmental neurotoxicity.

Developmental Neurotoxicity :: Fetal and childhood exposures to widely used organophosphate pesticides, especially chlorpyrifos (CPF), have raised concerns about developmental neurotoxicity. This study finds a wide window of vulnerability of cholinergic systems to CPF, extending from prenatal through postnatal periods, occurring independently of adverse effects on general cellular neurotoxicity.

Developmental Effects Beyond Neurotoxicity: Immediate & Delayed-Onset Effects on Heart & Liver Function :: The fetal and neonatal neurotoxicity of chlorpyrifos (CPF) and related insecticides is a major concern. Developmental effects of CPF involve mechanisms over and above cholinesterase inhibition, notably events in cell signaling that are shared by nonneural targets. This study finds that the developmental toxicity of CPF extends beyond the nervous system, to include cell signaling cascades that are vital to heart and liver functioning.

Low Birth Weight :: Pregnant women in upper Manhattan who were heavily exposed to two common insecticides had smaller babies than their neighbors. Recent restrictions on the two substances quickly lowered exposure and increased babies' size.

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The Power of Human Emotions - The Language of Intent

2011-02-26T15:57:00.004-05:00

Emotional feelings toward learning, toward pursuit of understanding, toward knowledge of self, are to be considered in ourselves as learners. As parents, as educators, as mentors, as guides, our appreciation of emotion as a driving force, as a well spring within the conscious and subconscious mind, will facilitate a viable accord within ourselves and those we are destined to teach. There is an emergent science that has come to more fully embrace the process and the power of emotion driven energies. This presentation by Gregg Braden brings us closer to understanding the interrelationship of emotion and the body - mind connections. These are the very considerations taken into account, when implementing an individualized APOGEE Achiever ™ Program Plan.

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You Are Loved - Dedicated to Each of My Students - known be your APOGEE ...

2011-02-26T15:06:00.004-05:00

To all my students...

Best always,
Rose Marie Raccioppi

With autonomy, mastery and purpose,
creative, caring, conceptual thinkers
and doers are developed.

Russian DNA Discoveries - and the APOGEE Learning™ Paradigm

2011-02-23T16:31:00.008-05:00

* http://otherworldradio.ning.com/forum/topics/russian-dna-discoveries-mind

When reading and upon completion of these reported findings related to DNA discoveries, I found great relevance to both the development and the successful application of 'sound' modalities that define APOGEE Acu-Tone™. http://www.acu-tone.com See also: http://www.apogeelearning.com/acutone/sound.asp Since 1983, APOGEE Learning™ has offered supports to children and adults across the age span to more effectively manage every day stress and to develop orientations and strategies that bring about effective learning, mastery, and well being. I have taken excerpts from the article, "Russian DNA Discoveries," that are particularly related to my own findings and experience, and encourage all to avail themselves of the full text posted at the above provided link.

Excerpts:

"Fifty percent of children will become a problem as soon as they go to school, since the system lumps everyone together and demands adjustment. But the individuality of today's children is so strong that they refuse this adjustment and resist giving up their idiosyncrasies in the most diverse ways.

At the same time more and more clairvoyant children are born. Something in those children is striving more towards the group consciousness of the new kind, and it can no longer be suppressed." *

Since my early teaching days that date back to the 60's, I have recognized the 'different learner,' one inherently aware, sensitive to all aspects of the immediate environment, and deeply responsive to teachings and supports respectful of their learning styles, interests, motivations and their particular world view. These particular aspects of the 'different learner' are so very well expressed by this young man: Indigo Child's Views on How to Save the World - http://apogeelearning.blogspot.com/2011/02/indigo-childs-views-on-how-to-save.html

APOGEE Learning ~ A Whole Child Paradigm

•Learning styles honored and supported•
•Readiness experiences provided•
•Task analysis applied•
•Student interests as motivators•
•The Whole Brain approach to study and mastery•

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Pink Floyd The Wall - Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb

2011-02-21T15:03:00.003-05:00

"...this is not how I am...."

the call of many children...

and we are to heed the call...

this my defined purpose...

join the dialogue...

...our ignorance need not be their wall...

APOGEE Learning ~ A Whole Child Paradigm

•Learning styles honored and supported•
•Readiness experiences provided•
•Task analysis applied•
•Student interests as motivators•
•All learning needs supported•
•The Whole Brain approach to study and mastery•

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Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
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Indigo Child's Views on How to Save the World !!

2011-02-21T10:35:00.001-05:00

Patricia Kuhl: The linguistic genius of babies | Video on TED.com

2011-02-16T16:21:00.002-05:00

Patricia Kuhl: The linguistic genius of babies | Video on TED.com

"...celestial openness of the child's mind..."

Research that speaks to the human connection
of language development.

Rafael Casal - A.D.D. @ Brave New Voices - Spider Man - A Young Persona

2011-02-06T15:55:00.003-05:00

Words to engage our understanding. Words to spark our awareness. What be the price paid for the thwarting of creativity, the constraining of a young child's quest for exploration, discovery and creation? Hearken well to this young poet's resounding plea. Yes, a three year old, Spider Man, be his young persona. He holds yet to his soaring spirit, to the thrill of his own sensibilities, to the possibilities not yet known.

Rose Marie Raccioppi

APOGEE Learning ~ A Whole Child Paradigm

•Learning styles honored and supported•
•Readiness experiences provided•
•Task analysis applied•
•Student interests as motivators•
•The Whole Brain approach to study and mastery•

Inquiries Welcomed
Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
845-359-9056
toll free: 1-866-228-8663
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Race To Nowhere Trailer 1 and The APOGEE Achiever™

2011-01-29T20:08:00.017-05:00

http://www.racetonowhere.com/home

Race to Nowhere | Find a Screening
http://www.racetonowhere.com/screenings

These are the very stories that called for my attention, both as an educator and as a parent. The stresses, the confusion, the disappointment, along with the vision yet present, the aspiration yet held, the questions yet to be asked, led to the development of APOGEE Learning Enhancement Training Systems™ over twenty eight years ago. Hundreds of misunderstood children, teens and adults have been re-introduced to their inherent abilities to learn, to be productive, to be resolute and to enjoy newly defined goals and success.

The truth, the innocence, and the all-knowing spirit of life fills our first breath. Who and what answers our first cry? What happens in the moments of life that fill the years to follow? Do we become the sum total of who touches, who answers, who denies, who ignores, who accepts, who rejects, who encourages? What moves us out of the shadow of our own experience? How do we hold on to the promise and joy of our own experience? How do we befriend that knowing within? What is the power that breaks the grip of oppression? What is this power that declares in silence, in words, in deed? What's this power that knows only itself as its teacher?

Why do systems that purport to educate have increasing numbers of youth shutting the doors of school behind them? Why does society have increasing numbers of school age children leaving the very systems that are supposedly preparing them for the world of work, independence and productivity?

A birth of a child is filled with promise and joy. Each birth is another opportunity to allow life its meaningful expression. The child almost instantly seems magnetized to particular stimuli and experiences. Why is the child so drawn? Wherein lies his or her individual quest? Do we allow the child’s responses and in turn learn more of what life is when newly presented? Do we allow the child to experience joy of knowing self? Are we able to guide, nurture and encourage inquiry and exploration? Or do we impose and ultimately destroy what is open, curious, exploratory and creative? Why these questions? When one has been an educator for over fifty years these are the questions that challenge the credibility of your profession.

For soon to be three decades, children, teenagers, young adults, adults and parents of those who have been tagged failure, learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, attention deficit disordered, hyperactive, gifted under-achievers and “lazy”, have chose to avail themselves of services that provide a renewed opportunity to explore self, learning style, creativity, and those experiences that have encouraged or have dimmed the joy of learning.

What have these last three decades of service taught me? It has brought me closer to the pain of so many and closer to the joy experienced when freed from false beliefs, misconceptions of self and a sense of powerlessness. Those who tell their story tell of the judgments, criticism and pain they experience as students of failure. Yes, many “drop out” of school and “drop into” the health, social service, welfare and judicial systems. Failure and the thwarting of what is whole and natural is indeed the hallmark of disease and dysfunction, be it personal, social, economic or political. Understanding of what is supportive of individual difference is basic to the creative and harmonious use of human energy and motivation.

If we hope to creatively and harmoniously use human energy and motivation we must be supportive of individual differences and self-knowledge. If we are to be true to the precepts of a democratic system of governance, we cannot create systems that negate, demean or discriminate. A system that tags a first grader as a failure must be newly accountable. If a child does not readily acclimate itself to the world of filling in blanks, matching pictures, coloring in spaces, matching symbols to sounds is this child a failure? Or have we, the bearers of judgment and the creators of arbitrary standards, failed?

The relationship of the “Seven Rays of Natural Intelligence”©, Survival, Change, Transformation, Balance, Communication, Visualization, and Transcendence, to the requirements of reading, mathematics, social sciences, writing, language, creativity, science and the arts are explored. In this way the student is brought closer to understanding the integrative action of the mind-body energy system and its relationship to learning. The student experiences the communication between mind and body and comes to more fully appreciate the power of one’s inner resources. Practices to enhance readiness for the learning process and to reduce stress so often experienced by these students in their everyday lives include:

* Breath Awareness
* Use of the Neti Pot
* Nutritional Guidance
* Guided Relaxation
* Creative Visualization
* Centering
* Hatha Yoga
* Affirmations
* Imaging
* Clustering
* Music & Movement
* Art & Color
*Cognitive Kinesiology™
*APOGEE Acu-Tone™

These practices have significantly improved physical health, have enhanced mental and academic skills, have facilitated self-expression and promoted self-awareness. The immediate and long-range benefits to students have been documented by improved behavior, attention, motivation, attitude, achievement, and acceptance of self.

With clarity of purpose, and understanding of intent, the student increases his or her ability to direct his or her mind. The student emerges newly motivated, newly energized and newly appreciative of his or her own power and potential.

As each lesson proceeds, be it in reading, mathematics, social studies, writing, language, science, or the arts, particular attention is given to the relationship of the subject to an aspect of self. The intent is to see the Self in all, to know the self as a student of life, ever evolving, ever changing, ever present. The student who has experienced failure so often feels apart from his own very being. These practices allow the student the opportunity to realign self with self.

As the students become more aware of themselves, more respectful of the care they must give their own bodies, more aware of how – what they do, what they think, what they believe, what they fear, what and how they feel, influence their ability to learn, they no longer feel defenseless in the wake of stress nor do they continue to be the victim of stress. These students have come to more fully understand the significance of themselves, their feelings and their own inner resources as they witness the “A” replacing the “D”, the success replacing the failure, the acceptance replacing the rejection, the calm replacing the chaos.

With autonomy, mastery and purpose,
creative, caring, conceptual thinkers
and doers are developed.

'Race to Nowhere' Film Screening Brings Awareness and Questions
Nyack-Piermont, NY Patch

http://www.nyack.patch.com/articles/race-to-nowhere-film-screening-brings-awareness-and-questions-2#video-4847203

A deeper appreciation of what our students experience in their quest to fulfill expectations, define their goals, and come closer to understanding their purposes, was indeed gained via the viewing of, "Race to Nowhere." The impassioned commentary in response to the viewing certainly gives us reason to pause. I had the opportunity of speaking with Marie Giustino, who is pictured in this posted video. I was impressed with her desire for greater awareness of the issues and needs confronting present day students. Her faith in the changes that ultimately will benefit students was expressed with heartfelt enthusiasm. Stress management, understanding learning styles, study strategies, subject mastery, are significant considerations.

In my capacity as an educational consultant/therapist, what was portrayed is illustrative of the issues, concerns and needs brought to me consistently by parents and students themselves. I have initiated a blog to encourage greater awareness of present day issues (http://www.apogeelearning.blogspot.com) and most certainly welcome a dialogue. After 28 years of private practice, I have only to admire our youth and respect their visions. Let us take last night's discussion and bring it forward. Our children, our youth, our students deserve no less.

Last night's coverage by Patch of the viewing of 'Race to Nowhere' Film Screening (February 10, 2011) is most worthy of consideration by all parents, all educators, all students, all interested in the well being of students and families. I encourage every school district to provide a viewing. The issues presented are real and exist here in schools through out Rockland County. http://www.nyack.patch.com/articles/race-to-nowhere-film-screening-brings-awareness-and-questions-2#video-4847203

Cues to Self ~ Understanding the meaning....

2010-12-16T14:42:00.016-05:00

The mission of APOGEE Learning™ is to cultivate keen awareness, to develop and expand perception, to impassion responsibility and enhance the power to act.

APOGEE Learning™ provides a process that allows one to fully understand and appreciate the internal signaling of cause and effect. Through the application of APOGEE Cognitive Kinesiology™ one gains access to the deeper consciousness that underlies perception, impressions, beliefs, attitudes, and the particular responsiveness to new and past experiences.

The perspectives expressed in this post by Deepak Chopra MD, are in accord with the findings and the benefits put forth in the program offerings of APOGEE Learning™ and the APOGEE Achiever™ Program. By fully understanding the cues to self, a signal for action, one develops an empowered and knowing sense of being. This the mission of the APOGEE Achiever™ Program.

Are You Learning To Listen?
Deepak Chopra

"There are no accidents, despite what you believe. There is only cause and effect, and when the cause is far away in time, the effect returns after you have forgotten it. But be sure that everything that befalls you, good or bad, is the result of some action in the past.

These mishaps are like an echo. If I shouted yesterday and the echo waited until today to come back, I might have forgotten all about it. Then how am I learning to prevent theses delayed reactions, if I’ve already forgotten about them? By being more alert.

Actions return to us over and over from different directions. So many kinds of cause and effect are working all around us that one must be very alert to see them. Nothing is random in the universe. Your past actions are not returning to punish you but to catch your attention. They are like clues.

You are not who you think you are. You live in many layers of reality. One of these we shall call spirit. Imagine that you do not know yourself as spirit but that your spirit knows you. What would be more natural than it should call to you? The clues that fall out of the sky are messages from spirit, but you must be alert to catch them.

Spirit is difficult to heed. If you are getting better and better at avoiding disaster, you are learning to listen."

Adapted from The Way of the Wizard: Twenty Spiritual Lessons for Creating the Life You Want, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 1995).

Source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/are-you-learning-to-listen.html#ixzz18JA9FFQK

Image Credit: What's On your Mind, Celeste Katz, NY Daily News.

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APOGEE Learning ~ A Whole Child Paradigm

•Learning styles honored and supported•
•Readiness experiences provided•
•Task analysis applied•
•Student interests as motivators•
•The Whole Brain approach to study and mastery•

Inquiries Welcomed
Call for your FREE Introductory Consultation.
845-359-9056
toll free: 1-866-228-8663
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