ORIGINAL MINDS DRAWS LARGE CROWD

In the Dean's Office at Orinda Academy hangs a button that simply states, "All Children Learn Differently!"

On Friday, February 4, 2011 approximately 330 people seated in the Mormon Temple auditorium would likely have agreed with this sentiment.  The event, a benefit showing of Tom Weidlinger's documentary Original Minds, presented a topic that resonates with a growing percentage of bay area parents and students.  Learning differently is a fact of life for many young people and Tom's film provided the audience with a glimpse into the daily lives of some of these learners.  An informative panel discussion followed the film with many insightful questions and comments from the audienc.  The made for PBS film will be aired nationwide this spring.

ABOUT The Film

Five teenagers stigmatized by being in Special Ed. struggle to articulate how their brains work and discover that they are smarter than they thought. In a one-size-fits-all educational system, kids with learning disabilities suffer from lack of self-esteem. They become alienated and drop out. But the protagonists of ORIGINAL MINDS buck the trend. They work intensively with the filmmaker to tell their own stories. Their narratives reveal the unique approach to learning that each must discern and claim as his or her own if they are to succeed in the world. The film eschews the confusing thicket of clinical labels for learning disorders to touch on fundamental truths about how we all acquire and process information.

Panel Discussion

Following the film there will be a panel discussion moderated by Roger Wise, Dean of Orinda Academy. Panel includes:

Tom Weidlinger - Independent filmmaker who has been writing, directing and producing documentary films for 30 years. Twenty-one of his films have received national broadcast on public television. www.moiraproductions.com

Rona Renner, RN - Founder of Interactive Parenting Media, temperament counselor, parent educator, mother of four, successful adult with ADHD/LD, and Childhood Matters Radio show Host. www.childhoodmatters.org

David Heckenlively MS, MFT - Founder and CEO of Integrated Teen Services: Solutions and support for at-risk adolescents and their families through social, emotional, therapeutic and educational programs that exist across the country. www.integratedteen.com

Beth Samuelson - Founder and Director of Student Organizational Services (SOS) which provides academic coaching, customized study techniques and strategies to meet the needs of a range of students including those with LDs, Asperger's, ADHD as well as students with organizational and time management challenges. www.sos4students.com

Paul Osborne, Ed.M - Learning disabled and special needs math, science and test prep tutor. Developed The Logical Learning System and Math as a Second Language while at Harvard Graduate School of Education. www.pauithetutor.com

I graduated in 2001 and have since completed my master's degree at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.