Our Student of the Month for January is Logan Chesson!
Logan loves music and has over 8 playlists with more than 40 songs or more in each playlist. He also can sit and listen to an entire album, even if it has 28 songs. He loves to go to Barnes and Noble bookstore to read Manga books or just look at them, and he also likes to learn new dances on YouTube.
Logan captured our teachers’ attention this month by overcoming some of his personal struggles and meeting his educational challenges head-on. Once a very shy student who had trouble even acknowledging his teachers and classmates, Logan depended heavily on his personal RBT to help him navigate the classroom and interactions with other students. Logan had great difficulty advocating for himself with the teachers, and many wondered if he would ever break out of his shell. His much-loved RBT moved to Florida in December, and that was huge blow for Logan (especially) and all of us, as well. However, even though circumstances prevented the continuation of his ABA services in school following that loss, Logan persisted! He came to school regularly, despite a great deal of crippling anxiety that often made him want to just stay home. In absence of an RBT, what Logan managed to find in himself instead of a reason to hunker down was… well… his wings! Just like a beautiful butterfly, Logan began to come out of his cocoon and is now flying high! He started making efforts to reach out to others, and even won a special prize for encouraging his classmates during our Encouragement Initiative – a bracelet engraved with: “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” Today, we can honestly say that this sentiment perfectly describes Logan to all of us! He won our weekly coloring contest a few weeks back, even though Grandma reports he hasn’t colored in years! According to Grandma,
“Logan has grown so much since starting Dynamic Opportunities. His prior experience with school left him not trusting teachers, a dislike for PE, Art class, Music class and answering questions in class. Since he has been at Dynamic Opportunities his thoughts about teachers have changed and he loves going to school again. His confidence has grown as he answers questions in class, colors and draws pictures, which he hasn’t done since 6th grade. Logan enjoys PE, Art class, Cooking class, Pathfinders and Music class, plus his other classes. The best decision I made was sending Logan to Dynamic Opportunities.”
Logan now attempts to advocate for his needs in the classroom, and just the other day Ms. Zobel was bragging about how he spoke up for himself when they were talking about their upcoming play! Logan has taken some serious strides in his development over the past month, and we’re all so very proud of him. Way to go Logan – keep up the hard work! You’re destined for the stars!!!