How Solebury's LS Program Made a Difference

By Quinn Waters '01

Few experiences have changed my life and perspective more than being diagnosed with A.D.D. After going to see a psychiatrist in seventh grade and having Ritalin and Zoloft prescribed to me (at different times), I realized a few things about myself, my family, and American society.

The first option that I was offered was Ritalin. A prescription was given to me one minute after my psychological evaluation, and the bottle was in my household within the hour. So, like a good lad, I took it before I did my homework and other school-related activities. After a while it wasn't doing anything for me, so I was prescribed the antidepressant Zoloft, a drug purported to have the same A.D.D. taming effects as Ritalin. Shortly after, though, it was back to the prescription pad for another answer to my personality problem.

When more drugs were being discussed as a solution, my psychologist and I veered away from drug treatment and began looking into different learning styles. That is when I realized it: I do not need to take medication to learn, I can do that just fine. It is just a matter of staying interested in the material and having it presented in a way that I can understand.

My parents looked kindly on the idea of my not having to take stimulants in order to go to school. Of course the problem arose of how I was to get my grades up if the well established A.D.D. treatments were not for me. It was decided that staying in public school was not for me, and that decision leaves me forever in my parent's debt.

Everything about school for me has changed. Where the clock used to drag on, dripping endless eternities before the next second would pass, now classes are full of lively discussion and the end almost too soon.

After trudging through my eighth-grade year at Neshaminy Middle School, with minimal success, Neshaminy High School was not even an option. My parental units made the necessary monetary sacrifices to send me to Solebury School for my freshman year. I could never in an infinite amount of time say how much this decision changed my life.

A year of the Learning Skills program at Solebury really goes a long way. The program substitutes the English requirement for the year with a daily class of one student and one teacher in a classroom. To my surprise, the preliminary testing revealed that I was reading on a 12th grade, 7th month reading level. My freshman textbook for this program was "10 Steps Toward Better College Reading."

I was shown better study and organizational habits to help me along in the other classes that I was taking. We worked on reading and comprehension most of the time, but whenever I needed help in any other classes work, I could get it from my teacher. This is not to mention that my teacher, Tom Rondeau, although quite the definition of the workaholic-geek, is the nicest and most patient man I have ever met. Having this kind of support and encouragement once a day was very reassuring when I was on top of my work, but let me tell you; being alone with Tom in a small room without having done my homework is a fairly uncomfortable situation.

Mr. Tom Rondeau is still my advisor, and although he used to have to keep on me all of the time to get things in, in the past two years I have assumed far greater responsibility for my work. He knows that I can take care of my business and the only things I hear from him are "I talked to your teachers, and you are doing great. Nice job."

My attitude changed from wasting time in the bathroom during class to get away from a boring lecture, to being eager to get to my history class so we could discuss the ideals of Mao-brand Communism. Everything about school for me has changed. Where the clock used to drag on, dripping endless eternities before the next second would pass, now classes are full of lively discussion and the end almost too soon.

Keeping "on task" is still a struggle, and probably will remain so for the rest of my life, but the joy of succeeding sure beats the misery and frustration I had experienced in middle school. I still have a way to go until my grades accurately reflect my potential and I hope to continue progressing through college