Chela Crane is fundraising
Going the Distance to Meet Each Child's Individual Needs
100 Miles and a Lifetime of Possibilities
Going the distance to reach each student’s potential and meet each student’s individual needs.
Matthew Goldstein will be taking on the Vermont 100, a 100-mile race to raise hope, awareness, and funding for Otto Specht School (OSS). Matthew has a lofty goal to raise $100,000 ($1,000/mile) and complete the 100-mile race, on foot, in less than 24 hours! Every penny raised will go to the Otto Specht School's Scholarship Fund, allowing families to access the education their children need regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Otto Specht School is where Matthew’s son, 15-year Rafa, has attended for the past 2 years. It has been both life changing and life saving for Rafa and his entire family. There are many families struggling the way our family was, and we hope that through sharing our story, other families will find hope and a new path forward for their children.
Rafa has struggled with emotional regulation, anxiety, and ADHD since birth. It wasn’t until he was 13 years old that he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and two very treatable learning disabilities, dyslexia and dyscalculia, as well as expressive and receptive language delays.
Rafa was bounced from one school placement to the next by the school district, but each school blamed his behaviors and lack of attention for the fact that he could not read, write, spell, or do a math worksheet. The focus was predominantly on his behaviors as the cause of his learning challenges. No one in the schools was working to figure out the cause of his behaviors and how to support his learning. The schools were at a loss and the situation was becoming desperate. At the same time, anyone who met Rafa (outside of school) would always comment on his intelligence and high aptitude for things way above his age. We knew Rafa had challenges, but it was also clear that he was misunderstood and this misunderstanding was exacerbating the challenges. Finally, we were told he could not be taught in any of the public or private “day” schools on the NYS approved list. The school district suggested he be sent to a residential facility. They wanted our son sent away, to live in a locked facility, without his family, to be raised by those who don’t know him or love him. This made no sense to us and was completely infuriating, terrifying, and certainly out of the question. We were fortunate because we know our rights and know that as parents we have the right to reject an inappropriate placement for our child. This is the right of all parents, even though many are not made aware of this and many more feel ill equipped to exercise those rights.
Prior to enrollment at OSS, Rafa’s struggles with school were increasingly detrimental to his self-esteem, feelings of self-worth, and overall social emotional well-being. Traumatic school experiences, including seclusion, restraint, isolation, and the continual message that he just didn’t behave right, took a drastic toll on him. He developed Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES), a trauma response from all he endured at other schools. Prior to OSS, the word “school” or “teacher” could trigger the PNES and Rafa would zone out, temporarily losing the ability to communicate or function.
Rafa is not an innately “bad kid” as he was labeled. His behaviors were a stress response and a form of communication due to his expressive and receptive language delays. Rafa has a massive heart and tremendous compassion. Like most kids, he just wanted to be liked and he wanted to be understood.
It has been a long and emotionally draining road but for us, it finally led to something good! Otto Specht School has, we believe, literally saved our son’s life by providing an environment where Rafa can learn, feel safe, and thrive. The school was not afraid of his behaviors. They worked to understand what the behaviors were triggered by and what they were communicating.They saw that in difficult moments, Rafa didn’t have the words or self-awareness to articulate his uncomfortable feelings. OSS took the time to truly understand what was below the surface. They looked at his abilities and potential and took the time to understand what his individual needs were and then bridge those gaps. Unlike other schools, they do not take a cookie cutter approach. They look at each child as a unique individual with unique needs and work to create a highly individualized plan to meet those needs so the child can thrive and be their best self. Most importantly, they NEVER give up. If something doesn’t work, they try something else.
Rafa has thrived at OSS. He feels safe, loved, and super proud of his school. He wakes up every morning excited for the day. He has learned to read and write without feeling shame. He has learned history and science as well as practical functional knowledge. This isn’t to say there aren’t bumps, because there are plenty, but he is on an upward trajectory. We fully trust the staff and teachers at OSS and couldn’t be more grateful. To see your child happy and successful in school after such a rough start, is one of the greatest joys.
Our educational system is broken and needs to do so much better. There are so many students like our son, that with the right opportunities and understanding, can thrive too!
The Otto Specht School provides Waldorf Education and hands-on learning opportunities for students who do not thrive in traditional schools. With an emphasis on the healing nature of movement and the great outdoors, learning is not confined to the four walls of a classroom - the world is our classroom.
The Otto Specht School is a project of the Threefold Educational Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization. As such, all donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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