We have been working in Tucsa for four years. Filomena started attending our project three years ago, although she was still in pre-school, and she has always made her presence felt. All of our teachers remember Filomena because she is the student who will not sit down; who cannot stay on task; who, now that I mention it, never even listens to hear what the task is; but she is somehow funny about all of it so it is hard to get mad at her.
Over this year, and especially in during my last visit, however, I noticed an enormous change in Filomena. Our structured-yet-dynamic project-based learning curriculum is fun and active enough to keep Filomena engaged, but academic enough to keep her challenged. And she is responding! During the four hours I was in Tucsa, Filomena was participating in every activity in a positive and constructive way! Success!
It is no secret that many intelligent students struggle in school because their style of learning, what we call their learning profile, does not fit the sit-down and memorize style of teaching so often encountered in the classroom. Filomena is a great example that when information is presented in a more flexible, dynamic, and challenging environment, all students can tap into the strengths of their learning profile and excel.
Filomena is in pink.