Rocky 2019-09-09T00:34:56+00:00

ROCKY

Let us tell you about our first Candlestick Foundation recipient – superstar Rocky (this name suits this little man well). He is a rock star and a fighter – FULL of spirit – but he has been diagnosed with ADHD, Aspergers and high-functioning Autism. His family made every effort to keep him in a traditional classroom but these conditions cause him trouble staying focused and he has trouble making friends.

He went to both private and public school but he spent most of his time in the principal’s office due to the diagnosed conditions. Although he attended school daily, he continued to fall further behind and became completely discouraged. He is bright and capable but he has gaps in his learning. There is a joy and love of life in him that leaves an impression on everyone he meets. With adults and young children, Rocky is bright, competent and engaging. He has a high speaking vocabulary and is curious about the world around him. Rocky wants to invent things but he knows that he needs to learn self-control and practice not being distracting

Rocky will soon be 11 yrs old and currently functions at an overall average of a 3rd grade level in all subjects. Based on his gaps in learning, he reads and spells many words at the first-grade level and is behind in basic math skills and has signs of dysgraphia (not being able to write legibly). See the writing sample (above or below). He is now approaching 2 years behind in traditional school.

Before: June 2017. Legibility and spelling problems.

After: August 2017. Spelling and handwriting is improving by using nonsense words to learn to spell from sounds.

Regardless of his amazing energy, he struggles with negative thoughts and has an overall high expectation for himself. His frustration level and anger encompass him when he feels that he can do better. His family approached Tutoring for Excellence to see if they might be able to home school Rocky and help him. We agreed to see what kind of progress could be made over the summer. He would first need to be receptive to working with a tutor and accept an intervention program. We have now spent several weeks with him and have confirmed that he is capable of not only catching up but that he can excel given the necessary tools to fill in his gaps and to teach him how to deal in the daily world.

Rocky needs a great deal of emotional support plus filling in the basic education gaps. He needs a one-on-one intervention to help change some bad habits in his attitude and communication. He has been his own worst enemy without realizing it. When a situation arises, he jumps to conclusions without waiting for the final instructions or information. He then develops anger and can have limited patience with himself and others, so we are teaching him how to “press pause” and think about how to calmly ask what he needs and learn to comply without being defiant. We are so grateful that he is receptive to working with Tutoring for Excellence and our team and accepts the intervention strategy we are developing. We are teaching him new ways to think about his challenges and how to talk to “himself” (this will help keep him from having a bad day, etc.) and others.

FROM ROCKY’S MOM

“Rocky started in private school at the top of his class excelling in all grade level areas and then he started falling behind – he went to public school and then to a specialized school. He was not receiving the emotional support in school that he needed – always getting in trouble and it seemed that everything he was doing was wrong. When he first started school, he was excited to learn. I noticed the fire in Rocky and slowly it started dissipating and went away. Then we started home school and now are getting homeschool from Tutoring for Excellence. The excitement is starting to come back now with the 4 steps that we have planned.”

She will help him create special gardens. Gardening has a positive affect on children like Rocky.

Rocky hopes to work with Wendy Battaglia, a horticultural therapist. This therapy reduces anxiety and helps him manage his emotions.

FROM ROCKY’S GRANDMOTHER

“You are doing wonders for Rocky… We really see it’s making a difference. I can see he is starting to take time to calm down before he reacts. While I was with him, he took time to think about what he wanted to say and asked nicely instead of getting angry.  I said, ‘Rocky, is that you?’”

Rocky in the chair delightedly pretending he’s ready for his makeup.

Posing with one of the stars for the pilot show.

From Miss Meg (teacher)

I want to share a brief story. During our initial intervention, I received an e-mail from a friend who was looking for people to be audience members for a TV Pilot show he is putting together for consideration at the Food Network. It crossed my mind that this would be a great opportunity for Rocky because it combines his love of cooking and acting at the same time!  The next day during our first break, he asked me, “Miss Meg, can I show you something on the computer?!” He was very excited. He took me to none other than THE FOOD NETWORK to show me how to make watermelon pops!!! He wanted us to make them together. I nearly “flipped out of my chair” because I hadn’t shared our opportunity with him yet. I quickly realized that I could use the field trip as one of our incentives for the next two days to motivate him during instruction, so I said something like, “Rocky, are you ready for this?   You’re gonna’ go crazy…. We have been invited to a screening of a TV pilot show for the Food Network!  – but it happens in 2 days! Would you like to know how you can earn it?”  He was ecstatic and you can bet he earned it. He had one of his best days yet that day and the next.

Intervention Strategies

His developmental disorders render him unable to fully understand social cues and, therefore, he struggles with interpersonal communication. We are looking at various intervention therapies to help him reduce anxiety and manage his emotions.

Gardening has a positive effect on children like Rocky.

Horticultural therapy reduces anxiety and will help Rocky manage his emotions. He hopes to work with Wendy Battaglia, a horticultural therapist, who will help him create his own special gardens.  We have never seen a child get so excited about learning to cook and garden. He wants to cook vegetables he grows himself and make dishes for his family. Rocky tears up when he talks about how much he loves it when people cook with him.

It is having these kinds of experiences that, we believe, will pull him up from his “valley”. We feel that all these intervention therapies as well as a strong intervention in his education will help him to achieve his full potential. Finally, the great news is that after 2 months of intervention, his handwriting is improving, he is making progress on his behavior – it takes time – and we do believe that with all aspects of our program in full operation, Rocky can turn a corner on his education and self-esteem. We put together a strategy that includes academic, behavior, and socialization goals and is divided into phases.

His intervention includes:

  • Academic Phases
    • Goals with timelines that will bring him up to grade level.
  • Behavior Management Plan
    • Goal is to enable him to have more self-control over his anger and develop better interpersonal skills
  • Socialization Plan
    • Goal is to bring peers gradually into a controlled environment where we can coach him and build interpersonal skills
  • Empowerment
    • Plan to give him abundant experiences developing his talents
  • Incentives
    • We have set up a “store” for Rocky. He can purchase things or gain privileges through stickers earned from achievement and reaching goals. He is extremely motivated by his personal store. Right now, he is earning his “World Tech Warrior” nerf gun.

His parents are emotionally prepared to keep Rocky in home school for the remainder of his education, if necessary. We all agree, however, that in Rocky’s case it is better for him if he can re-integrate himself back into a traditional setting as soon as possible. His love for life and his desire for interaction would be a better overall solution than a total home school experience.

As we all know, puberty changes us. So now, part of the urgency we face is time. We believe that we have a small window of time – the years before the teen years hit – to put Rocky on a positive foundation and a good self esteem. Once puberty hits, then progress will be more difficult. In puberty, Rocky will probably be more resistant to change and authority. Today, we want to do everything possible to “catch him” while we can.

This is where you come in. To give this all we’ve got, we need help funding instructors. There would be two instructors working with him from Tutoring for Excellence plus an independent contractor and, hopefully, a mentor. His family can provide some of the financial support he needs, but we need to raise the rest. We thought that a good way to raise support was to invite people to “adopt” him with us.

The Candlestick Foundation is founded on Christian values so first and foremost, we invite people to join our prayer circle for Rocky.  Please consider adding Rocky to your daily prayers and mention him in your time alone with God. We are setting up a special area at this website for those of you who will join us so you can track his progress week-by-week and month-by-month. We would love for you to stay connected and offer not only your prayer support but your encouragement to him. We welcome everyone to join us on our journey. We will let you know what we are doing and what areas he is struggling with most, so that you will know how to pray. We have already seen progress. Now we cannot wait to see the progress he will make with a solid “army” of love and prayer warrior support behind him.

Lastly, we are looking for financial support in our effort to help Rocky. We are asking for individuals to support him with a maximum of $15/mo. from each supporter for 11 months for this academic year. We feel that $15.00 per month is an achievable goal that many could meet without having a burden on anyone. If after prayerful consideration, you feel that the 11-month option is not the way God is leading you and you would still like to make a single contribution of any amount, we would gladly accept it. As a “thank you” for supporting us, we are putting together a Talent Show next spring and would love for you to join us. As the details are finalized, we will put the information on the website.

Learn more about our support strategies at Tutoring for Excellence.com

Rocky’s 4 Phase Challenge

  • Phase 1: Ready to Learn – We must get some basic skills in place before we begin remediating. Reading – spelling and phonics Math – multiplication tables Focus – being able to focus for 50 min. without getting distracted Writing – improve handwriting
  • Phase 2: Remediating 4th grade – increasing his skills to at least the 50 – 70% range for all subjects before November 2017. We will give an assessment to monitor his progress and see if he is on track to go to Phase 3.
  • Phase 3: Complete 4th grade remediation by Christmas 2017.
  • Phase 4: Start and complete 5th grade – January through July, 2018.

Success and Social Confidence

  • Horticultural therapy: We want to partner with Wendy Battaglia to give him gardening experience. He wants to grow flowers and vegetables for his family. Wendy believes in the power of cultivating plants to heal and teach us important life skills.
  • Scouting: We want to begin scouting so that he can earn badges – starting with the gardening badge. This gives him constructive hands-on learning opportunities and the opportunity to integrate socially in a supportive environment.
  • Reading Circle: Since Rocky is so animated and theatrical and reading comprehension is one of his strongest attributes, we are encouraging him to start a reading circle for young children.