Brainworks® - She Held My Skateboard Hostage!!
Success Stories
She Held My Skateboard Hostage!!
(This excerpt is from John Elder's application to enroll in Texas Christian University)
- Discuss a significant person, experience or achievement that has meaning for you.
The most significant person in my life is Carla Crutsinger, Director of Brainworks. If it were not for her, I would not be where I am today. She has helped me discover who I really am. She knew when I was not trying my hardest, and she pushed me to where I should be. She identified a learning difference when the public school missed it. She tested me and discovered I have dyslexia, ADHD, and a very high I.Q. I went through several medications before finding the one that worked best for me. She recognized smaller classes at school would give me a better learning experience. Even though I strongly disliked her sometimes, like when she held my skateboard hostage for three weeks, I know she just wanted me to be the best.
During my freshman year, I was distracted by everything in high school. I really did not care about the academics of school. My mother knew I was smarter than an A, B and C student. She showed me how important an education was to me. If she had not done that, I probably would not have a chance of admittance to a good university. The public school was making it nearly impossible for me to get educational testing. Mrs. Crutsinger suggested I see the leading expert on ADHD, Dr. Daniel Amen, where I was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. Had I not been tested, I would still be stuck at a plateau in my education. Even though I tried many medications for my ADHD, none of them seemed to work. Dr. Amen performed a SPECT brain scan on me. The brain scan indicated my subtype of ADHD. Dr. Amen could then say exactly what medication would work best for me. After that, there was a big improvement in my attitude and schoolwork. After everything settled, Mrs. Crutsinger did one more thing to help me and that was recommending a smaller school like Faith Christian Academy. At first I was not too fond of the school, but I realized it was better for me. I began to realize that a smaller class size would improve my learning experience. I now have a GPA of 3.89 while participating in three varsity sports!
Even though I disliked Mrs. Crutsinger at times, everything she did for me was for my betterment. If it were not for her, I do not know where I would be today. I am glad that my mother enrolled me at Brainworks where my reading improved during the Brainworks Summer Camp before my freshman year by three grade levels. My math score improved enough to allow me to register for honors algebra and geometry. Overall, Mrs. Crutsinger has been the most influential person in my life.