Bridge Academy – Thank You!

Dear Friends at The Joshua Harr Shane Foundation:

Thank you for making it possible for me to go to the Bridge Academy. Now that I’m at the Bridge Academy everything is so much better for me.

Before I went to the Bridge Academy I didn’t have (many) friends but now I have a lot more. I get invited to kids’ houses and go to the movies with them too. We have a lot in common and I don’t worry about getting bullied.
In the other school the teachers talked too fast and I couldn’t understand what they were teaching. I wasn’t able to learn that much. My parents had to hire a tutor and I did a lot of my school work with the tutor.  On the days when the tutor didn’t come I had a hard time with doing my homework and it took up the whole weekend. Now I don’t need a tutor anymore and I can do my homework on my own.

In one way it’s a little bit harder now. My teachers used to let me just sit there and not participate (I didn’t mind that much). But my classes are so small now that they know if I don’t participate. Even in gym I have to participate. I went for 7 years and participated so little that when I finally got up to bat, I ran to 3rd base. They used to have a rule in the public school that when running laps “you can’t pass anyone except Max.” At Bridge, they cheer for me and told me I could do it.

I used to come home a lot of days crying and mom would have to call the principal or go down to the school. But now if I have a problem I can go talk to the teachers or the principal myself. I have opportunities there that I never had at the public school like getting a speaking role in the play (even though it was 3 lines), getting to play saxophone in the play and gala, and being VP of social house #4.

I am finally learning because I can read age-appropriate books and am not afraid to show my friends the books I’m reading. I start 9th grade next year and I am taking Algebra 1 and Biology. I worked hard to catch up so I could be on track for 9th grade. They are helping me be ready to go to college. I’ll never forget your help and changing everything for me.

Love,
Max