A human resources professional by day, Steve has a high regard for the value of what DI teaches children: Teamwork, problem solving, communication, budgeting, resource utilization, etc., and reinforces the true philosophy of DI – that these experiences are appropriate and even essential for every child, not just those who qualify for talented and gifted programs. Steve shares this story about Joe, a fifth grader in Michigan:
Joe was born with a speech disability and did not speak until he was three years old. He has been in speech therapy to this day. Joe was very quiet, almost introverted growing up. He had a hard time making friends and wasn't easily accepted by other children. Academics were a struggle for Joe. When he was in second grade Joe had to do a project on his own and his teacher was quite pleased with his accomplishment because she had not seen that side of him before. Being a very supportive teacher, she tried to find an outlet that could help Joe experience some success outside of the classroom and help him interact better with other children. She suggested that he try getting on a DI team the next year.
Neither Joe nor his Mom knew what DI was or how it could possibly benefit Joe. In the meantime the teacher also approached a Team Manager who was forming a new team that had decided to do the structure challenge and was still looking for another member. The TM was happy to have Joe join and he did so the following year when he began third grade. The team meetings were a totally new experience for Joe. He was soon overwhelmed because he was not used to working in a team environment, having to give input and work to specific goals. For the most part he stood quietly in the background at meetings and offered little input. The other team members, a pretty supportive group, found small projects for him to do to help with their Central Challenge solution. In Instant Challenge, Joe was even more perplexed because of the condensed time demands and flurry of activity needed to complete an IC. However, the team wanted Joe to feel a part of what they accomplished so they asked him to be their official timekeeper when they did IC. That year the team went to the State Tournament. Joe was their IC timekeeper. More importantly, Joe now had the "DI bug".
Fourth grade was particularly difficult for the Joe academically. His Mom and his teacher, both concerned over Joe's classroom performance, spoke with him and said that if he didn't improve he might have to give up DI that year. Mom knew how desperately Joe wanted to be a part of his DI team but was not going to allow him to not apply himself in the classroom. Joe did show improvement and was allowed to stay on his DI team. Horizon Team Silver excelled that year, represented Michigan at Global Finals and went on to take 2nd Place at Globals in structure. Joe was quite proud to be part of the team's success and to once again serve as the team's official IC timekeeper. The fact that his wonderful Mom and equally wonderful teacher from second grade (who had recommended he join a DI team) were present was icing on the cake.
Horizon Team Silver was fortunate enough to once again make it to Globals representing Michigan. But Joe had changed. He was no longer satisfied with his role as timekeeper when the team was going to do IC. He informed his team that "I want to help solve the IC" this year. When the team went into the IC room at Globals and were presented with their challenge they began to discuss possible solutions. Joe joined in the discussion. The solution they eventually chose to use was Joe's. Horizon Team Silver took another 2nd Place at Globals this past year and as we later learned, they did extremely well in Instant Challenge. Call it irony, call it fate, call it luck...in DI it's called teamwork.
To quote Mom, "DI has changed my son's life. He feels so much better about himself and is so proud that the team used his IC solution. I can't thank the teacher who suggested DI enough or the Team Managers who welcomed him to the team". To quote Joe, "Well, I never used to talk before and now I'm not afraid to. I've made friends through DI and love being part of the team."
