Great Minds Don’t All Think Alike

Michelle Leiter, Director, Student Success Centre
Our school community gathered on February 26 for an incredibly insightful evening with Dr. Blanca Heredia, a registered psychologist whose expertise provided a grounded, empathetic perspective on how our students think and learn. This event was part of our ongoing Parent/Guardian Series. 

The core message of the night was clear: There is natural variation in how brains think and learn. Just as we celebrate biodiversity in nature, we value neurodiversity in our classrooms. Neurodiverse students are in every school. At Greenwood, you are valued for your differences. We empower our students to understand their minds by helping them develop a personalized toolkit for learning. All our students feel safe to say" this is how I learn best" and know they will be heard.

Myths, Facts, and the Neurodiversity Umbrella

Dr. Heredia guided us through the "myths and facts" of neurodiversity, explaining the various profiles that fall under this umbrella, including ADHD, Dyslexia, Autism and other learning differences.

One of the most important messages of the evening was that neurodiversity is not about a lack of ability. Instead, we are talking about students who are fully capable of meeting the high expectations of our school, but who might take a different path to get there.

High Expectations, Tailored Support

A common question in education is whether providing accommodations is "fair" to other students. We specifically appreciated Dr. Heredia’s profound response: "It would be unfair not to."

The conversation centred around these ideas:
  • Support improves outcomes without lowering standards: Accommodations like extra time or speech-to-text tools aren't "shortcuts"; they are the ramps that allow a student to reach the same high-level destination as their peers.
  • Levelling the Playing Field: Providing a student with the specific tools they need ensures that we are testing their knowledge and intelligence, not their disability.

Continuing the Conversation

Understanding that our differences make us stronger is a journey, not a destination. If the session sparked new questions about your child's learning profile or how we implement these supports in the classroom, please reach out to the Student Success Centre.
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Greenwood College School

443 Mount Pleasant Road
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We acknowledge with gratitude the Ancestral lands upon which our main campus is situated. These lands are the Ancestral territories of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Anishinabek and the Wendake. The shared responsibility of this land is honoured in the Dish with One Spoon Treaty and we strive to care for the land, the waters, and all creatures in the spirit of peace. We are responsible for respecting and supporting the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. When away from this campus we vow to be respectful to the land by protecting and honouring it. We will create relationships with the people and the land we may visit by understanding the territories we enter and the nations who inhabit them.
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