From the Director

From the director.mp3

Hello, and thank you for spending time learning about our exceptional school! For over twenty years, Ann Arbor Academy has built on the strengths of its students, while recognizing and meeting their educational and social-emotional needs.

When I started as a teacher at Ann Arbor Academy, in the fall of 2000, we had already established a strong vision and mission, anchored by the truth that all students want to learn. We recognized that most educational institutions weren't doing a good job of helping students with learning differences and disabilities access their potential, and so the school was set up to be different from the outset. Small class sizes, the opportunity to explore the arts, and an understanding that if students don't learn the way we teach, we need to teach in a way that they can learn combine to create a profoundly supportive atmosphere and an exceptional school experience.

I have had the pleasure of being a teacher, the school director, and most importantly a parent here at Ann Arbor Academy. I can tell you first hand that students that are struggling, or who just haven't been able to access their best learning or social potential, often find what they need at Ann Arbor Academy. We are thoughtful about how we approach learning, and look for ways in which students can build on their strengths in order to reach their goals. Our teachers are trained in instructional and assessment strategies that are specific and effective for students with learning differences and disabilities. It's a thriving, growing community of learners, and it's a wonderful place to work and learn in.

Our founders' vision of a place that understands the needs of students, that presumes competence, and that teaches them how to live in the world according to their highest potential is alive and well today at Ann Arbor Academy. Through multi-sensory learning, travel, the arts, and specific targeted interventions, students learn how to learn, and learn to be their own best selves in the process. They learn to advocate for themselves and others, and to be a part of their journey is a tremendous privilege. We hope that Ann Arbor Academy will be the right fit for your child, and encourage you to get to know us better.

As the great Lena Waithe once said, "The things that make us different - those are our superpowers." We are here to help students learn what their superpower is and to grow into their potential as learners and as citizens of a world in which advocacy for disability rights, equality, and inclusion is an essential part of the success of all.

Meredith Schindler, MS