Coach Bill / Dad, Entrepreneur Special Educator, American Political Scientist, Writer, Musician.

I t is not the responsibility of empty vessels to create the motivation to learn, but rather, the prerogative to teach, the very responsibility of it, must be entrusted to the teacher. It can be so, that according to a child’s social-economic status, an affluent upbringing can be infused with a ‘comfort space’ of human development not generally experienced in the life of the child who hails from a low-income community.  This juxtaposition in the human development and daily experiences of the affluent child and the child who lives at or near the poverty line bring a different array of positive and negative forces which impact their general well-being. As these two general sets of children age, the difference becomes more contrasted and is clearly evident at the time both reach middle school years. One need only look at children who receive private schooling as opposed to those who receive public school education in low-income neighborhoods. A child who attends private scho...

When working with individuals on the autism spectrum, with Downs Syndrome, Intellectual Disabilities or other special needs, being mindful of balancing desired goals with keeping the experience positive opens up a new skill-set level of teaching.  If the student can count on an instructional approach that is effectively motivating in a consistent manner, based on trust, and respect, then afterward, the student reflects on the learning experience and is inclined to continue performing at an increased rate of participation. Case in point, about eight to ten years ago I coached a witty, strong-willed and passionate basketball student athlete with Down Syndrome over at the Greenwich, Connecticut YMCA. Truly, His #BrothersKeeper. His attitude always conveyed a ‘ready-for-action’ impression on me and he soon took on leadership positions as an assistant basketball coach for the rest of the class. #BrothersKeeper would go to each student and help them with stretches, focus...

Lesson Number 1 The beginning of the successful instructional approach begins by putting aside formalities and being human. The teacher humbly understands that teaching and learning is a journey where both teach and both learn from the process. Instruction is given while the ability to listen to the student’s verbal and non-verbal communication is taught by the learner to the teacher. It is then a matter of perspective, a metacognitive outlook (thinking about out thinking and how we approach the world with our thought process) that outlines the further success and progression of the teaching and learning experience. Clear understanding of this principle is paramount to facilitate surpassing potential for instructor and instructed. Again, the beginning of the successful instructional approach begins by dropping pretenses and simply being genuine. This is the secret to my success and the success of my students. The awareness of the impact of verbal and non-verbal commu...

Rushing into action, you fail. Trying to grasp things, you lose them. Forcing a project to completion, you ruin what was almost ripe. -Lao Tzu My central aim with integrating dancing as a therapeutic modality when coaching individuals on the autism spectrum is that it is versatile, practical, as long as a song only, stays novel, is engaging and fun. Introducing dancing as a accelerator of the brain's development greatly aids a child on the autism spectrum who's brain is in healing and recovery mode from damages received from the preservatives found in vaccines, like heavy metals, (which common sense tells us it have no place in developing brains).  At any rate, in order to help speed up the rewiring process, parents and educators are asked to consider making dance more a part of every day life. Dancing is a practical activity that a parent can use to develop cognitive and physical  growth in their child quite effortlessly and also as a way to ground themselves befo...

As a performance-based Special Educator and Executive Function Skills Coach it is imperative to have a healthy understanding of the best instructional practices, methods and strategies in relation to the students one coaches. Consequently, identifying and implementing practical, novel approaches that can be easily incorporated by students and their support system is a must. Not only that, being able to convey these in an understandable effective and efficient manner so that they are carried out successfully in the coaches absence is a priority. In light of these points of frame, the search, experimentation, practice and polishing off of contextual activities buttressing the development of cranial connectivity between right and left hemispheres and the prefrontal cortex where our executive function skill abilities fire off is paramount to my work. To this end, the use of the below activities create a ‘back-door approach’ to distill the strenuous development of our cognitive sk...

Today is Monday, November 2, 2015. Am I concerned like others about the health of the charter school education culture at ‘Failure Academy’ in Fort Greene, Brooklyn?… I mean ‘Success Academy’ as they call themselves? Let me begin by venturing forward that the onus is on the educators, on the education culture and the system that stems from it to adapt and morph to the students, rather than the students to it. It is the mark of a true clinical educator to humble themselves to the ground, if it must be, in order to support the complete growth of the student. Not the students to the education system. This is how the best of us do it. This is empathy with all pistons firing. This is what it means to be ….#HotterThanFireforOthers. Yet, it appears that high-mindedness and apathy rule the day in the overly-principled halls of madness existent in the minds of the administration of these Brooklyn charter schools. This foundational truth is lost on people such as: CEO of t...

Mashing up Henry Ford’s assembly line,  Dr. Temple Grandin’s low-stress, max process ingenuity,  and cutting-edge music by groundbreaking artists…  @Vaskimmusic @flightfac @touchsensitive  @henrykrinkle_ @mansionair @imdurante  @cyrilhahn @flumemusic @chet_faker   @londongrammar  @shyboy Falling in mid-air Blindfolded feeling way through Tinkering, eliminating, stripping, fitting, callibrating Passion-driven teaching  slicing atmosphere Entrepreneurial teaching  heart and soul smidgen behind for my sanity Jet propulsion on-line now Phase one wiring complete Ground rapidly approaching Falling mid-air the engineer on the engine hammering, tightening, loosening passion enters knowledge makes room experience keeps itself quiet passion moves  hearts beat in sync Ground..rapidly approaching Igniting thrusters in the last moments before impact salty dried te...

“Run 1 mile?” He can’t do that! He can walk a mile.” “My son is on the Autism spectrum. He can’t even tie his shoelace on his own.  Sports like sailing, surfing, and skiing are just not feasible.” “Biking?, she is four years old. Maybe when she is older.” As a father, and as an Educator, I come across reactions like this all the time. They are normal reactions by parents, teachers, and caregivers. I don’t blame them, (because that is not helpful). Yet, I do carve out my advantage by bringing in a strikingly different approach. Using evidence-based methods of instruction, I add positive energy, hope, fun, and challenge. By creating momentum, I seek to engage my students. Through experience, I aim to instill in them the notion that Coach Bill truly wants their success. When words fail to express emotion, passion, and feeling, I look to communicate through my actions. I want them to know that I am invested in them, and  I want them to be ‘charged up,’ as I am ...