Monthly Archives: April 2013

Commander Ben talking about invasive species and dyslexia to science classes at the Rawson Saunders School

Earlier this week, I had the privilege of speaking to the 8th grade and 7th grade science classes at the Rawson Saunders School here in Austin, Texas.  What is so neat about Rawson Saunders is that it is a school for kids who have dyslexia like me. Founded in 1997, Rawson Saunders is the only full-curriculum school in Central Texas exclusively for students with dyslexia.

I was invited to speak about my experiences with invasive species and dyslexia, and I had a wonderful time visiting with some great kids who are like me.

The day started at around 7:45AM when I arrived at the school and met Dr. Nadia Cone, who is the Academic Technology Coordinator for the school.

Commander Ben and Dr. Nadia Cone

Dr. Cone brought me over to the science lab and introduced me to Mr. Jacob Hendrickson, the science teacher. I set up my iPad and hooked it up to a projector for my Keynote presentation. Then around 8AM, the 8th graders started piling into the classroom. I was so nervous! This was the first time I would be giving a presentation to kids my own age. I have given presentations to elementary school kids and high school kids but never middle-schoolers.

Commander Ben and Rawson Saunders Science Teacher, Mr. Jacob Hendrickson

I was worried that middle school kids might be really hard on me. But I had no need to worry. The kids were great – both the 8th grade class and the 7th grade class. I made lots of new friends!

Commander Ben presenting to the Rawson Saunders 8th grade science class

My presentation was all about invasive species, blogging, movie-making…and of course…having dyslexia. It went great. The kids had some interesting questions and also shared some of their own stories with me about things they like to do. It was a lot of fun.

Commander Ben answers some great questions from the students in the 7th grade Rawson Saunders science class

Many thanks to Dr. Cone and the great folks at Rawson Saunders for inviting me to speak to your students. I look forward to visiting again in the future.

Invasive Hunter Academy at the Milam County Nature Festival

I’m excited about giving more talks to school kids about invasive species and dyslexia, including my upcoming talk to 350 upper elementary students in Milam County this Friday!

Plus, I’ll be bringing my Invasive Hunter Academy to the 4th Annual Milam County Nature Festival at the Rockdale Fair Park this Saturday, April 13, 2013. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and I hope to see you there!

Your friend,
Ben