One of the things I love most about RPM (and its approach to helping people with autism communicate) is that there is a big emphasis on academics and encouraging the students to think. Gone are the days of rote answers and being rewarded for retrieving the “right answer” from the filing cabinet in the brain. RPM is about real communication from the heart and mind of the student.  One way our SLP gets James to think is to give him meaningful quotes from some of the great men and women of history and have him tell us what he thinks about the quote.  Since our homeschool unit is the Renaissance there are a lot of great quotes to reflect upon.  Here is a smattering of them and James’ responses.

“The King’s good servant, but God’s first.” -Thomas More

HE SERVED HIS KING MOST OF HIS LIFE. HOWEVER AFTER HE STOOD UP AGAINST HIM OVER A PEACE TALK THE KING KILLED HIM. HIS TRUE LOYALTY WAS TO GOD.

“One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.” -Joan of Arc

WE MUST CHOOSE WHO TO BE AND WHAT TO BELIEVE IN. TO LIVE FOR OTHERS (what they say matters) CAN BE COMPARED TO LIFE WITHOUT A SOUL. A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH. HAVE A LIFE WORTH LIVING.  DEATH ISNT TO BE ANOTHER FORM OF TORTURE, BUT PEACE AFTER A QUALITY LIFE.  EACH DAY SHOULD BE MEANINGFUL. CARE FOR LOVED ONES AS IF IT WERE THEIR LAST DAY. AND LOVE WHO YOU ARE OR CHANGE TO WHO YOU WANT TO BE.

“There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.” – Erasmus

THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE DREAMERS WHEREAS OTHERS ARE REALISTS. THEY BOTH  HAVE FLAWS BUT TO TURN YOUR DREAMS INTO A REALITY YOU CAN LIVE A BETTER LIFFE. I DREAM OF BEING AN ARTIST. HOW CAN I BE? MY REALITY IS A LOT MORE LIMITED THAN MY DREAMS. I WORK DAILY TO EXPAND MY REALITY TO FIT MY DREAMS.

“Perspective is to painting what the bridle is to the horse, the rudder to a ship.” -Leonardo da Vinci

PERSPECTIVE IS WHAT GIVES A PAINTING DIRECTION. IT PULLS THE EYES TO THE FOCAL POINT. THE PAINTER STEERS THE OBSERVER ACROSS THEIR VISION.