| Mr. A. Alfred Taubman, American real estate developer, industrailist, and philanthropist from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, visited the D/HH department this December. The students in the D/HH Literature Class read his book, Threshold Resistance, as part of their curriculum this fall because Mrs. Parish, D/HH Literature Teacher, thought the students would enjoy reading about Mr. Taubman’s ability to overcome adversity and become successful.
Mr. Taubman graciously accepted our invitation to share his experiences of writing the book and arrived at Lahser on Monday, December 10, 2007. He spoke to Dr. Gaynor, Mr. Hollerith, several teachers and twenty D/HH students, answering questions posed by students and staff about his many successes and his ability to overcome his handicap of dyslexia -- a disability that affected him in school and the workplace. His message to the students was to be persistant, even when facing hardships, and not to give up when things become difficult. He stated, “There is no such thing as bad luck. Life is what you make it.”
Mr. Hollerith asked, "What three pieces of advice would you give these students to take with them?" Mr. Taubman replied:
• Find something you love to do and specialize in it.
• Be honest and exhibit integrity.
• Learn to save money, even if it's four cents a day. |
Mr. Taubman, & teacher Mrs. Kelley Parish with D/HH students:
Benjamin Houston, Patrick McLaughlin, Patrick McMullen & Dylan Secord |
Lahser's Principal, Charlie Hollerith, D/HH teacher, Kelley Parish, Mr. Taubman and Bloomfield Hills Superintendent, Dr. Steven Gaynor
*Not Pictured: Nancy Mosher, Hearing Impaired Supervisor |
Mr. Taubman first started out to write the book as a memo for his nine grandchildren. His assistant, Chris Tennyson, who is mentioned in the introduction, helped him to write it and encouraged him to publish the work. Mrs. Parish said, "That is really why I had them read it ...because it touched me, and I knew my students would be inspired!"
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