Testimonials

Student Testimonials:

• “Benhaven has helped me immensely.  When I first got to Benhaven, I was a very different person from who I am today.  I would take control of the lesson most of the time and barely work on academics.  Now, I am in my eyes, a very diligent worker, great at making a plan and have many goals in life.  I attribute most, if not all of this success to the wonderful staff at Benhaven Academy.  Without their support, guidance and overall dedication to their job, I would not even be close to my goals and aspirations in life.  I truly thank Benhaven for getting me where I am today!” ~ JY
• “Benhaven has treated me as an individual rather than another child among the masses.  The personalized method of teaching has given me and many others the chance to absorb the information more efficiently than a normal school curriculum would.  Along with its amazing teachers, this school has helped exponentially to make me who I am today and will be responsible for who I will be in the future.” ~ JW
• “Benhaven has impacted me so much.  I enjoy all the teachers and students very much.  Benhaven helps me think positive and gets me on track.  My old teachers were not as understanding as my teachers here at Benhaven.  They make me laugh.  Benhaven has helped me accomplish so much, like learning new things, making good choices and working at my job.  I am happy here.” ~ BG

Parent Testimonials:

• “When our son began Benhaven Academy, he was a frightened seventh grader who did not trust a “school” setting.  He had spent the years prior feeling as if he didn’t belong, didn’t fit in and wasn’t welcome anywhere.  Benhaven not only helped him regain his trust and confidence, but also allowed him to be true to who he is.  Now, as a young adult, my son continues to grow in his self-sufficiency and self-confidence.  We cannot thank Benhaven Academy enough for appreciating and celebrating our son for being the person he is.” ~ B Family
• “Our family was fortunate after many years (yes, years) of heartache, frustration, anger, disappointment, isolation and despair to become part of Benhaven Academy.  Benhaven Academy provided a path for positive growth and hope for the future through the caring and nurturing learning environment it embodies.  The teachers and staff never gave up on us.  We were never alone in our struggles once we were welcomed into Benhaven Academy.”  ~ TR & JR
• “Benhaven has changed the way my son and I view his education.  Instead of anxiety and stress, our academic experience is now one of hope and happiness.” ~ JC

Staff Testimonials:

• “I came to work at Benhaven Academy thinking I was an expert in autism.  And to many, I still am considered to be such.  But what I have come to learn is that in order to truly make a meaningful contribution to the lives of people with a social communication or learning difficulty, it is not a level of expertise in autism that is needed.  It is humility, flexibility, observation, patience, respect, collaboration, creativity, curiosity, quickness of thought, understanding, connectedness and humor.  Teaching me the importance of bringing each of these attributes into each moment with a student is the tremendous impact that Benhaven Academy has had on my life.  And that impact, by changing me, will have far reaching affects beyond the school.” ~ KP
• “The past five years at Benhaven have truly been a life changing experience.  This community of staff, students and families, has not only impacted me, but helped to define me; shape me into the person I have always wanted to be.  The student’s impact has been one of the largest contributors.  They are kind, selfless and innocent.  We, as a community of educators, are privileged to help them learn, understand and problem solve and navigate challenges.  So many of them meet these challenges with a passion I have tried to imitate in my own life.  My students have taught me to be brave and what it means to sacrifice comfort and tackle hardship.  Their families surround them with love and encouragement.  I have learned what it means to be selfless, to put another’s needs above my own.  Together, the students, their families and my coworkers, this community works together to change lives every day.  Benhaven’s mission and dedication these past 50 years has morphed this organization into what it is today.  I am humbly grateful to be a part of it.  Benhaven’s impact has changed how I view myself, those I encounter and the way I live my life.” ~ EM
• “Benhaven has afforded me the opportunity to be a perennial student alongside those whom I have been entrusted to teach.  Although I am in the position to help instruct, oftentimes the adverse is true:  I learn from our students and our talented and dedicated staff members.  In this regard, Benhaven Academy is truly a collective, collaborative community of learners – one that I am thankful to be a part of.  Benhaven has helped me become an even more socially aware person; embracing and celebrating people’s quirks and idiosyncrasies as part of the “whole person”.  To refer to what I do as a job does a disservice to my position.  Benhaven is the first line of work in my life that doesn’t feel like work.  Whatever academic and professional path(s) the future leads me on, I will measure my options by that reality.” ~ JB