PROJECTS

LEARNING CURVE

WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY JODIE KNOWLES

DIRECTED BY NIKKI VISEL

CURRENTLY

TOURING

LEARNING CURVE is a powerful one-person play that tells the true story of Jodie Knowles as a kid growing up in Nashville Tennessee that was unjustly diagnosed with a Learning Disability and put into Special Education for 9 years segregated from peers and endured bullying and student shaming. She eventually moved to Seattle Wa where she was quickly put into an Arts Based Program where she thrived. Her story is set in1981 to 1998 during the era of war on drugs and the rampage of pharmaceutical drug companies entering our school system. Knowles highlights Special Education as the bed rock that fuels the school to prison pipeline as she recalls witnessing the loss of her friends and peers to futile suspensions and three strikes your out rule.  Learning Curve bravely explores the school-to-prison pipeline, over-diagnosing, medicating, isolation, segregation and expulsion of students while breaking the silence of shame and stigma around these vital issues. Knowles uses spoken word poetry, dance and traditional story telling to open your mind to the power of the creative arts.   Told from a personal perspective, Jodie hopes that all educators, teachers, school counselors, parents, activists, and civic leaders begin to understand the lived LD/ADHD experience, not only the academic struggle, but the social and emotional reality that students in Special Ed go through every day. After each performance audience members will be invited to reflect on how we might begin to collectively move forward toward inclusion, awareness and social change in the education system. 

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California School Resource Officers Association fully supports the presentation of Jodie Knowles. As you are aware, she brings to life the many challenges and negative stereotypes of those with learning disabilities. Her presentation brings understanding to the issues, challenges and emotions so many of our adolescents in and out of the juvenile justice system face. In turn, this understanding should bring about change in the way we view young people and how we conduct operations.

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Wayne Sakamoto

Executive Director

CSROA

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LMP Poetry Troop

Tshaka Campbell

Chelsey Richardson

Mighty Mike McGee

Jodie Knowles

TOUR BEGINS IN SPRING 2019

Luminous Minds Project is thrilled to launch our second program that brings divers representation to high schools students to share our stories through spoken word poetry. We are a troop of Spoken word artist from different backgrounds to come together to awaken the minds and hearts of our audiences showing what makes us different, unique and divergent through slam poetry! The troop is comprised of seasoned Slam Poets that are nationally recognized. You may have seen them on YouTube, HBO def Poetry Jam, Button Poetry and more! We write and speak out loud about Race, Gender, LGBTQ identies, Neuro-Diversity, ACE, Bullying and the importance of Socialization. We break stereo-types with story telling allowing students to see, hear and interact with us. We create a heart to heart dialogue with students after the show.  Online writing and performance workshops coming soon!. 

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