She Sent Him 1,000+ Miles Away — Because Staying Meant Losing Him for Good
Brenda had tried everything to help her son. Every IEP. Every specialist. Every new school year, she walked in with a binder and a brave face as if going into battle, ready to fight for Noah. But nothing worked.
He was smart — everyone said so — but he kept falling further behind. He tried so hard, but it was never enough. And year after year, she watched his light dim a little more.
She recalls, “Since entering standard education in kindergarten, I knew Noah wasn’t learning like the other kids. It might be best described by saying he and the teachers were speaking different languages. Straight out of the gates in kindergarten, I began advocating and met an impenetrable wall.”
Over the years, she’d filled that binder full of resources, evaluations, and “labels” they’d collected along the way (including autism).
“But no amount of intervention or IEP even touched what we had going on,” she says.
In fact, the “help” he was getting accomplished the opposite. “Noah desperately wanted to succeed, but even his ‘try’ was viewed as a failure.”
“You have a really smart guy,’ they kept saying…so WHY was he failing and falling so far behind?”
As school went on, his confidence fell, and his brilliance turned to frustration. School just kept moving on without him.
“By sixth grade, Noah had given up on himself, and I was exhausted and wounded from the years of fighting. Standing at the end of options in our local area, and the region of our state, we cast a wider net looking for help.”
Brenda’s mom told her about a small, therapeutic school in Idaho — Wired2Learn Treatment & Learning Center, that she was watching take shape as she drove down the highway every day.
Grandma Heather remembers her first visit to the school, “One late afternoon, I stopped by spontaneously. Class was still in session, but Alyssa, the Director, greeted me warmly, despite my unannounced visit. After a brief tour and description of the program, I was convinced it could be the perfect fit for Noah.”
It was a place that supported bright kids who struggled in traditional learning environments. Mom Brenda was intrigued.
But there was just one “small” problem…
Noah and his family lived in California (several states away, and over 1,000 miles away from Wired2Learn in Post Falls, Idaho). No matter how great the distance, though, this was their last hope for Noah.
So Noah’s mom did the unthinkable.
Brenda packed his bags. Hugged him tight. And sent her then-eighth grader to live with her aging parents in the Inland Northwest, so he could attend Wired2Learn and benefit from the treatment there.
It wasn’t a convenient decision. It wasn’t an easy one. But it was the only one she and her husband could make. Of course, it wasn’t as simple as packing a suitcase and putting him on a plane. Brenda remembers…
“When we enrolled, we had some questions.”
“The approach to education was practically opposite to public school — opposite in every way he needed.”
At his old school, he was punished for struggling. He lost recess. He lost library time. His autism was treated like a barrier that could never be moved. At Wired2Learn, Noah was no longer viewed by his teachers and therapists as a problem. Nor as a label. But as a capable, unique young man with real potential — and real needs.
But it took time for him to heal.
Wired2Learn Director Alyssa Pukkila remembers the Noah who walked into Wired2Learn that first day, “He had such low self-esteem. His attitude was, ‘Why bother trying when I’ll just fail anyway?’ He kept insisting that he hated all things math, science, and engineering (though we could see from the start he had a huge aptitude for them).”
It took time, but at Wired2Learn, everything changed.
His mom shares of that first year, “For the first time, someone else SAW Noah and spoke his language. He was being taught HOW to learn. He was finding the value in his uniqueness, learning how to access the information from his brain, apply it, AND for the first time in his life felt like he ‘CAN.’ They didn’t let my son get away with giving up, but instead met him head-on where it was hard and helped him rise.”
“In other places, I found either remedial help OR education. Wired2Learn tackles both in harmony. The quality of education he received was phenomenal: engaging, invested teachers; instruction, rich in context; rooted with a goal of understanding and real-life application, social skills, life skills — the staff at Wired2Learn sees the whole child,” his mom shared.
A couple of years in, Mom Brenda told us…
“It’s been a stretching experience for all of us to give Noah this chance. A chance was what he deserved.”
That same year, his grandma wrote, “His fellow students have grown together like family, as they all work simultaneously to tackle their various difficulties. W2LA operates like a one-room schoolhouse. It is small, concentrated, and personal. We are profoundly grateful for W2L and its dedicated staff, as well as its supportive school community of attending families. We’re all in this together, and it’s a beautiful thing…Its project-based learning methodology provides Noah and his classmates with creative, intellectually stimulating, real-life opportunities to problem solve and succeed in their education. The Arrowsmith Program, used to strengthen brain weaknesses, is very effective. Noah’s making remarkable progress.”
“He is transforming before our eyes, budding into the gifted, talented young man he was born to be. There is great hope now, and anticipation.”
Noah graduated from the Wired2Learn treatment program after his third year here and returned to a traditional school environment for his last two years of high school, where he earned his diploma.
Recently, we got an update and photo of Noah from Grandma Heather, “Noah restored and worked for the truck in the picture. He apprenticed under his 80-year-old grandfather, Ron, who worked for Carol Shelby of Ford renown. Noah is beginning a new job for the summer at a Hot Rod repair and restoration shop, and he’s heading into the Air Force in August. Things are really looking up for him (and for all of us who’ve poured into him)! Praise God!”
Noah’s grandmother, Heather, says of his time here, “Wired2Learn has been an absolute God-send for our grandson, Noah. He has scaled many hurdles — social, emotional, and academic. He’s become more self-confident and willing to take on challenges that previously paralyzed him. The staff has poured themselves into his success with committed hearts and energies. This was a leap of faith for everyone involved…We’re all so grateful we took that leap!”
But the most powerful words may come from Noah himself. When Noah recently stopped by Wired2Learn for a visit, as he often does when he comes to Idaho to see his grandparents, he told us, “I used to hate my autism. Now that I have the tools to use it, I see autism as my superpower.” But what about Brenda? His mom says…
“We genuinely believe Wired2Learn saved Noah. The impact will ripple through the rest of his life.”
“It’s more than a school, it’s a community. The teachers and administrators are more than staff, they’re family. We will be forever grateful.”
Brenda wants to share this with other parents of struggling students: “The breadth of our experience and what Wired2Learn has accomplished in the life of our son will fall flat through the written word, but maybe you’ll relate to our journey and our story can provide you encouragement that help… that hope is possible.”
Even when you feel like you’ve tried everything. Hope is possible.
If you’re standing where Brenda once stood: at the corner of “IEP Exhaustion” and “No Reasonable Options Left.” If your child is slipping further behind and you’re watching their light dim more every day…If you’re worried you’re failing them…
Please know this: You haven’t. Your family’s story isn’t over yet.
Your child’s superpower is already in there — let’s make sure they find it, together!
At Wired2Learn, we meet your child exactly where they are — with brain-based tools that get to the root of learning difficulties, skilled therapists and teachers, and a heart-first approach to learning that changes lives forever. Not just for Noah, but for your child, too.