The First Step onto Landmark College's Campus

Immediately upon stepping foot onto Landmark College’s beautiful 8 acre campus, there are a few things that stand out. Usually guests or new students marvel at the majestic scenery that Putney Mountain provides the campus. From the upper campus one has access to a tri-state view of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. While the winter months typically sabotage the beauty that spring, summer and fall provide, there is the occasional glimpse of beauty on the few days where nature provides a fresh snowfall and blue skies. These usually make enduring the winter months in Vermont all worth it.

While schools in session however, students have only the first few weeks of the fall semester, and the last two weeks of the spring semester, to really enjoy Putney. After that dull gray skies and unbelievably harsh winters with grueling winds and unrelenting rain and snowfall make sure life is pretty much unbearable.

After the initial ooing and ahhing at the landscapes, something begins to stand out immediately. Something that many have trouble putting their finger on. Every additional minute spent at Landmark it becomes more and more obvious what kind of school this actually is. A school for students that learn differently. These students are typically comprised of every underachiever (some with good reasons) at their school. Many are socially awkward, if not just 'weird as hell'. The majority of students at Landmark have social issues accompanying their learning disability (LD). Psychologists have found that because students spend so much time trying to overcome their LD, they end up maturing later than most students.

As a result the faculty and staff at Landmark treat every student like they are very special, providing infinite patience for their crude behaviors and childish antics. The draw back is that the students are treated exactly how they act: like children. For the socially developed students with high intelligences this is disconcerting when every action they make is closely monitored for safety or liability issues.

Recently a father and his son took a campus tour at Landmark College. During lunch he confessed that behind all the marketing glitz and glamour, something was strange about Landmark. He felt as if he was surrounded by little Napoleon Dynamite's and Kips. I have yet to hear a more accurate and resonating depiction of the average student going about his everyday life at Landmark College.