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Looking Beyond Behaviors For most, the name John Borgstedt might not ring a bell. But, for Education Specialist Gwen Ryan, he was more than your ordinary boy. With a pleasant, kind demeanor she sits at her desk and recalls vivid details of a child she worked with more than 17 years ago. Reminiscing through a picture basket she recalls each photo as if it was taken yesterday. “That’s him right there,” she remembers, “I hear he looks a lot different these days.”
TYC is a residential treatment center for children that are emotionally disturbed; some children are adjudicated delinquents through the court systems. During his three years at TYC, Gwen described John as someone with significant behavioral challenges. When John Borgstedt entered the building, he was no longer the tall, gangly tween from the photos but rather a strapping man who towered over your average bystander. “John Borgstedt!” Gwen smiled. Without hesitation John engulfed her with a long and overdue hug. Perhaps John’s behavioral challenges - intense anger, social issues and trouble building relationships - arose from his early childhood history of abuse. Or, perhaps they were from the instability of multiple out-of-home placements beginning at the young age of four. John’s difficulty in managing his behavioral issues and his inability to read, gave reason for some TYC employees to give up on him. Regardless of those reasons, Gwen believed this was no excuse to give up hope. “There were people who felt that we were wasting a bed and we should probably move him on somewhere else. I fought to not have that happen because I saw something in that kid,” said Gwen. Gwen holds a strong inherent belief that all children want to be successful. During her time at TYC, Gwen stood firm in this belief and fought for many children like John. “If we let the behavior get in the way, we give kids the message that they can’t be successful. This was a kid who had been moved from place, to place. My goal was to not move him anymore,” she said. Gwen achieved her goal. She continued to work with John until he was 13. She left TYC to work at ESC Region 12, and John was moved to an older-age group at TYC. Despite leaving TYC, Gwen kept tabs on John’s whereabouts throughout the years. “I would call and say, ‘Where is John B.?’” Gwen did this until ‘John B.’ was 18 years old and graduated from the State system. Flash forward to the present, Ryan and Borgstedt sit in a cozy office as she graciously answers his questions. John has many holes in his memory, and because of his history of abuse, he has blocked out much of his early life. Fortunately, one memory he didn’t repress into his subconscious is the memory of his caseworker Gwen Ryan. John had multiple caseworkers while in State care, yet he only remembers one. When asked why he returned to see Gwen he states, “I saw something good in her; I knew she was a good person the moment I met her.”
Gwen’s memory of John is clear as the days when worked with him at TYC. “He was 10-years-old, and I guess I saw a lot of things in a lot of kids. But, I was able to look beyond the behavioral issues and see something more in this boy.” Both Gwen and John helped guide one another in their career paths. While at TYC, John could not read. Gwen recognized this hardship, took him to be tested, and he was diagnosed with dyslexia. Today, John is a published author, motivational speaker and child advocate. In his memoir, I LOVE YOU MOM - Please Don’t break my Heart, John attributes his time with Gwen at TYC as, “the most healing and stable part of my life.” “You’re part of the reason that I’m doing what I do now, John,” Gwen expressed to him during their visit. Gwen considers her time working with John and his behaviors as an invaluable learning experience, one she continues to share with educators and uses to help all children learn. When praised by educators and colleagues for her time and dedication over the years, Gwen is humbled and focuses on the big picture. “This story is not about me,” she clarifies. “What’s important is that we give kids the message that we are not going to give up on them; and we treat them in a way that says, ‘we are not giving up on you.’ John is the perfect example.” Gwen’s good nature never left John’s heart, which is why he requested the special visit. John believes Gwen is a large part of his healing process, and he wanted her to be a part of his documentary. Heartstone Pictures is currently filming a Christian documentary about John’s life and how he healed it to become an advocate for children like him. At ESC Region 12, Gwen focuses on classroom management, school-wide discipline and assisting individuals who have disabilities. Her genuine enthusiasm to make all children successful and never give up is contagious. Hundreds of educators attend Gwen’s sessions each year. As she teaches her philosophy, her message permeates hope to many educators that children with special needs will never be abandoned, and no one will give up on them.
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The Education Service Center Region 12 does
not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin,
sex, disability, or age |
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Prior to working at the Education Service Center (ESC) Region 12, Gwen worked as a case worker and resident therapist at the Texas Youth Commission (TYC) in Corsicana, Texas. During her time at TYC, she had the opportunity to work with many children. However, this child in the picture - now a grown man - recently requested a special visit. 
“There are people you want to be around because they touch your life in a special way—she’s one of them,” John exclaims.