Early writing skills

I read a great article today in Reading today from the International Reading Association. It reminded me of how important it is, especially in today's digital world, to teach our children to write. Simple, daily writing can easily become a challenge for our children if we do not demonstrate, use, and teach them how to use print. It reminds me of the PBS commercial in which a young boy helps his grandmother make a grocery list for his mother...the boy adds "puppy" to the list. Not only did the child practice his writing skills, but a special family moment was created as his mother read the list at the store and smiled. There is nothing quite like receiving a handwritten thank you note, letter, or birthday message. So many of our children have never experienced this, as it seems to be a lost art. I hope that you will take the time to write a personal note on each of your Christmas cards this year, instead of hastily signing, sealing, and stamping them only to ensure they get out on time. My children, this year, will be helping with our Christmas cards by writing notes and drawing pictures for our loved ones.

Some of the tips included the following (I have shortened/paraphrased/adapted a bit here)

- ensure that writing utensils & paper are readily accessible & in plain view
- print out address labels for vacation post cards, take stamps with you!
- keep your handwritten grocery list where children can see it & add requests
- have children write notes to put in others' lunchboxes & satchels
- label items around your home, let your child help you with this
- write a note to Santa, and thank yous to family members and to Santa for gifts
- make it a habit to send letters to family members: make pen pals out of cousins, grandparents, etc. that live far away.

Great tips! An extra one? My little ones love to help label Christmas gifts and decorate gift wrap. Enjoy, and have a happy and blessed holiday season!

Source of tips: Reading Today, Oct/Nov 2010 published by the International Reading Association - edited and altered for the purpose of this post.

End of the year...end of the term...

We are closing in on the end of 2010. What a year it has been! So much has happened here in Middle Tennessee, in Beacon, and even at our house. We have had floods and record heat, we have brought new tutors and staff on board, and our little personal Beacon family has added a child. And now as we enjoy the holiday season, we must also look ahead to the new year. Some things for you to think on:

- how is the school year going for your child so far?
- if they are struggling, what interventions have you tried to help them?
- is it now time to try something new or bring in outside assistance?

Remember, that the older your child gets, and the further they progress in school, the more challenging it can be to catch them up when they are behind. How long is too long to wait? Our general rule of thumb is to seek assistance by the middle of the first grade year. If your child is experiencing severe challenges and/or your teacher has mentioned specific concerns, you might want to seek assistance before then. If your child is older, even in middle or high school, it is NOT too late. Seek out the help they need. Find the best fit for their needs, and go for it. Don't wait, and don't run out of time.

Beacon is here to help with reading lessons and screenings for Irlen Syndrome. We'll be here when you are ready. Call us to schedule your appointment before the end of the year, and we will take 10% off the cost of your lessons. Initial consultation is offered at no cost, and we will tell you if we are not the right fit for your child - we will even assist you in located appropriate resources. Don't wait any longer. Life is not showing any signs of slowing down.

2010 Instructor of the Year

Congratulations to the Beacon Literacy 2010 Instructor of the Year! Heather Faircloth, of Rutland Elementary in Mt. Juliet, TN was given this honor. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of having lunch with Heather and some of the students that she worked with. How fun it is to have pizza with children who are excited about school and about the success they are having in their classrooms and reading! All of the children were thrilled to have a little gathering and talk about their work, praise Heather and the work she did with them, and just to get a little break from the ordinary school day.

Heather is a long-time resident of Wilson County. She resides with her husband, Chris, in Hermitage, TN. They have two children, Ashlyn, 13, and Devan, 7. Having been employed with Wilson County Schools for six years, Heather can honestly say, "I LOVE my job!" She thoroughly enjoyed working with the students at Rultand and making a positive impact on their lives. The ten students that Heather worked with at Rutland made an average gain of 1.12 years, all in 16 sessions or less! We, at Beacon, are looking forward to more success stories from Heather and her students.

Thank you, Heather for your commitment to your students, to your school, and to your community! It is an honor to call you a part of the Beacon Family!

Successful Irlen Screenings...

Tom returned today. Looking good & strong. He still has some healing to do, but is ready to get back out in the world. We completed his Irlen Screening. He was a little indecisive about the colors, but we were able to narrow them down and discover his best color combination. If you recall, Tom has struggled with reading for years. Irlen seems to be a big piece of the puzzle for him. It was fascinating to watch his facial expressions and posture change as we went through the screening process, and then the color selection. Tom will be experimenting with his overlays over the next couple of weeks, and then we hope to refer him to an Irlen Diagnostician if he sees significant improvement in his reading and other activities.

Another student just finished his Beacon lessons. Preston's word recognition has improved by one year, and he is also using Irlen overlays. This young man has just begun the second grade. One of the biggest barriers to his success has been his confidence in his ability to read. Once we demonstrated to him how much more fluently he reads with his overlays, we were able to convince him to use them on a regular basis. This combined with his Beacon instruction has had a tremendous effect on his reading. He reads more often, more fluently, more successfully, and with much more confidence. Preston's teacher is so thrilled with the difference that the overlay's make for him that she has purchased several overlays various colors and allows her entire class to experiment with them. This is wonderful, not only for those unidentified students, but also for Preston as it takes some of the stigma off of doing something "different" than his peers. Preston is an absolute delight, one of the best students to ever grace our doors. He had a great attitude (though, like any boy his age, he wasn't always thrilled with the extra work)and always came in ready to work with a smile. It is always bittersweet when we lose a student like him - we know we have accomplished our goals in getting him on the right track, and yet, we will no longer enjoy his company. We will just have to be satisfied in knowing that we were able to play a small role in his success.

Newest addition...

Things have been a little slow this summer. We have added one student since my last post, and he has about five lessons to go until we test him. I'll tell you about him at that point. He is a wonderful student, though!

Our first grader did great! Despite the decision by the school to hold him back in kindergarten for another year, we were able to improve his reading level and confidence enough that he went on to the first grade for the 2010-2011 school year. We are very excited about his progress. Though we did not make quite the gains we wanted, the school was thrilled with his reading and attitude, and testing to ensure readiness for first grade went very well.

Tom, our adult student, had an injury and has not come back to us yet, we expect him back in the next few weeks, and will keep you posted on that.

So, why are things slow this summer? We have a new addition to our family. Our baby girl was born on September 1 and we are beginning to get back into a normal family and work routine after a very long pregnancy, but very easy first few weeks with her. We will be accepting new students after Christmas, with two new tutors on board. We will also be making plans for a Pre-K summer program and hope to assist area families in the transition from preschool to "big-kid school." More about that later!

We grieve the loss of one our favorite tutors, Seana, who has moved away. We hope to have her back with us in the future.

Summer Reading Success

Just in case anyone is curious as to how our summer is going, we doing great! Our Tom, from previous posts, is still with us and doing great. His progress is a little bit slower than that of our younger students, but still tremendous. We are still working on letter sounds, but have also moved into words and sentences. Tom is reading a little bit, and continues to show progress and enthusiasm for his work. Seana is doing a wonderful job with him. Tom is taking a little break at the moment, but should be back with us in a week or two.

We have another student with us now who will be going into the first grade in the Fall. He is doing wonderful. Our goal is ensure that his reading is ready for the first grade level work, and I think we'll be there soon. He is doing a wonderful job with his sounds, and is able to work out and read the words and sentences we are working on. We will let you know how he does!

Be sure to take some time to check out all of the wonderful free events at you local library. We enjoyed a great magic/comedy show with Anthony the Balloon Kid at the Mt. Juliet Library. It was night to get out of the heat and laugh for a little while, and we will be looking forward to more events.

Also, something fun to check out for teachers and parents of 2nd-5th graders: www.textproject.org and look for "summer reads." These are wonderful stories with practice activities and tips to keep your child's reading skills on track for the summer. Have a great time and stay cool!

Success in adulthood...

...starts with good early reading skills.
We've all heard it before - if you don't catch a problem by third grade, you've got a problem. Hence the relief when a parent brings me a child in 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd grade, and says - "I think we need some help. Our reading seems to be falling behind..." The Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count Project released a report today titled "Early Warning: Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters." I encourage to read this report and learn more on the subject. You can access the full report at http://www.aecf.org/ . The bottom line is this: Up until, and partly through, the third grade - students are "learning to read." After this point, they must "read to learn." If students are not reading proficiently, they cannot master the curriculum in their fourth grade and beyond classrooms, textbooks, etc. due to that barrier that the lack of reading skills puts up. How can I understand my science material or even begin to work out a math reasoning problem if I am struggling to fluently read the words in each sentence?? Much less fluently read a paragraph or passage? It is logical, and we must strive as parents, as educators, as communities to help. I encourage to seek help for your child if they are struggling with reading - be that through the school system, through a an outreach organization, or through a private tutor or tutoring center. Research the help that you receive and ensure that it is fast paced and effective - you need to see a good track record. If you are involved with an adult or older student who is struggling with reading, it is never too late to seek assistance and assistance is out there!
If your family or your "circle" is not struggling with reading, I would encourage to get out there and volunteer to help someone who is!! It's not as hard as you'd think, and training is available to you. If we do not help our students with reading, it far too easy for them to end up on the fast track to drop out of school entirely. It is up to all of us to keep this from happening. Ok. I think I'm finished with my soap box for today. Go read something to your children and have a blessed day.

Adult Student Update

Well, our adult student (we'll call him Tom) is doing absolutely wonderful. He has completed eleven lessons, and we will test after 20. Tom remains very enthusiastic in his work - he is always here as scheduled, always on time, and has always completed his assignments. Tom is becoming more comfortable and confident with his sounds and words, and is slowly beginning to sound out and read words independently. We will continue to work through his Beacon lessons, as well as adding a bit extra for him (extra sight words, extra practice on sounds he might struggling with, things he can try to read/think about during his normal day) to work on. We will keep you posted on that!

Have a blessed day and remember to be the change you want to see in the world.

Girl Power

Yesterday, the Tennessean had an article listing some fantastic books for girls. We love books, and we love girl power! Check out this great list of books - many of which I would recommend for young & old. And remember, your daughter, niece, granddaughter, cousin, sister...etc! is never too old for you to read aloud to them. Many of these would be great fun to read together. Too bad my house is full of boys!

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100322/FEATURES01/3220312/Girl-power-graces-pages-of-beloved-books

Beacon is for kids AND adults!

We are two lessons in with 57 year old student, and already tremendously excited about his progress. Seana is working with him on the basics - sounds, blending, segmenting, etc. I am so anxious to see how he does with all of this. He is very enthusiastic so far, doing his homework (and then some!). Still baffles me how we let folks like this slip through the system, get all the way through school, and yet they have not been taught to read. I don't know that there is a good answer, but I'm so glad we were here when he is ready to do this. This gentleman is excited about this opportunity, as he spends a great deal of time with his grandchildren and wants to be able to read to them and help them with their schoolwork. So here we go on another journey! We'll keep you posted!

Beacon Literacy Welcomes Seana Fisher to the Family...

Former high school teacher Seana Fisher decided to become a reading tutor because she loves words and reading and hopes to make each of her students feel the same way! Seana taught a variety of subjects to grades 9 -12 for 4 years in Los Angeles. She has lived in lots of places around the country and over the years has moved from Chicago to Fargo to Sacramento to Los Angeles to Nashville to Columbia. She was recently filmed for the HGTV show House Hunters because she moved once again, this time to her new house on Old Hickory Lake. You can see your very own reading tutor on TV starting in May of 2010. Now that's almost as fun as reading!

God Lives Under the Bed...

I received this story in an email. It's a lovely story and reflection on our faith, so I wanted to share. I try not to forward emails, so I am sharing it here. May you be blessed today.

I envy Kevin. My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed.. At least that's what I heard him say one night.

He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, 'Are you there, God?' he said..
'Where are you? Oh, I see.. Under the bed...'

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room.
Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevi n lives in.

He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult.

He reasons and communicates with the
capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different.
Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?

Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.

The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child.

He does not seem dissatisfied.

He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work.

He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.

And Saturdays-oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. 'That one's goin' to Chi-car-go! ' Kevin shouts as he claps his hands.

His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.

And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips.

He doesn't know what it means to be discontent.

His life is simple.

He will never know the
entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.

His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working.. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it.

He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax.

He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others His heart is pure...

He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.

Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always si ncere. And he trusts God.

Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an 'educated' person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion.

In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith.

It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions

It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap . I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.

And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed..

Kevin won't be surprised at all!

We got stung at the Spelling Bee!

Oh well! What we didn't know: Our fourth grader would be competing with students up to the seventh grade, that there would be almost 100 students competing. We made it to round three, and then were **ding**ed with the word embroider. Scotty did a great job in the first two rounds, but we apparently didn't take our studying far enough. By the end of round 2, the announcer had passed by all the words on our study list. So, lesson learned? YES! Get more words to study!! BUT in defense of Scotty & Beacon, of all the words we studied and used Beacon to study for - HE KNEW THOSE WORDS! We had a really great time and are looking forward to next year!

A Parent's Guide to Reading

We had an absolutely wonderful time! I met some wonderful people, and we all learned from each other. We covered so much material, I think that everyone was dizzy by the end. We talked about reading development and how that works, how to encourage it, help it, etc. We talked about proper sound pronunciation, we talked about things to do at home to help your child at certain ages. Our two hours turned into almost four. I cannot wait to do it again! I do hope you can all join us next time! Just visit www.beaconliteracy.com/news/php for more information. Information on the next workshop is not up yet, but will be soon. You can email us/contact us for more information on that...info@beaconliteracy.com

Two days until the spelling bee

Two days. I'm nervous, I think Scotty could care less. But I suppose that's a good thing. We'll be going over our words one last time today & tomorrow. Then we'll leave it up to him! Not much to tell at the moment. We will let you know how it goes.

Seven Days & Counting!

Well, it's all most here! The District Spelling Bee! Are we ready? Almost! We lost 2 weeks of practice over Christmas break, so we're playing a bit of catch up. We have 8 more words to practice with our Beacon recorder. Hopefully we will get that done today. What have we learned so far? Yes, Scotty is recalling the words that we are recording. He is doing great. Much better if he does when he's supposed to, and as often as he is supposed to. Also, the longer words - um, latitudinarian! - are still a bit of challenge, even with the recording.

We are very excited, and we will keep you posted!

Tutors are ready!

Come on in! We have five new tutors for you, so keep watching over the coming days, and I will give you a bit of info about each of them. If you live in the Old Hickory, Mt. Juliet, Hermitage, Donelson, etc. area, give us a call and we will have some ready to work with you! I am so excited about each of our new tutors. They are all excited and ready to work struggling readers. We offer a no cost, no obligation screening along with a 50% money back guarantee if we do not acheive a one year growth in word recognition. You can't lose with that! Can't wait to hear from you! If you would just like a bit more information, come and see us next weekend at our parent seminar. Information on that can be found at http://www.beaconliteracy.com/news.php .