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!