VIM MAGAZINE
The nation-wide mission of Boon is to provide innovative fundraising, funding and stewardship solutions that enable dedicated educators to have the knowledge and skills they need to help all learners become strong readers. vim noun /vim/ : robust energy and enthusiasm : \"in his youth he was full of vim and vigor\"
Dedication The first issue of Vim Magazine is dedicated to Dr. and Mrs. Samuel Orton. Through the visionary work on dyslexia by June and Samuel, and their efforts to bring research to practice, the field of learning disabilities was established. Dr. Samuel Orton June Orton Samuel and June Orton were a husband and wife team that researched why otherwise intellectually healthy children struggle to learn how to read. Both were highly-qualified. Dr. Orton came from a family of educators, and he was a graduate of the Taft School and Ohio State University, where his father was president. He attended the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medi- cine, earned his master's degree at Harvard University, and later studied in Germany with Alois Alzheimer. His wife, June, was a gifted scholar who gradu- ated from Vassar College at 19-years of age and held a master's degree in social work from the prestigious Smith College School of Psychiatric Social Work.
Contents Fall 2019 The Super D-Show: Founder, Peggy Stern Oscar winning dyslexic filmmaker State of Rugged Beauty Profile: Jeremy Grant Dyslexic photographer, Maine Explicit Instruction in Higher Ed Kay Peterson College of Mississippi The Cryers Dianne Dragan, Esq. Decoding Dyslexia, MO I Wanted to Be A Teacher Shirley Bowers of Texas IMSLEC Certified Therapist at 80 Special Mission Stern Center for Language and Learning Celebrating 36 Years Leadership Biography Dr. Blanche Podhajski 11 22 33 On The Cover Oil on Canvas Jeffrey Fay, Dyslexic painter and artist
Contents continued Fall 2019 No Retreat in the Reading Wars Preface by VIM Letter by Nancy Duggan Interview: Liz Lightfoot Henry Sinclair Sherrill, Boon co-founder Teacher Stories Wilson Language Reading System Institution Profile Stern Center for Language and Learning Boon National Scholarship Recipients \"I read my eyes out and can’t read half enough… the more one reads the more one sees we have to read.\" – John Adams
Editor’s Note Each issue of Vim will display work from talented artists, many Welcome to Vim of whom are dyslexic or engaged Magazine, a cele- in the literacy field, showcasing bration of the the creative side of the movement importance and to improve the reading skills of all joy of reading. learners. Vim will also highlight Boon is excited to organizations and leaders in the offer Vim online to field who point the way in deliver- everyone who is deeply disturbed ing best practices to students and by the reading crisis in America. families. At its best, Vim will cele- In our nation, the majority of brate the joys of reading and the students fail to reach grade level access to information, explora- proficiency early in language. tion, and entertainment that fluent These are stories of battles fought reading provides. by parents with schools and dis- tricts that cling to debunked Lastly, we hope Vim becomes a methods of reading instruction diary of-sorts, one that encourag- and that subsequently spend es and sustains the community of millions of dollars on ineffective kindred spirits who seek to insure curricula sold at great profit by that all children grow up knowing education publishing companies. how to read at ever-increasing levels of complexity. As citizens Vim also shares stories from living in the world’s oldest demo- dedicated teachers who have cratic experiment, we must be ever graduate degrees and extensive ready to differentiate fact from classroom experience, but who fiction, at the macro and forensic are frustrated and saddened by levels. Vim stands as a reminder inexplicably failing to get their of our nation’s unique legacy in students reading at grade level. literacy—recalling Alexis de Toc- Because Boon wishes to celebrate queville’s comments about the success, these stories in this issue prevalence of readers in eigh- share positive endings. We all teenth-century America living in know, however, that the reality is the most humble of circumstanc- dire—most teachers simply don’t es, beyond the farm fields, deep in receive the training they need to the woods—and our distinct be successful at teaching all chil- responsibility to preserve it. dren how to read. The stories about how failure plays out is perhaps one for future issues. But let’s stay positive.
The Child Behind SuperD! A New SEL Curriculum for Struggling Learners by Peggy Stern Imagine. We are in a second grade classroom of an urban elementary school. All the kids are sitting on the rug and the teacher is reading from a book about birds, with beautiful illus- trations. Each day for a week the class has learned about a bird, and the classroom has pictures up illustrating the different types. When the teacher, Mrs. Brown, is finished reading she says, “What we're going to do now is that each of you should pick your favorite bird and then you're going to write a short paragraph about what you remember about that bird. If you have time you can then add some drawings.”
Margaret jumps up excited- was like for me as a little girl with ly-–she loves to draw, and she dyslexia back in the early 1960’s. remembers all the lovely illustra- Actually, I could have picked any tions in the book. She sits down number of stories, because by the at her table with her paper and time this happened, I was seven, pencils. She has so many ideas and I had already had many expe- she wants to get down on the riences like this one. My teachers paper; they are whirling around were not unkind, but at that point in her head. Finally, she settles on they had no idea what dyslexia the Robin, but when she looks at was or how to help me. the blank white sheet in front of her she freezes. She sees a few My parents were always support- kids bringing finished papers to ive, but my mother was a writer the teacher. She knows she is and it baffled her that I made the behind. She begins to write every- same mistakes over and over thing she remembers. When she is again and that my retention was done she looks over at her friend so poor. I recently found some Betty who has already written a old letters and postcards I had very neat and tidy paragraph and written to my parents when I was is now drawing birds on the border of the page. Betty looks over at Margaret’s paper and starts to giggle. It's filled with crossed out words and strange letters that don’t look like writing, more like abstract paint- ing. When Betty starts to giggle, Margaret quickly crumples up her paper, goes to her teacher, and asks to go to the nurse’s office, complaining of a stomachache. If you're wondering what hap- pened to Margaret, that was 53 years ago. Margaret's nickname was Peggy, and I, Peggy, am writ- ing this. I am sharing this story to give you a sense of what school
away at camp. They were covered way. I started seeing Dorothy with her handwriting. She had three days a week after school. made spelling corrections with a She had a knack for making the red pen! “Come on Peggy I know if four elements, hearing, saying, you try harder you can get it tracing, and writing, fun. She was right!\" That was a common my very own Mary Poppins. We refrain from my mom and many of played a homemade Go Fish card my teachers. game with letter combinations. We read recipes and then cooked But through all this I had one them. One of my favorite things amazing stroke of luck. Her name was when I got to dictate a was Dorothy. made-up story and then she would type it up and that would Grandmother taught social work become the basis of a few weeks in a graduate program. She had of lessons in reading. The endless seen my four older siblings grow flashcards and tedious part of up easily learning the alphabet, rewiring my brain was made so the days of the week, and how to much better by the fact that Doro- write their names. When I came thy built up my self-esteem the along, however, she quickly knew moment she typed up my story. something was wrong. I was not She was always encouraging me learning any of that— though I to use my imagination. We had to had a large vocabulary and picked mark up my story to help me up other things—sequences and decode the words I could barely anything to do with letters and read for a very long time, but the numbers did not seem to stick initial sight of my dictated story with me. She asked Dorothy, a all typed up made me exceptional- colleague and a pioneer in teach- ly proud. Things were going well ing kids with learning disabilities with Dorothy. I was struggling in like dyslexia, to meet me. school but getting by and leading what had become my norm—a Years later Dorothy confessed, double life. Regular school…and “When your grandmother insisted then school after school! I meet you, I figured she was a typical anxious grandmother, so Until one awful day in the sixth I'd humor her and then send you grade, my English teacher, Mr. on your way, telling her to let you Frank, gave us an assignment to mature.” But once we met, lucky make up a story from our own for me, she didn't send me on my imagination. I told Dorothy and
she immediately said, \"Great!\" As I “I guarantee you she did,” Dorothy developed what I thought was a said trying to remain calm. “Her captivating story, she typed it up, dyslexia, makes it hard for her to and I turned it in to Mr. Frank the write down her ideas so all I did next day. A week later I got the was type what she dictated to me paper back. He had given me an F verbatim. Wasn’t the assignment to and written out his phone number hand in a piece of creative writ- next to his note, “Please have your ing? Your student came up with a parents call me.\" good story. Wasn’t that the point?” After school, I went to Dorothy in tears. When I told her, what hap- Begrudgingly Mr. Frank replied, pened she immediately called him “Even if what you say is true, it up. “Mr. Frank this is Peggy’s simply isn't fair because all the tutor, and I see that you gave her other kids have to do their own an F on her creative writing spelling and their own writing. assignment.” He responded in an They didn't get to dictate their adamant tone, “I do not believe stories, so it's not fair that she she wrote this story. I've seen did.” Peggy's writing in class, and she can hardly write two sentences I am sad to say that Mr. Frank’s without five spelling mistakes, and attitude was typical for teachers at all the punctuation wrong, so that time. First, he could not get there's no way she could have past my mechanical mistakes and come up with a story like this.\" was focusing only on my weak- nesses. He had pigeon-holed me Dorothy replied calmly, “I tutor and couldn’t see me with fresh Peggy because she is dyslexic. You eyes, even when Dorothy tried to know how verbal and articulate help him shift his thinking by she can be about ideas, but when explaining how my dyslexia she puts it down on paper, all the affected my writing. And even mechanical problems of her dys- then, when he began to see that lexia get in the way.” there might be some validity in what Dorothy was saying, he Firmly, Mr. Frank said, “Look, couldn’t get past the idea that the nothing she writes in class is accommodation of my dictating anywhere as good as this. There is the story wasn’t fair. no way she did it on her own.” continued on page ?
The sad thing is that his attitude Peggy displays her determination and behavior back in 1966 still in a photo shot by iconic fashion can be found across the country photographer, Richard Avedon today. Neurodiversity is now accepted as a scientifically proven Today in 2018, there still are kids concept. So, for example, learning with learning and attention issues typing as early as possible in who are never diagnosed. Others elementary school, or using books are identified as having a learn- on tape, or taking extra-time are ing difference, but never receive not unfair advantages for kids academic remediation. We still who learn differently. Rather, they have statistics such as: help students, who need accom- modations because of how their 20% of students who learn brains are wired, to learn and differently drop out of high succeed. school vs. 6.5% for non-LD Seeing Dorothy three times a week 55% of LD students have a run after school for so many years in with the law meant that I was not only taught in a way that resulted in my becom- 32% of students with LD are ing a reader, but I also got steady arrested vs. 3.9% for non-LD self-esteem boosts as Dorothy looked for whatever strengths and interests she saw in me and culti- vated them. She made it feel like a fun game to see how my mind worked best—the opposite of what occurred during my regular sc ol day.
Once I asked Dorothy what she wait-listed me the first time, I thought would have happened to didn’t pick another school. I me if I had not had her in my life. decided to work for a year so I She didn’t miss a beat. “You were could re-apply—this time I got in. a bright kid and very frustrated I thought this was the stamp of and angry that no one in school approval I had always longed for. understood you and that they The problem was Harvard was not thought you were lazy. It is very really the place for me (especially likely you could have ended up in before the era of computers, prison. Your drive mixed with spell-check, or accommodations anger and frustration would have like extra-time). In sophomore become self-destructive.” I know year I had to choose a major. I I was blessed to have such an picked art history because I knew amazing tutor but at the same I had a terrible memory for words time, going to see Dorothy made and numbers, but I had a strong me feel ashamed that I needed so recall of images. I thought that much help. I was convinced no would help me do well. one else in my school was like me, because (I thought) I never Luckily, I could take some art met anyone was. Because I felt making classes where we experi- this way instilled in me a huge mented with different mediums. drive to succeed, or at least to Eventually I fell in love with film- seem like everybody else. making. My art classes were the only times I really felt relief from All of Dorothy’s special attention all the academic pressure. When it was immensely helpful, but at the became clear that I was fast same time it instilled in me this approaching flunking out, I went great need for outside approval, to my advisor to figure out what I which I thought would make the could do to prevent such a disas- shame go away. So, when it came ter from happening. I meekly time to graduate from high walked into his office, sat down in school, I decided that if I wanted the chair opposite his desk, and to prove I could surpass every- handed him my transcript. After body, where would be the ideal studying it for a long time, he place to go to school? Harvard, of looked up and said, \"You know course. you can major in art. Your grades in all the art classes you've taken And when Harvard, not surpris- are terrific. It’s all the other sub- ingly, did not accept me and jects that are giving you difficulty.“
\"I cannot major in art,” I said. \"I teacher can make all the differ- came to Harvard to be academic. ence in the life of a child with a The art classes are easy, but what learning difference. After graduat- is the point of that?” ing from Harvard, becoming a filmmaker, making documentaries He firmly responded, “I am send- in Africa, Indonesia, and all ing you across the street to the Art around the US, meeting my hus- Department, and from now on art band, Alan, falling in love, getting is going to be your major.” married, settling down, and having Two years later, I not only got my our son, Ben, I pretty much felt degree from Harvard, but my like I knew everything there was to thesis film—entitled ‘Stephanie,’ know about how dyslexia affected about a teenage girl with learning me. differences—was broadcast nationally on PBS. What this inci- That was until we had our daugh- dent showed me was how all my ter, Emma. At first I thought I was shame was stopping me from overreacting to the few early understanding my strengths and signs. But by the time she was valuing them. Instead of following starting kindergarten I knew. Her my new found love of filmmaking, teacher had assigned homework I was determined to prove I could asking her to write each letter of “overcome my weaknesses.” I the alphabet down the vertical couldn’t let go of the need to side of the paper and then to draw prove I could write the paragraph a picture next to each letter of about the bird as quickly and something that began with that neatly as my friend Betty. I almost letter. I watched Emma as she flunked out of college, after worked, and, for each letter, she having driven myself for years to had to sing the Alphabet song get there; and then, by ignoring from the beginning to figure out my strengths and continuing to be which letter came next. It was obsessed with trying to fit in and painful to watch her diligent repe- to learn and perform like every- tition, as if she had not just sung one else, I almost lost the chance the song a few seconds before. to learn at all. I had to go to my husband, sit him Once again, I was lucky! I had an down, and say, \"I am sure our incredible intuitive educator as daughter's dyslexic.\" my Advisor. When it comes to the \"Look, maybe you are just social emotional side of LD, one hyper-alert to this,” was his reply.
\"I think you're just looking for feel defeated. After all, it was things because you're so worried those first years of elementary about it.\" school when Dorothy had worked double time to build up my own I told him about the alphabet song self-esteem. I didn’t want Emma and how Emma had no concept of to spend any demoralizing days the sequence of the days of the struggling to learn the basics that week and certainly no idea of the other kids seemed to pick up so order of the seasons or months of effortlessly. the year. From that moment on I was determined that Emma was Alan, who of course loved Emma not going to have the sense of as much as I did, was getting wor- shame that I had had. Parenting ried about finances. I remember her was not always a straight line one night after the kids were in either. Emma’s public school bed, he asked, “Hasn’t she had enough tutoringwe ? We cannot Peggy received an Oscar with continue to afford this.” I pre- John Canemaker for The Moon vailed, but that was one of many and the Son in 2006 such conversations. Ironically, as third grade approached, I was didn’t test kids for learning differ- worried that since she had early ences until third grade. I knew we intervention, she might not test could not wait until then. We had badly enough to get the help I to get her evaluated privately, knew she still needed. We decided which was a small fortune, and to try and move her to a smaller then we had to find outside tutor- school, and through a lottery she ing for her. I knew better than got in. By eighth grade, she was anyone how importance early formally diagnosed with dyslexia intervention is in helping kids and given extra time throughout with learning differences not to high school on tests, assignments, the SAT’s. Whatever pressures we went through to pay for things, we tried to make it seem as if it were routine. When I was writing this, I asked Emma, \"When you were growing up, did you feel stupid or behind?\" \"Mom, you can annoy me, but I
never think you’re stupid, and I depression and suicidal thoughts know you are dyslexic!\" She among the kids who are identi- grinned and continued, \"When fied later, after third grade and things like reading were hard to beyond. The thing is, in the past learn, I did get really down some- decade brain research has times. You always told me, exploded with new knowledge though, that I had other things I about learning differences, but was really good at and that the early identification of dyslexia, reading would come in its own for example, is only trickling way and in its own time. It was down to the kids. All our children frustrating that things took me deserve an industrial strength longer, and I feel like I always hose, not a trickle. Considering knew I had to work harder than a how much more we know now lot of my friends… But once I about dyslexia than in my day, started listening to books on tape things really haven’t changed. or having tricks to help my Realizing all of this, I could not memory, it did get easier. So now I just sit by and be wishing or am used to writing things out, talking. I had to get involved. then saying them and using mne- Since my best skillset was being a monics and visual strategies. I filmmaker, I started thinking think all that training helped me about what I could do. Luckily I to be prepared for working hard had won an Academy Award, so in college. I developed good study more doors were opening to me. I habits because I had to; if I didn’t, decided to use that to help other I wasn’t going to learn the materi- kids with learning differences. I al. Even now I don’t have the decided I wanted to reach kids as option to ‘wing it’. I never take my they first became aware that they ability to learn something for learned differently. granted. Thanks to you and Dad, when I was younger, I knew I had The project, whatever it would be, other strengths—even if school had to be easily accessible, so I didn’t play to those strengths.\" began to explore the possibility of a web-series and using social I wish I could say that Emma’s media. Dyslexiaville, in its first attitude about herself is the norm. iteration, was born. My brother So few kids are identified as dys- Tom, my one sibling who was lexic at 5 like she was. Dr.’s Brock eventually identified as ADHD and and Fernette Eide have document- dyslexic, came up with the name. ed that there is a high rate of “If you want kids to have a
stress-free zone all their own, call Such a positive response to our it Dyslexiaville.\" initial videos on social media made me realize we were filling a So we put up a Facebook page and void; clearly there was very little created a YouTube channel where support easily available for the we could post videos and interact younger kids with learning differ- with the LD community directly. ences that focused on boosting We started with posts about ways self-esteem and other critical to help boost LD kids’ self-esteem. social emotional learning skills. We had 5,000 followers in a few Interestingly, I have always known months without publicity—just I wanted to reach elementary word of mouth. (We now have school kids in a learning environ- more than 10,000 followers and ment where there could be discus- have not even officially launched sions and activities deepening the our content.) experience of any film that I created. This was particularly gratifying, Building from the initial positive as I was in year three of fundrais- response to the concept of Dys- ing and creating content for Dys- lexiaville, I embarked on a web lexiaville. I like to think that the series—the Super d! Show, con- reason this has taken more than sciously changing the name to be 10 years is that I am an more inclusive. We are now called out-of-the-box thinker, and there SuperD!ville and the d stands for is no exact model for what I am different learners, as I knew we doing, Taking a long time has needed to reach all kids who learn meant that I have been thorough differently, not just dyslexics. I and worked with a great team of wanted to create something that renowned advisors, headed by Dr. felt authentic, ‘for LD by LD’. In Mary Anne Wolf.
order to accomplish this, every- The criteria for the cast was that body involved, if possible, had to you had to be between the age of have a learning difference, and I 7-12, love to perform—no pro- wanted the cast to be made up of fessional experience necessary kids with learning and attention and be willing to be public about issues. The setting of the web your learning difference. The series would be a tree house scripts for the web series were where a diverse group of kids with written in collaboration with learning differences would meet another dyslexic screenwriter, up after school. Each episode and soon we were ready to have would tackle issues kids with a casting call to find the kids to dyslexia, ADD, and other types of act in the series. I knew that it learning differences face every was not going to be easy to find day in and out of school. Using six or eight kids that could com- humor, fantasy, and compelling prise the cast, because I remem- story lines the videos would bered when you are a dyslexic encourage strategies useful to LD kid, you do not want people to kids for succeeding in school and know about it. You’re embar- life! rassed. The parents would have to sign off too, and they can be in denial or ashamed. I figured I could at least offer lunch because kids like free food. If I offered to feed them, maybe I could find enough LD kids, with some talent so that we could at least get started. Casting day came, I had every- thing all set up. The flier had said, \"Please show up at 9:00 am.\" At 9:00 am, I tiptoed over to the door to peek and see if any- body had come…. There was a line of more than 75 kids waiting to audition! What I did not realize is that things have changed since I was a kid. When I met these kids, I discovered that, even
though they shared some of the nationally. This grassroots network- frustration and shame I had, they ing organization has helped amplify were hearing new messages. They the message about dyslexia and knew about all these celebrities, early intervention, and I benefited from actors to athletes, scientists, or as they helped spread the word CEOs who were open about their about our casting call! learning differences. They even knew Einstein was dyslexic! The Super d! Show has now been (Though a few loved to say he was shot every June for the past three an awfully hard act to follow.) years, squeezed in between the end Things had shifted since my day of school and summer camp for the when being dyslexic was a dark fifteen kids in the cast. As of today secret to be hidden away. Perhaps we have filmed 16 episodes with out of my own shock at their will- companion activity prompts for ingness to be so open about their 7-12 years olds. All members of the LD, I began the auditions by asking cast volunteer their time. Some each child why they had come. I was families drive hours to get to Satur- met overwhelmingly with the same day rehearsals in the spring and response: “I want other kids like me again for our two weeks of shoot- to know they aren’t alone\" ing. We focus our episodes on developing evidence based traits, The incredible turnout was a testa- critical for social emotional learn- ment to some important work that ing—Grit, Belonging, Anti-Bias, and has been done, like the Decoding Learning Goals. Dyslexia chapters, made primarily of very committed and hard-work- ing parents. DD has done a great deal to change laws and attitudes
To me the Super d! cast are true I came to this project intuitively crusaders. At a young age they are based on my own personal expe- being open about their Learning rience and through following the Difference in a web series that will inspirational mentoring of my be public forever. They knew what tutor who was decades ahead of they were signing on for, and all her time. Dorothy was a pioneer said that being public would help of social and emotional learning, other kids feel less stigmatized. before the term existed. Luckily They were all for it. After we the concept of social and emo- finished the first episodes, I asked tional learning (SEL) has been the cast what they had gotten from embraced by many researchers the experience. Charlie admitted and educators. As the head of the that she did not want to come to the Child Mind Institute said, “When try-outs. kids are diagnosed with a learn- ing disability, we naturally worry “My parents dragged me. I about how it will affect their was being home-schooled, school performance. What we and I still could not read often don’t think about, but even, though my younger should, is how having a learning siblings could. My parents} disability may affect children were loving and supportive emotionally. “ As The Collabora- and assured me I was smart, tive for Academic, Social, and but I knew it was weird that Emotional Learning (CASEL) I could not read. Finally, I states: was diagnosed as dyslexic, a few months before the Social and emotional Super d! Show tryouts. learning (SEL) enhances Coming to that casting ses- students’ capacity to sion was my first time meet- integrate skills, atti- ing other kids with LD. Then tudes, and behaviors to being cast really changed deal effectively and things. After being part of ethically with daily the Super d! Show I under- tasks and challenges. stand so much more about Like many similar what it means to have LD. frameworks, CASEL’s Now I want to shout loud integrated framework and clear from the rooftops promotes intrapersonal, that I am dyslexic.” interpersonal, and cog- nitive competence.
There are five core competen- talk about hardship–since you cies that can be taught in had so much help and got to go to many ways across many Harvard while other dyslexics settings. Many educators and have much more harrowing sto- researchers are also explor- ries and face societal hurdles so ing how best to assess these much worse than you had.’ Why competencies. are you putting yourself down? You found something that you Self Awareness were good at and have achieved so much as a filmmaker… and Self Management now you are about to launch SuperD!ville!\" I realized that I was Social Awareness doing the same thing I did back in college. Rather than accepting my Relationships Skills own neurodiversity, I was under- valuing what I am able to do. Responsible Decision Making There do not have internal voices https://casel.org that become life-long emotional baggage. If you start by modeling Basically, we need to be helping your understanding of neurodi- kids understand how their minds versity, in turn it will help stu- work, not to feel less important dents to accept their learning than others just because they differences and ultimately em- learn differently, and know they brace them. are not alone. Then we need to give them self-advocacy tools. So I am urging you: do not let your students feel like their When I was asked to write about wiring is broken and needs to be SuperD!ville as well as my own fixed. experience with dyslexia, I started to freeze up. I thought, I can do anything but that. I have great anecdotes about the Super d! cast, but do I really have to talk about myself? I made myself do a first draft and showed it to my daugh- ter Emma. She came back and said, \"Why are you being so self-deprecating? Why did you say that, ‘obviously you can’t really
Two-thirds of kids in schools I hope that my story, Emma's story, nationally are failing. Clearly and my Super D kids' stories issues of literacy and poverty are remind you that you can make a wrapped up in that number (as is difference and help ALL kids be as the fact that so many kids with confident and empowered as the learning differences end up in the cast of the Super d! Show. You can school-to-prison pipe line). What help your students be proud of this says to me is that all children how their brains are wired. Let’s will benefit from the clear steps all do it the Super d! way! that need to be taken to ensure that students who learn different- ly succeed. Administrators, teachers, par- ents…all need to encourage ele- mentary school teachers, espe- cially 1st and 2nd Grade teachers, to get trained in explicit, multi-sensory literacy instruction skills. And please use the Super d! Platform, when we launch, to help students understand their strengths and weaknesses and to feel good about their way of learning. If we can all look out at a roomful of children and see them as each wired in their own unique ways and help them understand the concept of neuro- diversity themselves, from the outset, we have a chance of making significant change sooner rather than later. Probably, if you are reading this you are on the front lines, and change is not quick or easy, but don’t you think the rewards will be immense?
An Article from Health Fitness Revolution Magazine Stated 10 Benefits to Reading 1. Improves memory 6. Hones your analytical skills 2. Boost concentration 7. Stimulates the 3. Feeds your mind imagination 8. Provides 4. It’s a fun source knowledge of entertainment 9. Expand your 5. Reduces stress vocabulary 10. Sharpens writing skills
TimberCross Jeremy Grant, photographer
I grew up in the state of Maine going to a small rural school. I was diagnosed with the learning disability of dyslexia in middle school. I always struggled in school. I told myself from a young age that I needed to focus on my strengths and not get brought down by the things I fought with. Focusing was always a massive struggle during classes. I knew I learned differently, but I was going to push through it to finish out school. A lot of the things that I struggled with during school, are still things I struggle with today. I realized I had a choice way back in middle school. I couldn’t let my struggles bring me down and cover me in fear. I had to embrace who I was and find my natural talents and focus on what I could do well.
After high school I traveled When I traveled outside of my around for several years. During comfort zone of Maine, I had a my travels I truly found the free- chance to break free and discover dom I needed to let go of all the who I am and what I can achieve. stereotypes people had put in my When I returned, I found that even head. I embraced what made me though I had struggled in a class- different and strived to grow my room setting, I had abilities with strengths. videography and photography that I could use to encourage others to do the same. To discover who they really are and to appre- ciate the beauty around them. To discover something awesome. When I was done traveling, I returned home to Maine. There is just something about this state, it is home. After settling back in, I found my passion for videography and photography. It has been an amazing way for me to express myself and the way I see things. Once I found a way to put my vision out to others, in a construc- tive format, it seemed to just take off! Photos © Jeremy Grant
Preparing Teachers NEED This Image in Higher Education Kay Peterson IMSLEC Certified Academic Language Therapist, ALTA Qualified Instructor Many colleges and universities do Higher education doesn’t prepare not teach the science of reading. If future teachers with the appropri- they do, the majority of professors ate methodology. Instruction must teach the science of reading less be structured, systematic, cumula- than 20% of the time. Only 4 of tive, linguistic and explicit with 226 textbooks incorporate the regular monitoring and feedback, science of reading and are used in and this data must guide instruc- just 11 courses nation-wide. tion.
In the fall of 2003, I was invited to to plan the internship courses for attend a meeting at Mississippi the graduate degree. He took College to discuss the possibility notes, asked questions, and began of creating a graduate level course considering this possibility for the to prepare teachers to provide School of Education. intervention for students who struggle with secondary language In April, I received a call from Dr. skills. Mississippi College is a Locke asking if I could begin very small private university in training teachers in July 2004. He Clinton, MS. They did not have as had developed a Master of Educa- much administration to go tion in Dyslexia Therapy based on through to approve the new the requirements we discussed in Master of Education. It was a February. Barbara Fox was invited miraculous decision, to say the to travel with me from Dallas, TX, least. to Clinton, MS, to begin this grad- uate level degree. The meeting was scheduled for February 2004 and included Dr. The curriculum content evolved Don W. Locke, Dean of the School from the work of Samuel T. Orton of Education; Dr. Ron Howard, and Anna Gillingham. It addresses Vice President of Academic the five primary components Affairs; Martha Sibley, Texas Scot- identified by the National Reading tish Rite Hospital Staff member; Panel Report as vital to reading representatives from the Missis- instruction and is a complete sippi Masons, Mr. J. W. Fagan and language arts curriculum. Mr. Howard Kerce; and Barbara Research-based and evi- Fox, colleague and instructor. dence-based findings are consid- ered in our annual review of the We discussed principals of curriculum, and content is added instruction, course content, or revised when indicated. required hours of classroom instruction, and required hours of The graduate degree follows the supervised practicum were out- same guidelines as the other ther- lined. I brought the curriculum, apy level courses accredited by organization of the course, forms, IMSLEC. We all follow the same documents and list of published course content and principles of materials with me. Dr. Locke is an instruction, but vary in the deliv- LPC and understands a supervised ery system. internship, so he understood how
The first cohort began training in Arkansas, California, District of July 2004, with 13 graduate stu- Columbia, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, dents. In 2011, we added another Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, site at Blue Mountain College, in Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Blue Mountain, MS, and in 2018, Washington for two years to we added a third site in Hatties- attend class at one of the sites in burg, MS. Class size is limited due Mississippi. to the intense instruction and supervised practicum. The graduates of this course are teaching in public schools, pri- vate schools, hospitals and educa- tion centers. Some have estab- lished a private practice and others have opened specialized schools for our community of learners. We are now accepting applica- tions for Cohort XXVIII, XXIX, and XXX to begin dyslexia therapy training in the summer of 2020. Since 2004, we have graduated 313 dyslexia therapists who are dedicated to the remediation of secondary language e skills for students identified with dyslexia or a related disorder. Many enroll in the course with an advanced degree in reading already, but report that they were not taught how to teach reading. They have travelled from Alabama, Arizona,
The Cryers ers looking to the pictures, and simply retelling the stories. He An inspirational triumph would start reading the next page of Nicholas before he even turned it and often looked away from the book while Diane Dragan reciting the story. Many of the days on our dyslexia I was hit with a rush of guilt. Why journey are a blur, but certain didn’t I ask more questions? The days stand out crystal clear. I can guilt was quickly followed by still remember sitting on the anger. Why did his school say couch in the psychologist’s office everything was fine? I could hear to receive the results of Nicholas’ his preschool teacher’s voice in testing. She started by telling me my head when I told her I had how wonderful and smart my son concerns about his progress. She was and how much she enjoyed told me, “You are not being fair him. She then paused and looked comparing him to his older sib- me in the eyes and said, “But that lings, they are gifted. He is an poor baby can’t read”. I remem- average student.” Sitting on the ber the voice in my head silently couch, I realized the school was screaming…”That’s not true, my wrong about Nicholas. It is not baby can read. He can. He’s normal to have an extremely smart.” But, deep down I knew bright little boy who cried when she was right. asked to do his first grade home- work. I had to accept that my little A flash of moments from the last boy was not learning to read at his year went thru my mind… the school. tears, the thrown pencils, the homework pages torn from the I am a problem solver by nature eraser drug too hard and long so I turned quickly to “What now” across them, the stomach aches, questions. Surely the school the headaches, more tears, the would help. They must have just sound of his little voice screaming missed him. He is so smart, he “I’m stupid” “I can’t do this,\" “I fooled them too. Now that we don’t understand”. I knew she was know the problem, they can teach right but I wanted to argue, I him to read, right? Again the wanted to tell her she was wrong. psychologist’s eyes met mine: But instead, I visualized him flip- “No. The school will not help him. ping the pages of his leveled read- The school does not have the
the tools or resources to help him. first grade teacher with the diag- If you want him to read, you are nosis. She paused and looked going to have to help him.” thoughtful for a minute and said, “Hmmmm, let me think, was he one Me: “But, we are in a great school of ‘The Cryers’ in my class?” I district, surely they can help him.” cocked my head and said what are ‘The Cryers’? She nodded and Psychologist: “No, they can’t, they smiled as she remembered… he won’t. They are not trained to was one of ‘The Cryers’. And then teach a child like Nicholas. But, she explained…. T’he Cryers’ are we are lucky in St. Louis, we have the kids who at the beginning of Churchill, a school designed for the first grade year put their heads kids like him. It’s going to be on the desk and quietly cry. My expensive, but it will be worth it. Nicholas was one of ‘The Cryers’. You should be happy, you caught With the look of horror on my this early. Churchill is your best face, I asked, why are you only option. If you rely on your public telling me this now, the year is over? She looked at me with a She paused and looked dismissive look and said… I only thoughtful for a minute tell the parents if it doesn’t stop and said, \"Hmmmm, let after the first few weeks. me think, was he one of 'The Cryers' in my class?\" Unknown to me, my son had laid his head on his first grade desk school, you will be back here in a and cried while everyone ignored year in tears asking why you did him. The teacher simply went on not listen to me. I’m sorry.” I left that office with my head spinning. I dove into the research. I learned about reading science, the reading wars and the lack of appropriate teacher preparation. I still thought, not in my school, surely they know what they are doing. I approached Nicholas’
with her day. He cried while Churchill and Wilson everyone else learned to read. He made all the difference for cried until he realized help was not our boy...We sat back and coming and then he put on his watched him take off. game face and simply endured. Now I understood the anger he Wilson Reading System. We learned unleashed when he got home. I there was hope. Nicholas spent a understood the ripped up home- day shadowing at Churchill and he work, the thrown pencils and the loved it. My Cryer… loved the sadness and tears he saved for me. school. So we sent him to Chur- I understood, at that moment, that chill despite the fact it cost more he would not stay at that school. for our son to attend second grade, then I paid for my entire undergrad We called Churchill and were met degree program. As one wise with kind voices and understand- ing. We learned about how they taught kids to read using the
parent said… there is no reason to But, what about all the other save that money for your child’s ‘Cryers’ whose parents could not college if he is never taught to read. afford the sacrifice of Churchill or who lived in places without a Churchill and Wilson made all the Churchill? Why don’t our public difference for our boy. His smiles schools and our reading teachers came back along with his confi- understand the value of a system- dence and his silliness. The atic structured literacy curricu- homework tears stopped and so lum? These questions haunted me did his anger with school. He was along with another question, what learning to read. We sat back and about Nicholas’ younger siblings. watched him take off. Once you have a child with dys- We were in awe at his demystifica- lexia you can look back and see so tion conference at the end of the many signs you missed. The crazy first year where he proudly way they sang the alphabet song. explained his strengths and weak- The cute way they mixed up the nesses. He held onto a tennis ball syllables in words. The inability to tube open on both ends and remember the days of the week or pushed three bright yellow tennis directional cues or to use words balls into the tube. He explained like yesterday and tomorrow cor- how when he started, his brain rectly. The untied shoes. The had to work so hard at reading it unridden bicycles. The backwards could only hold so many letters scribbles on the card they made and sounds at one time and, like you. The dozens of little signs the tennis ball container, when too that you now know are dyslexia. many things got pushed into his head, things had to pop out. He Why don’t our public explained as he got better at read- schools and our reading ing letters and words, his brain teachers understand the became more efficient. As he value of a systematic cracked the code, the letters structured literacy became more like ping pong balls curriculum? and then marbles increasing his ability to read fluently. The smile on his face said it all. It was worth every penny, every sacrifice.
While Nicholas thrived, I turned I thought, it’s early, maybe I can my attention to his younger broth- help him, so I purchased the er, Damian. Five year old Damian Wilson Fundations Pre-K kit and with a contagious smile and a converted a corner of my kitchen penchant for hugs. He loved pre- into a mini-classroom. I stuck up school. He loved being read to. all the posters, read the teacher He loved rough-housing and tick- manual and made a half hearted les and laughter. But, he was not attempt at helping him and his learning his letters. He was not little sister. But, I am not a teach- trying to read. He was not meeting er. I am a lawyer, and a really some preschool benchmarks. We busy one with 5 kids. I thought if took him for testing. He crawled I just surrounded him with the off the couch, cried and apolo- alphabet and turned it into a gized for being so stupid. Damian game, maybe we could get ahead was dyslexic too. Siblings have a of the problem. I was sure with 50/50 chance of being dyslexic if an early identification, the school one sibling is diagnosed. Chur- would help when he got to kinder- chill, as amazing as it is, is not a garten. I wasn’t worried, we had viable financial option when you identified him early. have multiple kids who need help. And so, my long difficult journey to get help in the public school system began. Both Nicholas and Damian started public school that fall. I requested an IEP for Nicho- las who was entering 4th grade. It was a struggle but he was allowed to continue with a certified Wilson instructor. I also request- ed an evaluation for Damian his first week of Kindergarten. It took the school less than 30 days to send me a denial on Damian. I received it on his 6th birthday. Not only would they not help, they would not even test him. The school suggest- ed we were over-reacting and Damian just needed time to learn to read. They would not help.
We provided the school with an reading. She inexplicably began independent evaluation showing marking his report card to reflect Damian was both gifted and he was “Exceeding Expectations” Dyslexic and requested services in reading. again. Instead of discussing appropriate services, the school We moved our advocacy to the wasted more time conducting school board level. On the their own evaluations. Even when evening of his 10th birthday, the school’s evaluation came to Nicholas spoke to our school the same conclusion as ours, board about his struggles and the gifted with learning disabilities, lack of dyslexia services in our they still refused to provide him school and he asked for help for an IEP or any services. Rather, him and all the kids in the school they argued he did not show a like him. We developed a face- “need” for specialized education. book page to advocate for change In other words, he was not yet in our district, “Lindbergh Leaders failing. Only kids who are failing in Literacy” and we become vocal get help. It’s really hard to fail kindergarten. Only kids who are failing get help...It’s really hard to fail kindergarten. During his kindergarten year, his teacher earned her doctorate in literacy. Despite this, she knew virtually nothing about dyslexia. She ignored my requests for help and resented any suggestion that his dyslexia required a different approach. She seemed to lobby against my requests for services and continued to report increases in his reading levels even when it was apparent he was not actually
advocates for change. In the fall of 2018, Damian started There was still one more first grade and Kate started kin- up-in-coming Dragan, Kate. She dergarten. The school performed was our little artist. She was an initial reading screen on constantly drawing, creating, Damian. He was now officially dancing, singing and full of failing. Despite all my warnings, energy. Her preschool teacher all my requests, all my advocacy, admitted she had some concerns. the school still seemed surprised Kate had been surrounded in he was not reading. Fundations along with her brother but the letters were not sticking. I knew my kids needed more than I begrudgingly accepted that I was the school was willing to offer. As on my own and fighting a system soon as Wilson opened up the unwilling and unable to help. online training for their new 4th I kept researching and learning. Edition, I signed up. I was I began “homeschooling” in the impressed with the online lessons evenings. I needed my kids to read. and I started both Damian and Kate at Lesson 1.1. Seeing Kate’s As I worked with them, I gained face light up as she independently confidence. My research contin- read her first words was glorious. ued. I realized that I wanted the best for my kids and I had seen the A total of 552 days had benefits of Wilson. Wilson is passed as Damian waited designed for educators…but, I did for help at school. not have any educators willing to help my kids. I had already spent In addition to teaching my kids hundreds of hours researching Wilson, I still ran the facebook reading science and reading books page, spoke at board meetings and studies by Shaywitz, Moats, and advocated for others. I Kilpatrick, Seidenberg, and others. wasn’t done with fixing the I reluctantly took three days off of broken system at my public work and attended the Introduc- school. I requested an IEP again tion to Wilson training. It was for Damian. The delays contin- enlightening but overwhelming. I ued. He underwent a third round convinced myself it was just going of testing by a private neuropsy- to give me the background I chologist. The results again needed to effectively advocate for confirmed he was both highly services.
gifted and learning disabled in research, consulting with experts reading. A total of 552 days had in educational testing and prepar- passed as Damian waited for help ing to cross examine my son’s at school. teachers, guidance counselor, school psychologist and a dozen What hurt my heart the most others involved in his IEP pro- about this wait was the new diag- cess. Days before the hearing, we nosis he received… Adjustment reached a mutually acceptable Disorder with anxiety due to resolution with respect to Dami- school related stressors. While an’s educational services. No one my beautiful little boy waited for should have to sue their school help for his completely treatable district just to earn their child the learning disability, he developed a right to learn to read. school related anxiety disorder. School made him anxious. He And now I am turning my atten- and the school nurse were pals. tion to Kate, sweet little Kate. She He showed up so often in the offers to do chores in exchange afternoon with headaches, I was for me giving her a Wilson read- asked to get him a doctor’s note ing lesson. Yes, you read that and send in a bottle of Tylenol. right, she works to earn the right to read. We even have a travel bag By the end of his first grade year, so when we sit at her brother’s the school finally offered Damian hockey practice we can enjoy an IEP. Unfortunately, they nachos and Wilson. The school declined to even consider allow- ing him to continue in the Wilson Reading System. So, I took the greatly underutilized step of filing a Due Process petition against my school to seek both compensatory minutes for the time they refused to provide him services and to require them to provide an evi- dence based intervention with an appropriately certified teacher. The Due Process struggle con- sumed my summer. I spent my limited free time conducting legal
reluctantly agreed to give her an IEP, and she is now getting Wilson Reading services at school along with writing interventions. My kids remain the only students in our entire school district who get one-to-one Wilson tutoring during school hours. Literacy is such an amazing gift to give a child. Literacy is such an amazing gift to give a child. I’ll keep fighting for my school to offer a structured literacy program. I will keep pushing for our teacher’s to get the training they so desperately need. I will keep working on eve- nings and weekends with my own kids using Wilson. I am thankful we have evidence based programs that we know work to teach kids to read. I am depressed that at this point, more educators do not have the knowledge and training they need to be effective reading teachers for all kids. The kind of heartache my family has endured would not occur if all of our ele- mentary teachers were trained to identify and remediate reading disabilities. The solution to our literacy crisis is to provide this training. Thank you Boon.
The Stern Center for Language and Learning A Glimpse at History
Preface VIM profiles exemplary organizations in the education field. The Stern Center for Language and Learning is such an organization. It was founded by Blanche Podhajski, a brilliant ph.d, deeply committed, thoughtful teacher and practitioner, who has also demonstrated that she can assemble and lead an ongoing team of talented staff that oper- ate a non profit with a $4m budget for more than 36 years. One of Stern’s most impactful programs is Building Blocks for Litera- cy. If every pre-school child was taught by teacher trained in Building Blocks, reading remediation would be significantly reduced in America. Stern is a role model for others in offering multi-state learning ser- vices, top-notch mission tactics, strategy, governance, program devel- opment, and relationship based fundraising. Sinclair Sherrill History Dr. Blanche Podhajski, Ph.D. President and Founder In the late 1960s, Dr. Blanche of the Stern Center Podhajski began teaching pre- schoolers struggling with lan- guage at a hospital clinic in Ver- mont. She wondered why some of them had trouble speaking intelli- gibly while others spoke clearly but used just one or two words at a time. She was even more intrigued when these problems would be “fixed,” but these same children would return years later with reading and spelling prob- lems. What was going on in their young brains?
After 15 years of clinical work, art” update and to celebrate both university teaching, and private the emergence of critical new practice, Dr. Podhajski formed a knowledge and the Stern Center’s nonprofit, The Center for Lan- impact on literacy and learning. guage and Cerebral Function, providing evaluations and direct In 1995 the Stern Center instruction for individuals, pro- launched a TIME for Teachers fessional learning for educators (Training in Instructional and physicians, and research on Methods of Efficacy), educational practices. Funded by a $50,000 grant from the Bernice In 1995 the Stern Center and Milton Stern Foundation, The launched a TIME for Teachers Center for Language and Cerebral (Training in Instructional Meth- Function, now known as the Stern ods of Efficacy), to provide a Center for Language and Learn- professional learning program of ing, opened in 1983. research-based best practices for reading. TIME became the corner- The Stern Center’s work with stone for today’s Comprehensive educators began in 1989, when Reading Course for Educators Dr. Louisa Moats presented at (MindPlay), an online course Vermont’s first Professional co-authored by Stern’s Blanche Learning Symposium, and shared Podhajski and produced by Mind- current research and practice on a play. topic that was just emerging as a critical part of reading instruc- Another Stern Center major pro- tion: phonological awareness. fessional development initiative is Thirty years later, Dr. Louisa Building Blocks for Literacy, Moats returned for a “state of the which began as live trainings in 1997 to give early care and edu- cation professionals playbased, developmentally appropriate activities to prepare our youngest learners for literacy success. Building Blocks has trained thou- sands of educators, preparing tens of thousands of preschool children for reading success in kindergarten.
The Stern Center’s work has Expanding its reach to yet anoth- addressed all types and ages er population of learners, in of learners. In 1999 the Vermont 2003 the Stern Center estab- Lab School was developed in lished the University of Vermont partnership with College of Medicine the Vermont Agency The Stern Center’s work (now the UVM Larner of Education to meet has addressed all types College of Medicine) the needs of Collaboration to Vermont’s struggling and ages of learners. support the learning adolescent readers. needs of medical This was a collaboration students. Stern Center learning between Stern Center educators specialists provide strategies to and local schools’ teachers and support medical students. leaders to share current best practices to meet the needs of The Cynthia K. Hoehl Institute for this middle school population. Excellence (CKHIE) was estab- Years later, in 2015 another lished in 2007 as a testimony to a program for high-risk adolescent devoted friendship between learners was designed in Blanche Podhajski and Cynthia, a partnership with a state juvenile former teacher. CKHIE advances rehabilitation center. professional learning for teachers and offers scholarships to stu- dents. CKHIE supports all imen- sions of the Stern Center’s
professional learning initiatives, offered through the O-G Institute bringing the most current learning have been in major demand since research and best practices to it was launched. educators through a growing range of individual courses and By 2011 the Stern Center outgrew district-wide, multiyear initiatives its building and relocated to the for professional learning courses, Cynthia K. Hoehl Building to coaching, mentoring, and systems accommodate growth across all change. In 2008 a Social Learning dimensions of its mission: direct and Communication Services service, professional learning, program began to address the and research. social-emotional learning needs of students. Programs provide A new dimension of that growth, direct instruction to individuals the eLearning Initiative, was launched in 2017 enabling the Programs provide direct Stern Center to reach students instruction to individuals across the country and around and small groups as well the globe. Enrollment in this new as a range of professional accessibility approach grew by learning offerings to help 150% in its first two years. In educators meet the social 2018 the Stern Center launched emotional needs of its most recent major initiative, all children. Lead to Read. A collaborative, systems-change initiative with and small groups as well as a classroom educators and district range of professional learning leaders, Lead to Read uses the offerings to help educators meet online Comprehensive Reading the social emotional needs of all children. The Stern Center designed and earned accreditation from the Academy of Orton-Gill- ingham Practitioners for its Orton-Gillingham (OG) Institute in 2010. OG is the underlying foun- dation of all multisensory struc- tured literacy instruction. Courses
Course for Educators plus em- For more than 36 years, the Stern bedded and peer coaching to Center has been making strides in deepen teacher expertise in effec- the fields of language and learn- tive literacy practices. The effort ing. Using evidence-based prac- has expanded from two partner tices, they have provided services schools in 2018 to 11 sites in to nearly 600 students who 2019, with plans in place for received over 800 clinical hours, continued expansion. Course delivered educator training pro- credits for this nitiative are avail- grams to over 1,000 educators able through the Stern Center’s annually, and created partner- partnership with Castleton Uni- ships with colleges, universities, versity. and national organizations to help expand teacher knowledge Building Blocks for Literacy and in turn ensure that all learn- joined the virtual environment ers meet their full potential. when it was launched in 2019 as a one-credit, online course through a partnership with Champlain College.
Oil on Canvas
Hutchinson Fay, dyslexic artist A graduate of The Acorn Gallery The artist has relocated from the School of Art in Marblehead, North Shore of Massachusetts to Massachusetts, Hutchinson Fay Northeast of Connecticut. While has concentrated his career on oil maintaining his artistic presence painting, while also developing his in his home state, he has found skill in other mediums, such as success in expanding his creative printmaking, acrylic and watercolor. reach and gaining a diverse inter- est in his work throughout the After formal schooling, a trip to country and internationally. France provided Hutchinson Fay the experience to view vast Euro- Hutchison Fay is in the process of pean landscapes, listen to a lyrical teaching his craft to others in low foreign language and adjust to a income areas. He is reaching out different lifestyle, which opened to families with children that have him up to a new level of artistic learning disabilities. Being Dys- expression. He returned to his lexic himself he knows how American home with a renewed important it is to exercise the sense of adventure and freedom visual side of the brain. The right in his work. side of the brain is our strong point. He feels lucky to have The artwork of Hutchinson Fay found oil painting at a young age has attracted collectors from all and encourages others to find over the country. Pieces from past they're calling so it may increase collections are hung in private confidence to get them through homes as far away as Texas and school. Florida, and as close to his home- town as Lynn and Salem in Massa- chusetts. Past exhibits have been held at the Abbot Public Library, the Marble- head Art Association, The Lynn Museum, and The Cooper and Smith Gallery.
Hutchinson Fay Artist
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