Lovely, vivacious Alexia, a sophomore at LCHS, settled down confidently into the chair across from me eager to tell her story. I had asked earlier if she would mind talking to me about her experience in our reading and writing academies and today she sought me out ready to share.
I remember when she entered my freshman English class, even then, kind, helpful, always with a smile. Alexia, however, provided her own particular set of obstacles to overcome in the area of literacy. As she put it, “I thought I was the only one in the world with ADD and dyslexia.” And so, simultaneously, she was enrolled in our reading and writing intervention classes which we call the academy.
Alexia’s first thought about the academy, never spoken aloud, is probably common: “I thought it was just another class to take me away from people and show that I’m not smart.” I’d like to share with you what Alexia found instead.
Instead she found that Academy teachers gave her specific instruction, one small skill at a time, starting at her own personal starting point. With writing, she entered knowing she could barely write a paragraph her whole life. English class instruction was not enough. Her teachers were able to give her lots of specific guidelines, lots of practice, lots of one-on-one feedback–and lots of encouragement. With all of this help, she learned the nuts and bolts of writing concrete details and commentary. Now, when she is given a writing prompt, she can quickly process what to do, and dive in and get it done quickly with confidence.
Before, Alexia had always hated reading. Despite her initial concerns, Alexia said that once she met the academy teachers, and watched her scores change, she found out that she was smart. Instead of being a negative thing, these were classes to help her improve.
It was the encouragement from teachers that Alexia felt made the biggest difference. Every day she got the help she needed…maybe an extra day to get something done, a helping hand when she was stuck. The teachers also were constantly pushing her to meet her goals. Alexia said their main message was “We do this together, but you control your learning.” Through this, she found that she could trust the teachers and get the help that she needed.
None of this was easy. Alexia’s obstacles were daunting. She especially remembers struggling with reading fluency. She had many disappointments along the way and wondered if she would ever succeed. For quite a while there was little progress, and she wanted to give up. However, her teachers kept encouraging her, pushing her, giving her tips. Eventually there was a breakthrough and her skills progressed. To her frustration, when she was almost to the finish line, she still had a tough time getting over that final 150-words-per-minute barrier. Then it happened! Much to her surprise and joy, all the teachers were congratulating her, she got a certificate in class, and she realized that she had an accomplishment to be proud of.
The same thing happened with her reading comprehension scores. She worked so hard to get those scores to go up, but when she was almost there, it seemed like it would never happen. Again, Alexia had to battle hard to get over the edge. And again, she got to enjoy the certificate and congratulations from all of her teachers and classmates. It was a big moment for her.
What has been the effect on this young lady’s life? Alexia says everything now comes easier to her–homework, writing, and reading. This past summer she picked up Alice in Wonderland and got so enthralled she read it in four days. She said that her academy teachers opened her up to what the world of reading really is.
One more big effect on Alexia’s life: last fall, with her newfound confidence from her experiences in the academy (her thought, not mine!), she had the courage to apply for Mother Goose Parade Queen. The application process required that she give a speech about something in her life she had to overcome. What did she write about? Overcoming ADD and dyslexia, of course, and how her work in the academy helped her! She wrote well, delivered well with confidence, and was crowned queen.
At the end of all that Alexia shared with me today, I asked her what were her biggest gains from the academy. Her response: “I have grown in confidence. I can now walk around like anyone else and feel like I have something to offer.”
That she does!
Note: Alexia’s story is similar to many LFCS students’ stories that receive amazing support by an indefatigable team of teachers that inspire and motivate students to be more and try harder.