Dr. Kris Smith - Educational Services

09/21/2026

When the calendar says September 21st and every teacher knows exactly what song to play. Teachers in September: exhausted, running on caffeine, and somehow still dancing.
Consider this your official permission to turn it up and have a little fun today! Happy Monday to you!
Do you remember?

09/21/2026

This interview reminds me of a special memory. ❤️
Years ago, I had the opportunity to meet Henry Winkler-yes, “The Fonz” from Happy Days at a West Texas A&M University Center for Learning Disabilities event.
My students had written letters to him, and he took our envelope of letters with him on the plane ride home. And then…he wrote back to us. ❤️ That small act said so much about how deeply he cared about kids.
Henry spoke openly about growing up with dyslexia, struggling in school, and not receiving the understanding or support he needed at home. You could still hear the pain in his voice as he talked about those early experiences. It was a powerful reminder that the effects of an unidentified or unsupported learning difference can last long after childhood.
But what stood out just as much was his love for children and his desire for them to know that struggling in school does not define their intelligence or their future.
I’ve never forgotten that day, or the fact that “The Fonz” carried my students’ letters home on the plane. ❤️
Sometimes the people who understand struggling children best are the ones who remember exactly what it felt like to be one.

09/21/2026

Tier 1 holds one of the biggest opportunities for students to make measurable progress before intervention begins.

This reduces pressure on the special ed system and keeps more kids learning with their peers.

📖 Skill-based groups in Tier 1 give educators:

➡️ The space to build on skills students have mastered
➡️ Spend more time where students need support
➡️ Monitor student responses and adjust instruction until learning sticks

Strong skill-based groups make intervention stronger, too.

When more students are met where they are during Tier 1, fewer students need additional support. You can reserve limited intervention time for the students who need it most.

Yes, this takes coordination.

You might have to group students across classrooms, grade levels, or adjacent grades to match more students with the instruction and instructor they need.

The payoff is worth the logistical effort.

More students receive the right instruction sooner, and when paired with aligned intervention, students make faster progress and avoid falling further behind.

🤔 You don’t have to figure out skill-based grouping alone.

Get free resources for creating groups across classrooms and grade levels in my PreK–12 Resource Library: https://www.stephaniestollar.com/prek-12/free-resources?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=26_09_24_Classroom_Instruction

09/20/2026

There isn’t anything fancy about this poster that I made a few years ago for October-Dyslexia Awareness month. However, this poster always generated referrals mostly at the secondary level. It also created hallway discussions.

09/20/2026

A teacher who recognizes the signs of dyslexia can change the trajectory of a child’s life. ❤️
Early identification matters. Knowledgeable teachers matter. And the right instruction matters.

09/19/2026

This is also approved for 6 ALTA CEs.

Join us for the 14th Annual Helen Piehl Distinguished Lecture!

Roxana Stanley, Bilingual Educational Diagnostician, will present “Bilingual Evaluation for Students with Specific Learning Disability.”

This full-day workshop will focus on evaluating bilingual and emergent language learners and writing clear, cohesive reports. It is designed for professionals who assess students, including Educational Diagnosticians, School Psychologists, and Speech Pathologists.

Friday, October 9 | 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Alumni Banquet Hall or via Zoom
6.0 hours of Continuing Professional Education

Tickets are $25 and free for WT faculty, staff, and students.

Scan the QR code on the flyer or click the link below to register!

Registration Link: https://wtamu.schoolauction.net/hplc26

09/19/2026

The Written Instant Spelling Deck is where speech sounds begin their translation to print. ✏️
The student listens to the phoneme, echoes the phoneme, names the grapheme that represents it, and writes it.
Phoneme → grapheme → written form.
That repeated connection builds automaticity for spelling and written language. ❤️

09/19/2026

Sometimes the biggest after-school meltdowns happen because a child has spent all day holding it together.
Following directions. Managing emotions. Navigating friendships. Keeping up academically. Trying to meet expectation after expectation.
Then they get home, the place where they feel safest, and it all comes out.
For our students with dyslexia, ADHD, or other learning differences, that school-day load can feel especially heavy. What looks like “bad behavior” may actually be exhaustion, overwhelm, and a nervous system that has simply had enough.
Sometimes they don’t need another demand. They need a snack, some quiet, some movement, and a safe place to decompress.
Home is often where they finally feel safe enough to let go.

09/18/2026