EKO Literacy Intervention

Who am I, and what do I do? Get to know a little more about me and how I can help below...

New certifications & new name!! More changes to our look in the coming months!

For this week's Dyslexia Awareness Month post, I want to share a story about one of my current students (parent permission granted):

For the sake of privacy, I am going to call this student Sam. Sam came to me feeling very defeated because, despite being an upper elementary student, he was struggling to read, spell, and write. After going through my initial assessments and taking a family history, I suspected that he might have dyslexia and possibly dysgraphia, so I suggested to his parents that they might want to look into getting him tested. This is a long process, and I knew we couldn’t wait to get started. Regardless of an official diagnosis or not, his parents and I thought it was important to share this possibility with him and see how he felt about it, so my very first lesson with him was on dyslexia awareness and its superpowers. After watching a video about the characteristics of dyslexia, I asked him what he thought and he lit up saying, “This is all me!” He finally had a possible reason why reading, writing, and spelling had been such a hurdle for him. We then read a book about the superpowers of dyslexia, and I asked him to draw a picture of himself as a dyslexic superhero. My goal was to eventually write a story about all this.

Because writing was so difficult, I did some research into assistive technology, and the next day, I installed Google Read & Write on his computer (a Chrome extension that has speech-to-text and text-to-speech components, along with many other great functions). I told him that this tool was going to help him become a great author and I was going to show him how to use it. When he spoke his first story and it read it back to him, he lit up like he had just won the lottery! He said, “I have so many stories I can share now, and other people can read them!!!” This was the highlight of my week!

See, the thing is, I knew that with a different approach and some assisting technology, reading and writing didn’t have to be such a burden for him. I knew he had the ability, creativity, and imagination to “write" incredible stories; he just needed the right tools and instruction to unlock these stories and put them on paper. This was life-changing for him, and I couldn’t be happier!

The quote below couldn’t be more appropriate! If I simply had said, “Sam can’t read or write, so we just have to start at the very beginning and work our way up,” I would have set him up for failure. In this line of thinking, concentrating on his limitations would have blinded me to his abilities and stunted his growth. It is our job as educators and parents to see our children's real abilities and ask, “What can I give them that will help them shine and flourish instead of limit them?” Assistive technology is a game-changer for our kids with disabilities, whether that is dyslexia or another type of disability. Let's open up a whole new world of possibilities for these kids and guide them to become world-changers!

Happy Dyslexia Awareness Month!!

Did you know that people with dyslexia have superpowers? They are innovative and creative thinkers! How much better would our world be if we celebrated their “out-of-the-box thinking,” instead of trying to fit them into the standard construct of education today? Watch below to hear more about this from celebrities who know what it is like to be dyslexic…

What is Dyslexia? Hear from some of the world's most successful dyslexics including Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Chris Robshaw, and Maggie Aderin-Pocock about dyslexic stre...

This week, for Dyslexia Awareness Month, we will look at some resources, specifically markers to know if your child or student might have Dyslexia. This resource was taken from Emily Gibbons at "The Literacy Nest." She is another great resource when it comes to Dyslexia, so check her out, too!!

Some helpful tools on here, including a student profile recording sheet.
Check both of these:
📍 https://mtsu.edu/dyslexia/publications.php
📍 https://mtsu.edu/dyslexia/ebooks.php

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. During this month, I will be posting various resources on the subject, like this TedEd, to bring awareness around a disorder that so many struggle with. If you or someone you know struggles with this reading disorder, follow along and share with your friends!

So, have you ever heard of dyslexia and think that means that that someone sees letters or words backwards? Think again! As you will discover in this TedED talk, "...people with dyslexia see things the same way as everyone else. Dyslexia is caused by a phonological processing problem, meaning people affected by it have trouble not with seeing language, but with manipulating it."

How has dyslexia affected you or someone you love? Please help me spread awareness and comment below!

What is dyslexia? - Kelli Sandman-Hurley View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-is-dyslexia-kelli-sandman-hurleyDyslexia affects up to 1 in 5 people, but the experience of dyslexia isn't a...

Loved reading his poems! So creative!! What are some of your favorites?

Today marks the birthday of Shel Silverstein (1930-1999), bestselling children's book author and illustrator.

What's your adventure this season?

Play is how we learn best!!! It keeps the brain activated and motivated. I try my best to keep play at the center of all my students' lessons. With the start of the school year and COVID creating so much stress, play, especially in education, is more important than ever!!

I would love the opportunity to work with your child, especially those who see learning as stressful, difficult, and a chore. If this sounds like your child, please contact me right away!! I have openings and looking for students to fill them to get this year started on the right track! Please "Like" my page and call, text, email, or DM me! You can find my contact information under the "About" section on this page. I look forward to hearing from you and hopefully working with you and your child!

Play is powerful!