Astonished with himself he looked up beaming. Giddy with the pride of success. For the first time, Charlie had recited the whole alphabet, in accurate order. Not one letter was out of place. Not a single letter omitted. For a nine year old this may seem like a juvenile task, and certainly having failed to […]
Blog
STOP the pain and frustration of learning problems this summer!
There has been so much research done within the last 20 years or so regarding learning disabilities. The truth of the matter is that nearly 30% of all students have weak or missing underlying skills. These underlying skills are what make learning easier, and what might just be holding your child back from reaching their […]
The Road to Overcoming
Awareness of her growth brings a glow to her face as she proudly shows off her A’s. The difference she sees in herself is as if the dyslexia never existed. I thought dyslexia was simply defined as the switching of d’s and p’s. However, I have quickly learned that it is so much more. My […]
A New Normal
Calm, cool and collected he sat there in his desk chair across from me. This was a huge difference from just a few months ago. Crying, scrambling, and refusing are what he used to present me with upon arriving. With barely 15 minutes left before our appointment was over, I realized that we had completed […]
All Children Can Learn
While reading an essay by Herbert Kohl entitled, “A Love Supreme,” in which he discusses the issue of standards based teaching, I was struck by a particular line that reads, “The idea that all children can learn has been replaced by the idea that all children must learn in one way.” As I began to […]
About a boy
Hello there! Some of you may not know me and that’s absolutely okay! My name is Vincent and I am an office assistant and occasional clinician at Pathfinders. Joey and I are the only guys that work here, so we aren’t hard to distinguish. Anyway, while I spend most of my time organizing children’s books, […]
“Expect the Unexpected”
This quote is always one I remember because when I work with students I never know what to expect. Each day is always different when we walk through the doors at Pathfinders. Some days what we have planned works out and some days it gets turned upside down depending on the child’s needs and behavior/mood. […]
“It’s too hard. Please, Mommy, I just want to stay home.”
It’s Monday morning and Billy wakes up complaining about a stomachache. Typical…this is how most Mondays start during the school year. His mom and dad have tried all the tricks to get Billy to school without a battle and tears. They’ve tried playing, teasing and tickling him. They have dangled rewards in front of him. […]
First Impressions
Usually when I tell people that I have my degree in English, their response is, “So, do you want to be a teacher?” And, I often respond with a smirk, a small laugh, and a simple response, “No.” While the idea of teaching has often crossed my mind, something has always held me back (some […]
This is why I work here…
I sat down casually to check in with a mom to see if she had been doing her homework. “Not every day, but nearly everyday,” was her response. This was good. Most of the time when I ask, I get that guilty look that tells me they have not been doing the same listening therapy […]