As a Special Educator at my local public high school, I work to provide the most appropriate education to students with high needs.
While most of the students I teach will not consider college or even independent living as an option, I recently began teaching a very abled transfer student. Though the student has an average IQ, he has come to high school unable to read. Plagued by dislexia and a specific reading disability, he spent his years in elementary and middle school masking his disability with poor behavior. Obviously, an inability to read would make virtually every high school class difficult.
To support him in his decision to pursue an academic degree (one that would be accepted by any accredited university), I have begun working with him directly on his reading abilities each day. The school has equipped him with audio textbooks, and he takes tests in an oral format. The student has exhibited excellent behavior and a good work ethic since arriving at our school, but he still cannot write essays without the help of a scribe. His poor reading and writing skills prevent him from learning the proper way to organize his thoughts. With the help of a digital recorder and voice-recognition software, the student can learn to write essays orally, and will be enabled to express his thoughts coherently for the first time. The student will also use the digital recorder to capture lectures given in class and review them at home. This will greatly aid him in his effort to study.
By funding this project, you will say "yes" to a student that has heard a lifetime of the word "no". Not only will you support his brave decision to pursue an academic diploma, you will make his graduation a real possibility.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Gmaz and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.