Just imagine what it feels like to be sixteen, bright, yet unable to read. My student, who has an 87% GPA, due to sheer determination and work ethic, is one of the most amazing people I have ever taught. Unfortunately, my school cannot provide the services she needs to overcome her dyslexia.
This bright, curious Latina student is motivated to work hard and committed to academic success.
She has only been able to succeed in 10th grade while reading at a 3rd grade level by staying after school to work with teachers, focusing in class despite the frequent chaotic behavior of her peers, and a desire to be the first in her family to graduate from college. Despite the rigor that my student puts into studies, she will not be able to pass the state test in English due to her language processing issues. As her teacher, I refuse to give up on my student's dream to graduate high school and continue on to college simply because she has a treatable learning disability. The problem facing my student is a direct result of social inequality in public education. My student should have received reading intervention services in second grade, but her school did not provide this resource. Her parents, lacking social and economic capital, were unaware of how to advocate for these services.
My Project
The services my student will receive at Lindamood Bell Learning Center will fundamentally change the course of her life. After twelve weeks of intense one on one instruction for four hours a day this summer, my student will be able to read close to grade level. The program will train her brain, through repetition and targeted practice, to visualize letters and their sounds, allowing her to decode unknown words. She will read more automatically instead of laboring over each sound. This program will unlock the most basic part of reading for her. Lindamood Bell has an excellent record of success raising the reading level of dyslexic students and giving them the strategies they need to compensate and thrive. After my student receives these intensive services, she will not only be able to expand her mind through reading, she will be the high functioning, independent, literate adult that she deserves to be.
This project will not only change the life of a promising young woman,it is also an equity issue.
The fact that my tenacious tenth grader cannot read is a great example of the achievement gap in American education. While her situation is not unique, the fact that she has not given up after this many years, and has the family support and work ethic to make the most out of this incredible opportunity is indeed remarkable. Please help us change and maybe even save a life!
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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. Feingold-Shaw and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
