My Story: Discovering My Dyslexia
My academic career began in kindergarten at the Springside School, an all-girls private school in Chestnut Hill, PA. It was touted as being one of the finest schools in the area. For me, however, my first-grade year was nothing short of a disaster! I felt my teacher, Miss Whitman, was just a meanie and was in no way prepared to understand me or fit to teach me.
I clearly remember the day my world came crashing down. The lesson was on Columbus and his three ships. After considerable discussion and much time, I was called on to recite the names of the ships. I could not remember them because of my short-term memory and retrieval issues. I panicked! Miss Whitman was furious! She "called me out" in front of the class and embarrassed me by making a spectacle of me! I was mortified and began to cry. I can vividly remember my classmates coming over to console me; they were wonderful as they all hugged me to make me feel better.
My parents were very much aware of my struggles and how unhappy and sad I had become. They had noticed my unusual verbal language issues. I had said such things as "assgroppers" for grasshoppers and "flybutters" for butterflies, as well as saying other interesting jumbled-up words.
In 1962, at the age of eight, Mother and Dad took me to a neurologist at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. I had an electroencephalogram (EEG) and some other tests. The results confirmed, I was medically diagnosed as Dyslexic.
I transferred to Germantown Academy in the second grade. [G.A. is a fantastic private co-ed college prep school in Ft. Washington, PA.] I loved the school, but was still struggling to read, spell and write good stories. Fortunately, I had a phenomenal teacher, Eileen Wallace, who understood my learning differences. Eileen was my classroom teacher and she also tutored me privately! She was able to present my lessons in a multisensory way. She worked with me until I understood the material, and in essence, "coached me," which motivated me to elevate my knowledge-base and enabled me to create effective systems for my learning. Through the years, I did some struggling, but always strove to do my best. I used every available resource in an effort to produce good quality work. I was a solid C student. My teachers didn't accept mediocre work and didn't inflate grades. They assessed us honestly. At G.A. we were expected to deal with the reality of our efforts.
Along the way, Eileen taught me and gave me wonderful moral support. She made sure I acquired the necessary tools, which helped me to persevere, and improve my reading, writing, spelling and penmanship skills.
I clearly remember the day my world came crashing down. The lesson was on Columbus and his three ships. After considerable discussion and much time, I was called on to recite the names of the ships. I could not remember them because of my short-term memory and retrieval issues. I panicked! Miss Whitman was furious! She "called me out" in front of the class and embarrassed me by making a spectacle of me! I was mortified and began to cry. I can vividly remember my classmates coming over to console me; they were wonderful as they all hugged me to make me feel better.
My parents were very much aware of my struggles and how unhappy and sad I had become. They had noticed my unusual verbal language issues. I had said such things as "assgroppers" for grasshoppers and "flybutters" for butterflies, as well as saying other interesting jumbled-up words.
In 1962, at the age of eight, Mother and Dad took me to a neurologist at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. I had an electroencephalogram (EEG) and some other tests. The results confirmed, I was medically diagnosed as Dyslexic.
I transferred to Germantown Academy in the second grade. [G.A. is a fantastic private co-ed college prep school in Ft. Washington, PA.] I loved the school, but was still struggling to read, spell and write good stories. Fortunately, I had a phenomenal teacher, Eileen Wallace, who understood my learning differences. Eileen was my classroom teacher and she also tutored me privately! She was able to present my lessons in a multisensory way. She worked with me until I understood the material, and in essence, "coached me," which motivated me to elevate my knowledge-base and enabled me to create effective systems for my learning. Through the years, I did some struggling, but always strove to do my best. I used every available resource in an effort to produce good quality work. I was a solid C student. My teachers didn't accept mediocre work and didn't inflate grades. They assessed us honestly. At G.A. we were expected to deal with the reality of our efforts.
Along the way, Eileen taught me and gave me wonderful moral support. She made sure I acquired the necessary tools, which helped me to persevere, and improve my reading, writing, spelling and penmanship skills.
Miss Betsy's Place
Supports Students with Dyslexia
and Others who Need Help with Language Arts
Because of my own personal experiences with dyslexia, I am very passionate about my tutoring and how I interface with my students. I know how important it is to consider "the whole child." It's so important to be considerate and respectful. I know! I've been there! Who better to teach a struggling dyslexic, than one who is, and has gone through the same kind of struggles.
Along with academic lessons I also teach study skills, organization, and time management skills. [I usually buy my students a watch, which helps!] Learning these skills give students the ability to become independent and to take the necessary actions to do their work well and to turn it in on time.
All of the things above, practiced with consistency and diligence, help children gain the confidence to succeed!