Camp Spring Creek Seeks Teachers for Free Training in WNC

This press release was originally published by local newspapers in Mitchell and Yancey Counties. Spruce Pine, North Carolina – December 8, 2013 – Camp Spring Creek Outreach Center, a non-profit organization in Mitchell County, received grant funding to train up to 10 teachers and assistants in the Classroom Educator Class.

Camp Spring Creek was recently awarded a $20,000 People in Need grant funded through the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, the Lipscomb Family Fund, the Fund for Mitchell County, and the Nelle Crowell Fletcher and G.L. Crowell Fund. These monies are specifically allocated to train up to 10 public school teachers or assistants who work with children during the literacy block.

“We’re so grateful to all the organizations that contributed to make this funding possible,” said Camp Spring Creek co-director Susie van der Vorst. “Now we’re ready to make it known that there are 10 spaces available. Thanks to the grant, the training is free. We’re hoping for 5 teachers from Yancey and 5 teachers from Mitchell, and we can work with individual schedules to offer the course during their free-time.”

The Classroom Educator Class is a 35-hour course based on the Orton-Gillingham approach to learning. Participants will learn the structure of English, primarily focusing on specific methodologies for differentiating instruction to meet individual students’ unique learning needs within small group or whole class instruction. The course will cover phonemic awareness, syllabication, and the spelling patterns of our language, among other concepts.

"Orton-Gillingham training was definitely that 'missing link' in my professional training!” said Tamara Houchard, 6-8^th grade ELA teacher at Harris Middle School, who has completed numerous trainings through Camp Spring Creek. From her basic training, she says she “was able to understand the foundations of the English language and, more importantly, able to teach my students—at any level—how to read, understand, and comprehend in a systematic and logical way. No reading teacher could ask for more from a training!"

While the Classroom Educator Class is especially designed for K-3^rd and Exceptional Child teachers, “we will take anyone interested,” said van der Vorst. “We would like school principals to contact us if they have teachers or assistants who are interested.” Following course completion, participants will receive 1 year of mentorship through conferences and in-class visits from van der Vorst, who is also the instructor.

The Orton-Gillingham philosophy, or OG, as it is commonly called, uses a language-based, multisensory approach to learning that relies on a student’s problem-solving and creative thinking skills to circumvent processing weaknesses. Although OG is most commonly used for children with dyslexia, the method has been successfully incorporated into learning environments for students of all styles and abilities. For information, call the Camp Spring Creek Outreach Center at 766-5032.

Video: Compound Words & Syllables

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gerA1YmsM8w&w=560&h=315]

A Message from Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller

I was one of the “puzzle children”—dyslexic, or “reverse reader”—and I still have a hard time reading today. But after coping with this problem for more than 60 years, I have a message of encouragement for children with learning disabilities-and their parents. Based on my own experience, my message to dyslexic children is this: Don’t accept anyone’s verdict that you are lazy, stupid or retarded. You may very well be smarter than most other children your age.

Just remember that Woodrow Wilson, Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci also had tough problems with their reading.

You can learn to cope with your problem and turn our so-called disability into a positive advantage.

Dyslexia forced me to develop powers of concentration that have been invaluable throughout my career in business, philanthropy and public life. And I’ve done an enormous amount of reading and public speaking, especially in political campaigns for Governor of New York and President of the United States.

No one had ever heard of dyslexia when I discovered as a boy, along about the third grade, that reading was such a difficult chore that I was in the bottom one-third of my class. None of the educational, medical, and psychological help available today for dyslexics was available in those days. We had no special teachers or tutors, no special classes or courses, no special method of teaching—because nobody understood our problem. Along with an estimated three million other children, I just struggled to understand words that seemed to garble before my eyes, numbers that came out backwards, sentences that were hard to grasp. And so I accepted the verdict of the IQ tests that I wasn’t as bright as most of the rest of my class at the Lincoln School in New York City.

Fortunately for me, the school (though it never taught me to spell) was an experimental, progressive institution with the flexibility to let you develop your own interests and follow them. More to the point, I had a wise and understanding counselor in Dr. Otis W. Caldwell, the headmaster. “Don’t worry,” he said “just because you’re e in the lower third of the class. You’ve got the intelligence. If you work harder and concentrate more, you can make it.”

So I learned, through self-discipline…which is essential for a dyslexic. While I could speak better French than the teacher, because I had learned it as a child, I couldn’t conjugate the verbs; I did flunk Spanish- but now can speak it fluently because I learned it by ear, later, at the Berlitz School. My best subject was mathematics; I understood concepts well beyond my grade level. But it took only one reversed number in a column of figures to cause havoc. When I came close to flunking out in the ninth grade—because I didn’t work very hard that year—I decided that I had better follow Dr. Caldwell’s advice if I wanted to go to college. I even told my high school girlfriend that we would have to stop dating so I could spend the time studying in order to get into Dartmouth.

And I made it by the skin of my teeth.

I made it simply by working harder and longer than the rest—eventually learning to concentrate sufficiently to compensate for my dyslexia in reading. I adopted a regimen of getting up at 5am to study and studying without fail. And thanks to my concentration and the very competitive nature I was born with, I found my academic performance gradually improving. In my freshman year at Dartmouth, I was even admitted to a third-year physics course, and in the middle of my sophomore year, I received two A’s and three B’s for the first semester. My father’s letters were filled with joy and astonishment. I owe a great debt to my professors and to the President Ernest M. Hopkins. I had met Dr. Hopkins earlier and was so impressed that I made Dartmouth my goal. Most of all however, I think I owe my academic improvement to my roommate Johnny French.

Johnny and I were exact opposites. He was reticent, and had the highest IQ in the class. To me, he was that maddening type who got straight A’s with only occasional reference to books or classes. He was absolutely disgusted by my study habits- anybody who got up at 5 in the morning to hit the books was, well, peculiar. Inevitably, Johnny made Phi Beta Kappa in our junior year, but my competitive instincts kept me going. We were both elected to senior fellowships and I made Phi Beta Kappa in my senior year. Johnny, of course had the last word. He announced that he would never wear his PBK key again—that it had lost all meaning.

Looking back over the years, I remember vividly the pain and mortification I felt as a boy of 8, when I was assigned to read a short passage of Scripture at a community vesper service during summer vacation in Maine—and did a thoroughly miserable job of it. I know what a dyslexic child goes through—the frustration of not being able to do what other children do easily, the humiliation of being thought not too bright when such is not the case at all.

My personal discoveries as to what is required to cope with dyslexia could be summarized in these admonitions to the individual dyslexic:

Accept the fact that you have a problem—don’t just try to hide it.

Refuse to feel sorry for yourself.

Realize that you do not have an excuse—you have a challenge.

Work harder and learn mental discipline—the capacity for total concentration

and

Never Quit!

If it helps a dyslexic child to know I went through the same thing…

But can conduct a press conference today in three languages and can read a speech on television though I may have to rehearse it six times

with my sentences broken into segments like these and long words broken into syllables

And learned to read and communicate well enough to be elected Governor of New York four times

And to win congressional confirmation as Vice President of the United States

Then I hope that telling my story as a dyslexic could be an inspiration to the “puzzle children”—for that’s what I really care about.

Interview: Nicole Baker

This week we interviewed inspiring individual Nicole Baker. Nicole has a Master of Arts in Psychology and is also a Specialist in Education with a concentration in Special Education. She’s also a Licensed Psychological Associate. Nicole founded and runs the Academic Assessment Center in Asheville, NC where we frequently refer families. Enjoy her thoughts on educational environments, parent advocacy, and more--including her own experiences being diagnosed with dyslexia. Camp Spring Creek: What is your area of specialty?

Nicole Baker: My specialty is children, reading, education, and implementing interventions within school systems. I assess children with standardized tests, but at the same time I look at their behaviors when performing academic tasks. We talk about school (what is fun, what is hard, what is easy, etc.) and I compile a report with my findings and suggestions for curriculum planning and accommodations. I also consider modifications that I think will be most helpful for the student. When doing this, I like to reference current literature and research and draw upon my individual experience as a learner with dyslexia. I use a multifaceted approach that is individualized to each student and takes into account their needs and applies best practices. In the end, my job is to identify a child’s needs and create a plan for them to succeed academically.

CSC: What are the most common psychological difficulties that children with dyslexia face and why do you suppose that is the case?

NB: I believe that ALL preschool and kindergarten education programs should be multisensory and developed around the Montessori/multisensory methodology of education. It is my belief that this type of education will do two things. First, it will help with early identification of students with learning differences. Second, it will help kids that may not be 100% LD make the early gains necessary to not go down the LD path. Strong, early multisensory education that is peace-centered and based in imaginary/play while also fostering independent learning ultimately builds the strong, early skills needed to form an exceptional backbone for future learning.  Quality early childhood education is ESSENTIAL.

I also find that, in most cases, learning differences are being identified too late. I often get students in my office at the 3^rd and 4^th grade levels that are just being flagged as struggling in the classroom. Parents will often say that they asked teachers early at the kindergarten or 1^st grade level, and they were told “it is too early to tell; you need to wait.” This is incorrect!

CSC: Recognizing that you respect the confidentiality of your clients, is it possible for you to tell us in general/anonymous terms about a particular moment of "ah-hah" or realization that you had with a child in your practice? What did you learn in that moment and what corner do you think the child turned?

NB: I work with a lot of high school and college age kids who are frustrated that their LD (dyslexia, ADHD, Executive Dysfunction, etc.) makes learning “hard.” I tell kids all the time: “Life is hard, but worth the work.” I think we are setting kids up for failure by letting them believe life is going to be easy or by protecting them from failure. I tell clients that my failures and struggles as an undiagnosed dyslexic have made me a tough, hard, worker who will almost never give up. If you want something bad enough, then it is worth working for. Beat the challenge and see how good it feels. I know better than anyone how hard your struggle feels, but if you find the one thing that you are passionate about (in my case psychology, reading, children) I call it a “hook,” then you can read higher than your reading level, comprehend better than any of these tests say, and “beat the odds” because that’s what LD kids do. We/dyslexic kids are great at thinking outside of the box and making things happen. Find your “hook” and make it happen!

CSC: If you could give one message to parents and educators of children with dyslexia, what would that message be?

NB: I would say to surround your children with books, music, art, and love. Turn off the darn TV and put down the cell phone (advice I should follow myself). All of these things will make he/she well-rounded, develop their vocabulary and experiential knowledge, and give them a sense of peace and well-being. Reading to your children and exposing them to books and print increases print awareness, love of reading, and general reading skills. Homes and schools filled with books, poetry, music, and art are fun, peaceful places where children can learn and grow happily.

Also, follow your parental intuition. If you feel early on in your child’s development that there is an issue or a need that your child has, listen to your gut and pursue answers. Further, pursue multiple opinions and work with people you are comfortable with and that you trust. If an answer, report, or finding from an expert feels wrong or off and doesn’t reflect what you honestly see in your child on a day-to-day basis, then dig deeper. Always be your child’s biggest advocate!

Video: Alphachips Activity

We've added a Category to our Camp Spring Creek blog called Resources (see right hand sidebar). Here, we'll be posting video clips of Susie in action during her training sessions, other informative videos that we want to share with you, and videos of our tutors and local educators doing what they do best. To kick things off, check out this Alphachips Activity video and stay tuned on our Facebook page later this winter, because we'll be giving away a set of Alphachips for you to use in your own classrooms or homes! Enjoy! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MonH1kJeoMI&w=560&h=315]

Interview: Nancy Burleson

Camp Spring Creek is delighted to welcome Nancy Burleson to our Board. Nancy brings decades of educational and literacy experience to the Board, not to mention an affinity for Western North Carolina. Camp Spring Creek: Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Nancy Burleson: I grew up in Spruce Pine, NC and have lived here all my life, with the exception of the four years I spent in college at UNC-Greenboro. I am a retired teacher with thirty years of experience in the Mitchell County School System. During that time, I spent most of my career in the fourth and fifth grades. For the last six years, I served as the Reading Coordinator for the county and worked in all of the schools. I have enjoyed being a part of the community and currently serve on the boards of the Spruce Pine Public Library, Spruce Pine Montessori School, and the Foundation Board of Blue Ridge Regional Hospital, in addition to that of Camp Spring Creek.

CSC: Can you share an early education memory of your own with our readers?

NB: I was fortunate to grow up in a home where education, and reading in particular, were valued and encouraged by my parents. I had a great uncle who lived with us when I was a child who read to me constantly. My mother told me that he enjoyed the experience so much himself that he would often read to me until he had no voice left. My parents were also avid readers, and I am sure their example had an early impact on my love for books.

CSC: What inspired you to volunteer for the Camp Spring Creek board?

NB: I am very interested in the mission and the entire experience of Camp Spring Creek. I have always had a passion for the importance of reading, especially in the early years, and feel that success in reading is necessary for success in school and in life. By meeting the needs of struggling readers, Camp Spring Creek is preparing children for success in both.

CSC: What part of the Camp Spring Creek mission or experience do you find most inspiring or important?

NB: I believe that the most inspiring and most important part of Camp Spring Creek is their genuine concern for education of the whole child in a rewarding and fun-filled experience. The desire of the directors to connect with the public schools is also commendable. Their commitment to the constant improvement of every area of their camp is truly inspirational.

Camp Spring Creek Heads to Pennsylvania

This press release was originally through published in Bucks County, PA area media outlets in anticipation of our 1/6/14 Camp Show in Buckingham, PA. Read below for info about hosting a camp show in your area, and also some choice quotes from Camp Spring Creek's very own Susie van der Vorst. Buckingham, Pennsylvania – January 6, 2014 – Summer camp for children with dyslexia offers film and open house.

Camp Spring Creek, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, is an academic and recreational camp supporting dyslexic children ages 6 to 14. Invited by a local Doyelstown family whose child attended the camp, co-founder and director Susie van der Vorst will screen “How Difficult Can This Be? The F.A.T. City Workshop” by Rick Lavoie and facilitate a brief discussion afterwards. This unique film allows viewers to experience the frustration, anxiety, and tension that children with learning disabilities face every day, as if seeing it through the eyes of a dyslexic. The event is free, open to the public, welcomes children, and includes refreshments.

“Camp Spring Creek changed the way my daughter, Morgan, thought about her ability to read,” said mother and Doyelstown resident, Lisa McBride. “She came home with the understanding that she could face her reading and spelling challenges. As a result, her third grade year has been significantly better and she’s already excited to return to camp!” According to the camp co-director, children with dyslexia often have a hard time learning the skills associated with reading, spelling, and writing. “Dyslexia doesn’t necessarily mean you read backwards, as people often think,” said van der Vorst. “Children with dyslexia have difficulty processing language but they are often very gifted in analytical reasoning and creativity, which is why a high percentage of people with dyslexia become corporate CEO’s, engineers, artists, entrepreneurs, surgeons, and architects.”

With support, people with dyslexia often lead lives of accomplishment. Some of the most successful people in history had dyslexia, including Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison and Walt Disney. Some modern day people who have dyslexia are Robin Williams, Tom Cruise, Henry Winkler and Charles Schwab. “So many people with dyslexia are misunderstood,” said van der Vorst. “But just look at the wonderful role models we have! Many succeed in spite of their education. Imagine how they’d be if they had been instructed in the ways that they learn best.”

One of the most highly effective methods for such instruction is the Orton-Gillingham approach. It teaches the structure of language using multisensory techniques that lead students to see, hear, and write a concept at the same time. Processing a single concept in many different ways allows dyslexic kids to grasp skills they cannot learn using traditional methods. “We often see students make two to three years worth of progress during a six to eight week session at camp,” said van der Vorst. “Our approach is designed to target a child’s individual strengths and weaknesses and help them excel. But we also recognize the value of keeping kids active throughout the day. These kids can’t learn as well if they’re stuck behind a desk. The learning needs to be hands-on so that they can get multiple senses involved.”

The academic program at Camp Spring Creek includes one-on-one tutoring using the Orton-Gillingham approach, keyboarding and writing classes, one hour of reading aloud each day to camp staff, and one hour of study skills. Optional math remediation or enrichment is available as well. The activities offered by the program include wood shop, art, gymnastics, swimming, orienteering, and waterskiing. There are also field trips to explore the surrounding Blue Ridge landscape and culture.

Camp Spring Creek is one of only three residential camps in the United States accredited by the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators. The open house and film screening will be held Monday, January 6 at 7 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal, 2631 Durham Road, in Buckingham. For more information, call (828) 766-5032 or visit www.campspringcreek.org.

Interview: Ben Foss

In our next installment of interviews with Inspiring People, Ben Foss talks to us about shame, empowerment, and some of the tools and organizations that are most successful in their help for children with dyslexia today.

Ben Foss is a prominent entrepreneur and activist and the founder of Headstrong Nation, a not-for-profit organization serving the dyslexic community. Foss graduated from Wesleyan University and earned a JD/MBA from Stanford Law and Business Schools. He invented the Intel Reader, a mobile device that takes photos of text and recites it aloud on the spot. Ben is a co-founder of Integration Ventures, a venture capital firm that is looking to invest in dyslexic entrepreneurs. He has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fox Business News, ABC, CNN, HBO, and the BBC. Represented by the Random House Speakers Bureau, he regularly speaks to Fortune 500 companies, public policy organizations, and colleges and universities across the country.

Camp Spring Creek: We're a fan of your work because of your book, The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan, but the truth is that you've also completed many other successful projects in various fields. Can you briefly tell our audience about the Intel Reader you invented?

Ben Foss: I invented the Intel Reader in 2006. Eventually, I received five U.S. Patents for my initial idea of a device that would take a photograph of any printed material and read aloud on the spot. The device began shipping in 2009 and was the first consumer product in 7 years from Intel. It is still in the marketplace today. It is currently sold by Care Innovations, an Intel and GE focused healthcare company.

CSC: As founder of the Headstrong Nation, which believes that "dyslexia is not a disease, it is a community," what do you see as the single-most significant struggle facing children with dyslexia today? By contrast, what is a struggle that, because of organizations like Camp Spring Creek and Headstrong Nation, many children with dyslexia don't have to face anymore?

BF: The central issue for all dyslexics is shame. Kids are told they are unworthy in the first, second, and third grade if they cannot read or spell with ease. There are three types of reading: eye reading, ear reading, and finger reading. Mainstream people read with their eyes, blind people read with their fingers, and dyslexics read with their ears, listening to text very fast. There are really telling videos of that experience right here.

Shame makes you feel as though you are a bad person just for being who you are, not what you did. To get rid of shame, someone needs to understand that they are not broken and that they have strengths and weaknesses. A truly successful and resilient person learns how to play to their strengths and compensate for weaknesses.

The big change in dyslexia is that there are now public role models that people can look up to. These role models come from organizations teaching that dyslexia is not a disease and, in fact, is your ticket to enter a fabulous community. Camp Spring Creek does this in spades.

CSC: Please describe a turning point or moving experience you've had in your life as an adult advocate for people with dyslexia. Perhaps you remember the first time you saw a child with dyslexia using the Intel Reader. Maybe an audience member approached you at a book-signing event and shared a moving, personal story with you. Whatever the case, when did you most recently find yourself moved beyond words, feeling satisfied that true change and positive advocacy for dyslexics had been accomplished?

BF: One of my favorite stories about the Intel Reader involves a young man of nine years old who came to me and told me that he used the Intel Reader on the instructions for the board game Risk. After hearing the instructions out loud, he figured out that his friends had been cheating! That is what advocacy and independence look like. Having access to learning on your own terms and using it to something that you do enjoy.

CSC: Is there a book, organization, leader, or artist in the field of education advocacy or dyslexia studies, etc. that you wish more people knew about? If so, please share your recommendation with us!

BF: Eye to Eye is a  great organization. It is wonderful because it is led by people who are dyslexic and offers mentoring between college kids who are dyslexic and elementary school kids with dyslexia. When I see “dyslexia,” I mean dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, and ADHD. Everybody is in the club!

Win a Camp Spring Creek Chair!

We're holding a little contest on the blog, starting now through December 31, 2013: Like our page on Facebook and then send that page a Facebook message telling us which "Inspiring People" blog post inspired you the most. We'll enter you into a drawing to win this Camp Spring Creek chair!

Use the link above to read the posts, or access them using Categories on the right-hand side bar. Be sure to tell us why you felt inspired by what you read and feel free to share this contest with friends! Anyone can enter!

Winner will be notified via Facebook on New Year's Eve!

Myths & Truths about Dyslexia

The entirety of today's post is copyrighted to Sally Shaywitz, Yale University, Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity. We occasionally use this as a handout through our Outreach Center and wanted to share it on our blog. Please enjoy Sally's insights and, if you get a chance, check out the amazing resources online through the links above:

MYTH Dyslexia is a visual problem; Dyslexic children and adults see and write letters and words backwards. If a child does not reverse b’s and d’s or p’s and q’s, he or she cannot be dyslexic.

TRUTH Dyslexia is fundamentally a problem in spoken language - it is not a visual problem. Many children reverse their letters when learning to write, regardless of whether or not they have dyslexia.

MYTH Dyslexia only affects boys.

TRUTH Both males and females can be dyslexic. In a study published in 1990 in the Journal of the American Medical Association,the Shaywitz’ demonstrated that dyslexia affects comparable numbers of boys and girls. Although more boys are referred by their teachers for evaluation, these referrals appear to reflect the more rambunctious behavior of boys in the classroom.

MYTH Smart people can’t be dyslexic; if you are dyslexic, you can’t be very smart.

TRUTH Some of the very brightest boys and girls struggle to read. Dyslexia occurs at all levels of intelligence - average, above average, and highly gifted. Many gifted people at the top of their fields are dyslexic.

MYTH People who are dyslexic are unable to read.

TRUTH Most commonly, dyslexic children and adults do learn to read; the problem is the effort required to read. Typical readers of the same ability level early on become “fluent” readers so that reading is automatic, fast, and pleasurable. In contrast, dyslexic children remain “manual” readers who read slowly and with great effort.

MYTH There are no clues to dyslexia before a child enters school.

TRUTH Since reading is based on spoken language, clues to a possibility of dyslexia are present before a child enters school. Children with dyslexia often have slightly delayed speech, don’t recognize rhyming words and there is often a family history of reading difficulties. Tests can be performed early on, and, thus help can come earlier and many difficulties may be prevented.

MYTH If you perform well in school, you can’t be dyslexic.

TRUTH Some dyslexics perform very well in school; these students are highly motivated and work incredibly hard; many have received the necessary accommodations, either formally or informally, that allowed them to demonstrate their knowledge. Dyslexic students have completed rigorous programs at highly selective colleges, graduate and professional schools.

©Overcoming Dyslexia, Sally Shaywitz.

Call for Camp Registration: Spots Are Filling Up!

We have already confirmed 26 campers for our 2014 Camp Spring Creek season (June 15 to August 9)! It seems an appropriate time to revisit the van der Vorst's own story of taking a leap and letting go. Below, please find Susie's Director's Message from our Fall 2013 Newsletter. We all have to let go as parents. Here's our story:

I often help parents who fear that leaving their child for four, six, or even eight weeks could be a heartless act. This fall was very bittersweet for Steve and me as parents. Now, after parting from our own children—Marguerite off to college and Anina to Miss Hall's boarding school, we understand your feelings. Our children are starting their own life experiences without Mom and Dad at the helm. The pang we feel when we drop off our children to an unknown—and even known—environment can indeed be heart-wrenching. But we must remember that we are doing what is best for our children.

It’s easy to think it would be wonderful if we could magically view their lives away from us, but we need to relax and wait for the stories to come. When our children feel homesick, we need to understand, but realize this is a natural process. When they feel elated by an experience, we must share their excitement, instead of resenting that we weren’t there to walk beside them. And when they call us, frustrated with a challenge, we must reassure them that they have the tools to figure out a solution of their own. We cannot fix everything for them. After all, our goal is to raise responsible, resilient children. We need to let them make new friends, experience new adventures, and struggle with their own predicaments in order to grow. Letting go is hard—full of anguish and trepidation; however, it is these very opportunities to face the unknown and its accompanying challenges that are essential in their developing self-confidence and independence.

This year, it was our turn to let go. The girls have been gone for only a little over two months, and Steve and I already see them growing into the strong, unique young women they were meant to be. Every summer, parents like you let go as well, and Camp Spring Creek is privileged to be a place that has the opportunity to nurture your children as they grow and mature. Thank you for being a part of our extended Camp Spring Creek family.

Advocating for Children with Dyslexia

Here's a snippet from one of Susie's presentations at the 2013 IDA Conference in New Orleans. During a discussion titled "Parenting Tips & Advocating for Children," she offered: Diagnosed Dyslexia is a specific language disorder, and your child qualifies for a 504 plan and/or IEP. Public schools MUST provide a psycho-educational evaluation if there is suspicion of a learning disability, but often school districts have one school psychologist to work with the entire district, so if you can afford it, it can be quicker and more thorough to get an outside evaluation.

Psycho-ed evaluations vary in price depending on your location. In Western North Carolina, they run about $1,500, but in other areas they can be $5,000 and upward. A thorough evaluation takes an average of 6-8 hours and can be broken into chunks depending on the child’s age. The report should be 15-20 pages and specific to your child, and the psychologist should sit down and go over the report with you. The school MUST comply with the psychologist if the psychologist is licensed.

If you have not had a full psycho-educational evaluation, you will need one to get services for your child. Then they should be updated every 3-4 years. Be sure that you use a psychologist who has expertise in varied learning styles. I have a list of psychologists we recommend, and if I do not know a psychologist in your area, I will try to help you find a good one.

In His Own Words: Samuel Torrey Orton

From Reading, Writing, and Speech Problems in Children by Samuel Torrey Orton, co-founder of the Orton-Gillingham approach. Originally published in 1937: “They are usually interested in the story of how one side of the brain works in the language function and intrigued with the idea that the two halves of their brain may be ‘squabbling over which is to be the boss’ and pleased when it is possible to tell them it frequently is on the basis of intelligence tests, that their brains are better than average but just not working right for the particular subject in which they have met trouble. This sort of understanding of how his difficulty may have arisen will often go a long way toward preventing the child from falling back on explanations based on emotional instability, ‘nervousness,’ undue fears, or lack of self-confidence which in themselves are not entirely emotionally acceptable and which often seem to operate as a vicious circle. An even more complete explanation to the parents and to the teachers of the specific nature of all of these difficulties is of prime importance in treatment of the child since the school failures have all too often been interpreted as due to some degree of mental defect or to defective attention or to laziness or to poor training and frequently with an implication of blame which may very easily foster an unwarranted feeling of doubt in the child or the parent or both.”

Parenting a Struggling Reader by Louisa Cook Moats and Susan Hall

This week, we're recommending Parenting a Struggling Reader by Louisa Cook Moats and Susan Hall. According to the authors' Amazon page, this book is: "The first completely comprehensive, practical guide for recognizing, diagnosing, and overcoming any childhood reading difficulty. According to the National Institute of Health, ten million of our nation’s children (approximately 17 percent) have trouble learning to read. While headlines warn about the nation’s reading crisis, Susan Hall (whose son was diagnosed with dyslexia) and Louisa Moats have become crusaders for action. The result of their years of research and personal experience, Parenting a Struggling Reader provides a revolutionary road map for any parent facing this challenging problem. Acknowledging that parents often lose valuable years by waiting for their school systems to test for a child’s reading disability, Hall and Moats offer a detailed, realistic program for getting parents actively involved in their children’s reading lives. With a four-step plan for identifying and resolving deficiencies, as well as advice for those whose kids received weak instruction during the crucial early years, this is a landmark publication that promises unprecedented hope for the next generation of Information Age citizens."

Giving More Thanks...

Note: We're holding a contest on our Facebook page this holiday weekend. Visit our page and post a photo of yourself or another adult reading with a child. Once you post the photo (and like our page so we can contact you if you win), you'll be entered to win a Camp Spring Creek mug! We're fortunate to have a few more very important people and organizations that we'd like to thank. We honored them in our Fall 2013 Newsletter, and would like to honor them on our blog as well:

We are profoundly grateful to our many dedicated and steadfast supporters, including the Rotary Club of Avery County. Thanks to everyone's efforts, we were able to award scholarships to eleven of our forty-three campers. We have always felt that reading is a civil right and that we need to offer our camp experience to children regardless of financial circumstances. With a continually growing network of supporters, we will be able to reach even more children next summer.

Our Bakersville Dollar General has always provided us with a generous discount for our binders and this year they supplied all the binders at no cost to us. Several of our own teaching staff made in-kind donations of books and teaching materials. Liz Hall, education advocate and avid supporter of Camp Spring Creek, is making hand-sewn slipcovers, curtains, and valances to enhance the interior of camp. Thank you to everyone, who helps us complete our mission.

We are also grateful to the Pelham Foundation for awarding us a technology grant. Funding from the grant and private donations allowed us to replace all the old computers with new iMacs and install Microsoft Office and iWorks software. We were also able to purchase a color laser printer, several Kindle Fires for reading hour, and iPads for our math program.

Additional thanks and recognition goes to the People in Need Grant, Mitchell County Community Foundation, and the Community Foundation of WNC who support our outreach mission by helping us provide multi-sensory instruction to local children attending our public schools. We are impressed with the caliber of dedication from the many teachers we have trained; they still seek our guidance by way of mentoring and further training. We are dedicated to continue to expand and solidify multi-sensory teaching strategies in our local schools. We are also assisting OpenDoors of Asheville in training teachers who work with their clients in the Buncombe County schools.

Thank you all for being a part of our community and letting us be a part of yours!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our family to yours, from our mountain home to your open doors around the world...we are thankful for all the hard work you do to parent, educate, love, and support Camp Spring Creek campers and children with dyslexia worldwide. We hope you are able to spend time this coming holiday weekend with your loved ones, reading books with your children and listening to them share what they love with you. What are their passions? Their dreams? The sky is the limit! We have always believed that and we know you do too. As we gather and say thanks for our tradition stateside, know that if you're reading this, you're a part of what we are thankful for. Here's to many more years of learning, growing, succeeding, and having fun outdoors together!

In Her Own Words: Shay on Associate Level OG Training

This fall, Susie led a 10-day Associate Level Training session at Camp in Bakersville. Continuing our series of testimonials, today's post features Shay--a "retired" elementary school teacher who taught for over 30 years in 3 different states. Enjoy this glimpse into her OG experience, which was profound on both personal and professional levels:

Camp Spring Creek: Tell us a little about yourself.

Shay: My joy in life are my two grown sons, a sweet daughter-in-law, and one precious grandson. I'm living in South Florida now, teaching pre-school.

CSC: Tell us about a critical turning point or moment of learning (an "ah-hah") that you experienced during your 10 days of Associate Level Training with Susie:

Shay: The critical turning point for me was at our first session when I realized I was in the company of some brilliant women who had come prepared for an upper-level very intensive study that I felt totally unprepared to handle. However, I've always had to deal with the fact that I felt intellectually inferior, so I just had to work harder and find a way to survive this training and try to be successful. I made a determined effort to absorb all the information, do the homework, and prepare for the quiz each day. However, after learning the characteristics of dyslexia I began to see myself on every page of our book. The red flags were flying and it was overwhelming! I hesitated to diagnose myself or make an excuse for not being able to keep-up but the evidence seemed crystal clear.

CSC: What did you learn or realize that was most surprising to you? Perhaps something you had never considered before...

Shay: I have been living with these painful characteristics for so long I consider them part of my identity. All the shameful patterns of hiding what you don't know or can't seem to understand what everyone else grasps with ease cannot be easily broken and exposing them would be risky plus humiliating. But I felt safe with this group of women and our instructor out at Camp. When I admitted my feelings, Susie wasn't surprised at all  since she had already come to the same conclusion and was waiting on me. Everyone was very supportive and understanding. It was hard but rewarding to finally understand many of the difficulties I've experienced over the years and it gave me even more compassion for my students who struggle with these same problems.

CSC: How will you use your OG training?

Shay: I have been using some of the techniques of OG in my classroom and hope to give my students a head start to success for the future, so they can avoid some of the painful patterns that develop in an effort to cope in our educational system.

The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan by Ben Foss

In The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan: A Blueprint for Renewing Your Child's Confidence and Love of Learning, Ben Foss goes beyond telling readers what dyslexia is and instead focuses on what you can do. According to the book jacket, "after years of battling with a school system that did not understand his dyslexia and the shame that accompanied it, renowned activist and entrepreneur Ben Foss is not only open about his dyslexia, he is proud of it. In The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan he shares his personal triumphs and failures so that you can learn from his experiences, and provides a three-step approach for success." We highly recommend this book and if our vote isn't persuasive enough, check out this free excerpt in online print or audio format to experience these inspiring ideas for yourself. Meantime, we're going to try and get in touch with Ben for an interview. Fingers crossed...and stay tuned!

Interview: Janet George

Janet George, M.S., M.ED., Fellow/AOGPE, is the Founder and Head of The Fortune Academy and the subject of today's interview in our "inspiring people" series. According to the school's website, “The school is designed to provide an environment that nurtures each child's development, builds upon his/her individual strengths, and offers remediation in areas of weakness…Fortune Academy is 1 of only 11 schools in the United States to have its Orton-Gillingham instruction program accredited by the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators.” The Fortune Academy opened its doors in 2002. Camp Spring Creek: If you could offer one message to parents, potential employers, or members of society in general about life with a learning difference, what would that message be? What kind of shift in our thinking would be most helpful in bridging the gap or tearing down stereotypes?

Janet George: My message would be that having a learning difference is a life-long journey that  doesn't necessarily get easier, it just gets "different." Learning about your strengths helps you manage and work around those areas that can challenge you. All individuals, whether LD or not, gravitate to what they are interested in. Those with learning differences have incredible gifts that can elevate a business to a new level, can invent new devices to support the medical field, and can design and build beautiful structures for communities.

CSC: Can you tell us about a particularly inspiring or moving moment you witnessed with a child, teacher, or parent in the LD community?

JG: My "moments" happen daily when I have the opportunity to sit with a child one-on-one and have them read to me. Their sense of pride and wanting to show me how much they are improving, well...their smiles and hugs just warm my heart and feed my soul!

CSC: Each Head of School brings his/her own personal skill set and passions to a job. What would you say you bring above and beyond the mission of The Fortune Academy?

JG: My passion is to make all of our students feel special, safe, empowered, and instill in them the confidence that they CAN learn. Additionally and as importantly, helping children find their strengths--what they are good at and are interested in--and then nurturing those strengths; that is incredibly important. Greeting them every single morning as they exit their cars, welcoming them with a smile (and sometimes a hug) and letting them know how great it is that THEY are at school--all of those things are important.

CSC: The Fortune Academy offers a dynamic education for grades 1-12, but also gets involved with community outreach, trainings, and maintains a resource center. Can you tell us more about this?

JG: We have a partnership with a local college, located less than 1 mile from our campus, that our 11th and 12th graders can attend courses for duel credit. This allows them to take classes if they are interested in a vocational trade OR if they are working towards an honors diplomas. All teacher trainings happen every Friday, 1:30-2:30. All faculty members are required to participate. Our trainings include research, language instruction, assessments (lead by our school psych, who is also a Fellow and PhD), legal implications (provided by our Board Member who is a Sp.Ed. Attorney)., etc. Our community resource center provides lending materials and offers guidance for parents needing assistance. We also provide free outreach programs.

In Her Own Words: Valerie on Associate Level OG Training

This fall, Susie led a 10-day Associate Level Training session at Camp in Bakersville. Continuing our series of testimonials, today's post features Valerie--a mother, homeschool teacher, and OG tutor! Enjoy! Camp Spring Creek: Tell us a little about yourself.

Valerie: I am a former teacher turned homeschool mom. I homeschool my twin 7 year old daughters while my 4th grade son attends public school. My twins both have learning issues that brought me to Susie for training. One twin, Kaitlyn, is dyslexic, while her sister, Brooke, is deaf and uses Cochlear Implants. Both have language difficulties in speech, sentence structure, grammar, and reading.

CSC: Tell us about a critical turning point or moment of learning (an "ah-hah") that you experienced during your 10 days of Associate Level Training with Susie:

Valerie: There were many moments during training that made me think, "That makes so much sense, why have I not been doing it!" One of those moments was when studying the brain and the need for visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning...so easy for a teacher to do--but I just didn't know that I should do it.

CSC: Describe your experience at the Camp in Bakersville, working hours and hours every day, somewhat in seclusion...as you immersed yourself in the world of OG:

Valerie: We worked very hard during the 10 days at Camp. Most days we worked from 8 am until 5 pm, a few nights until 7-8pm, and then the infamous night of 1:30am when most of us had to retake a quiz. Susie worked us hard, but was always supportive and encouraging. She often said that if we were not learning then she was not teaching and would teach it a different way. I really think being at camp, completely submerged in OG, was a true benefit. There was always another trainee to ask questions, study with, or help with homework. I learned so much from my fellow trainees.

CSC: What did you learn or realize that was most surprising to you? Perhaps something you had never considered before...

Valerie: I learned that I can use Orton Gillingham with all kids, not just those with dyslexia. I learned the great reasons behind teaching cursive (which I thought was old-school and something unnecessary to teach in our current technological age). I learned that cursive is quicker, more fluid, and helps students get their ideas onto paper much more easily. At home, I am teaching my 7 year olds cursive and require my 9 year old son to do all his homework in cursive.

CSC: How will you use your OG training?

Valerie: I am currently tutoring my twins 5 days a week with Orton Gillingham. I began tutoring my first student on October 30th. I plan to begin my practicum in January 2014.