Friday, November 5, 2010

Our Reading Angel - Part I

Have you ever had someone come into your life... and then you have to let them go... like an angel?  We have.  For those of you who may be new to my blog, or may just not know, our youngest son, J, is severely dyslexic.  For more on this, I wrote this post last year. But I'll give you a little background anyway...

We had a feeling something was wrong four years ago when J's 4K teacher said he didn't know all of his letters by the end of the year.  I was teaching in a private school that catered to children with dyslexia, so I was able to recognize some signs.  By December of 5K, J knew only five letters.  He said they moved around on the page.  He said they were the color red.  In talking with his sweet teacher, we learned that she was worried. If he didn't progress faster, he would not be ready for first grade. I felt a pit in my stomach.  I knew this cognitively.  I really did.  But it's not until you internalize it and it hits your heart that it becomes a reality.  You wake up in the middle of the night and tiptoe out of your bed so that your husband does not hear you weep uncontrollably. 
But I God to thank for the blessing that I work where I do.  There are perks when you teach where your children go to school.  I'm sorry, but that's the reality.  My wonderful and supportive principal got the ball rolling to get J tested.  It took about two weeks to go through the process and get the results.  Testing showed a large gap between his cognitive ability and his performance.  A BIG RED FLAG for a learning disability.  To get more information, we then had him evaluated at a private learning center.  Confirmation:  DYSLEXIA.

And this is where our angel, Mrs. Coats appears....

9 comments:

  1. Can't wait to read more. And btw, when can I come over? I really need to talk about this. See, you are now an angel for me! I really needed someone to be able to relate to me regarding this issue. *tears*

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  2. So happy you have a mrs coats to help with your baby!
    xoxo
    SC

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  3. Angels are all around us! Looking forward to reading about your Angel! J will read, I just know it!! :) xoxo

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  4. Oh, Bevy, we would never abandon you or Golden Day! I just thought you were too busy to post! What is up with Blogger these days?

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  5. I stumbled across your blog today and....I love it! I can't wait until I have a time to go back and read your old posts. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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  6. I can't wait to read more....
    that same pit in the stomach is lurking around here too.

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  7. I too didn't see this post until just now ~ certainly not ignoring you. I'm attending a conference in a few weeks that will be discussing this factor {as well as others} in young children. I'm looking forward to it even more now.

    Jo

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  8. Oh Bevy, Being a teacher has perks but it's also tough when you can recognize signs of difficulty. So glad that your son is in a good place and has tons of love and support. You're an amazing woman. xoxo

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  9. Thanks for recognizing a teacher in your child's life as one of his angels. With so much bad press about teachers it is great to applaud one for her work. Great to hear Jackson is doing so well and adapting to his way of learning.

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Thanks for your sweet comments... They make my day just that more Golden!