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In May of 2003, The Children’s Dyslexia Center of the
Madison Area had its first Celebration of Achievement,
AKA Graduation, which makes this year our 20th! The remarkable effort of many tutors and mentors has directly changed the lives of over 330 children and over 1,000 more indirectly thanks to the 75-plus teachers, retirees, and people from all walks of life who took our training.
One exceptional tutor named Sandy was at that first Celebration in 2003. She often flies under the radar, but her commitment to kids who learn differently is undeniable. Together we took on the initial training in 2002 and the advanced training in 2006. I looked up to Sandy since she had been trained in multiple reading programs and had the patience of a saint. Over 30 children were remediated with her expertise at the Center, and more that she tutored privately. She shared strategies and the ins and outs of our language, like the elongated ‘I’ in a Latin-based word before the suffix like ‘remedial’ (i=/ē/). If students initially did not see the value of her lessons, they did so by the end of the year, when their reading invariably improved. A student of hers who could not read at all in September was reading at grade level by April.
This kind of improvement takes the knowledge of a journeywoman. Sandy has taught thousands of hours over decades, often taking the maximum number of students. She is a friend and comrade who is retiring this year and will be sorely missed.
It is estimated that the Children’s Dyslexia Centers nationwide have directly changed the lives of 16,000 children and indirectly 70,000 since 1996. Indirectly because many who train through our accredited course go on to work independently or in schools. If you or anyone you know is interested in our IMLEC accredited training program, email kkuenzie@cdcinc.org.
Happy summer!
Kelly Kuenzie, Director
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