GISD Dyslexia Informer
January 2021
Dyslexia Spring Intersession
Registration is now closed and we are preparing for the upcoming Spring Intersession!
Students that have been registered will be face to face, or virtual, and transportation will be provided for those who need it.
Spring Intersession for dyslexia will take place March 8-12, 2021. Sellers Middle School, for grades k-8, and Naaman Forest High School, for grades 9-12, are the dyslexia intersession locations. Schedules will follow those of the campus based intersession at elementary, middle and high school.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your dyslexia teacher/therapist at the campus, or campus administration.
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Dyslexia: Perspective and Support for the Student With Dyslexia for Those of Us Who Have Not Been Identified
Are you good at art? Maybe you are good at dancing, swimming or playing basketball. Some people are great with numbers. We all have strengths and weaknesses. We all have things we do well and other things we attempt that seem impossible. So imagine if I asked you to do the one thing that you find difficult for six to eight hours a day. How would you feel? If you are a horrible dancer and your job depended on your dancing ability, what type of impact would that have on your self-esteem and your internal thoughts of your abilities?
Our students are often asked to do the most difficult thing for them every day, every hour of the day with no reprieve or feeling of success. In GISD we understand that, and our students deserve a positive learning experience.
Here are some ways to have a positive impact with our students:
- Communication is key. Talk with your dyslexia teacher/therapist on the campus, teachers, and those who have an interest. We are on the same team, and we are here to help support each other.
- Assume positive intent. I have never met a student, or a teacher, who did not want to do well and be successful. Teachers want to make a difference and students want to do well in school.
- Ask why. Students who are struggling in their classes have a reason that they are not doing well. It is up to us to find out the "why".
- Empathy. Understand and recognize what the student is going though, connect in a meaningful way.
- Collaborate. Work with others who can help. Counselors, teachers, parents, dyslexia therapists/teachers, and other personnel can work together for the betterment of the student.
- Listen. Hear what the student is telling you. Allow them to express their feelings and allow them to express their thoughts and reasons as to why they are struggling. Allow them to share with you about what dyslexia looks like for them.
- Keep high expectations, provide support, and give the student opportunities for success. With accommodations and support a student can have a high level of success. Setting expectations without direction and support may set the student up for failure. By providing them support and opportunities, it can open many doors for academic success.
Our students deserve to have a good academic experience and should be afforded educational opportunities that will allow them to thrive in society.Together, we can make a difference.
Quote of the Month
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Resources: Three Beneficial Books for Parents and Teachers
Sally Shawitz, 2020
https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Dyslexia-Complete-Science-Based-Problems/dp/0679781595
Late, Lost and Unprepared: A Parent's Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning
Joyce Cooper-Kahn, Laurie Dietzel, 2008
Nowhere to HIde: Why Kids with ADHD and LD Hate School and What We Can Do About It
Jerome J. Schultz, 2011
GISD Dyslexia Therapist Spotlight
Terri McElroy, Dyslexia Therapist, Northlake Elementary
This is my 29th year of teaching and I have been working with students with dyslexia for 25 years as a CALT (Certified Academic Language Therapist). I graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University as the top graduating senior in my class. I received my dyslexia training from Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children . I was originally trained using the Dyslexia Training program. I have been trained, worked with, and understand various dyslexia programs including Take Flight.
I am an avid reader and feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to help so
many struggling students.
GISD Dyslexia
Email: MEisinger@garlandisd.net
Website: https://www.garlandisd.net/content/dyslexia
Location: 501 South Jupiter Road, Garland, TX, USA
Phone: 972-487-3347
Twitter: @gisd_dyslexia