People have often asked me how our students are able to see such long-lasting and dramatic improvements in school when nothing else has worked. In today's post, I want to share with you a story about just that.
My sincere desire is that hearing this story will give you hope for your own student. Hope that there actually is something you can do that will not only help them succeed in school, but also build their confidence and realize their full potential!
If you'd like to read more about how our program differs from traditional tutoring programs be sure and check out my previous posts here and here.
Now on to Mike's story...
Mike's Story
When a parent comes to me and asks me if I can help their child with math, I often think about Mike.
Mike came to me at midterm of his freshman year in High School. After two years of struggling with math in Middle School (during which he had MANY tutoring sessions) he was still doing very poorly. After our initial evaluation, we discovered that he was weak in several key concept ability areas that involved mathematics. No surprise there.
However, what was surprising is that there were several concept areas of reading that were weak as well. Oh, he could read okay, just not as easily as he should. As a result, he didn’t like to read, therefore his vocabulary wasn’t as good as it could be. Several other reading areas that involved upper level comprehension were being affected.
No longer just "getting by"
Upon screening for sensory integration and focusing skills, we discovered some of the culprits. His eyes were not sweeping smoothly left to right and they didn’t land with ease on a target. Furthermore, his eyes were unable to focus tightly on small numbers or letters for an extended period of time without experiencing fatigue. When this happened he would become distracted, losing his train of thought and then frustration would set in.
A couple of months into his program he commented that it seemed like his reading was becoming easier. A couple of months later math began to come around. Now he was ready to grasp the concepts!
Much to his credit, he even decided to repeat a math course rather than electing to just do summer school, saying he really needed to understand the material, not just “get by.”
We have seen great improvement. (He has an A so far!) Needless to say his self confidence has greatly improved. He now sees himself as someone who is in charge of his learning!
Here’s what his mom wrote:
“My son is just finishing the program with amazing results. After two years in Middle School, doing very poorly in Math, I was very frustrated. He had several tutors and programs and he never seemed inspired by them. Since he started at Synap2it, we have nothing but good results. The patience, caring and confidence building are superior. My son has flourished under this program.Thank you again!”
-Dripping Springs parent
The Ultimate Reward
As you can see, taking the time to evaluate the "root cause" of the learning difficulty and taking time to build up the concepts, vision, and motor-sensory integration skills needed yields incredible results!
Instead of just saying, "I'm just not good at _________" and accepting this as their lot in life, students are able to see real, long-lasting improvement!
Helping students develop this kind of confidence, ownership over their life-long learning, and realize their full potential is, for me, one of the greatest rewards this program has to offer.
If you've tried everything else and are ready for lasting change, I'd love to talk with you and see how we can help! Click here to schedule a free consultation!
0 comments