"One person can make a difference, and everyone should try." Those are the worlds of John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States.
9 year old Tucker exemplifies them. He recently inspired change that will help dyslexic students across the entire state of Alabama! Here's his story from the
Valley-Times News:
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MONTGOMERY - October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, and a very special event occurred in Montgomery on Oct. 9 that will directly impact the lives of children who suffer from this disability. The Alabama State School Board unanimously voted to amend the state administrative code with changes that will help the 10 -20 percent of Alabama children who are affected with dyslexia, including providing dyslexia screenings and early intervention.
For months, many Alabama parents, grandparents and other advocates have worked tirelessly on behalf of students with this learning challenge. One of those parents is Jenny Smith, an oncology nurse whose fourth grade son attends Fairfax Elementary School in Valley.
"When I met with Jenny early last spring, she briefed me on what dyslexia is and how it effected her son, Tucker," said District 2 state school board member Betty Peters. "She explained that although Tucker is very bright, he could not read. He could not even identify one letter of the alphabet from the others, and soon grew very discouraged. As sometimes happens, educators at the school thought he would outgrow the problem; but as time went on, he fell further behind. All subject areas were negatively affected and Tucker began to feel like a complete failure. On her own, Ms. Smith sought a diagnosis, and discovered it was dyslexia.
When Tucker was in second grade, a teacher who had been trained in MSLE (Multi-sensory Learning Education), which is a component of Alabama's new dyslexia plan, was located at another Chambers County elementary school. The school system arranged for her to come to Tucker's school five times a week for 45 minutes over a period of two years.
At the end of third grade, Tucker could read on grade level. Because he was identified early and received appropriate intervention, Tucker Smith's story shifted from one of failure to one of success.
"I am very grateful to the teachers and staff at Fairfax School who have done everything they possibly could to help Tucker. They've been absolutely wonderful," said Jenny Smith.
"Tucker's story convinced me, and I told his mom that I wanted to work with her and the other Alabama advocates to ensure all our students are given the same opportunity for success," added Peters.
"When I met Tucker following our board meeting, I learned something very special had happened earlier that morning. While riding with his mom to Montgomery, Tucker had finished reading 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid,' which he explained was the first 'chapter book' that he had read from start to finish. I noticed he had his next chapter book, 'Roderick Rules,' with him to read on the way back home."
Tucker continues his reading improvement, which would not have been possible without the proper diagnosis and appropriate intervention he received. Peters said her hope, and that of the state school board, is to provide the same opportunity to a wider group of children whose daily battles with dyslexia are preventing them from achieving their full potential.