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A Mother/Tutor's Gratitude

Categories: Learning Disabilities, Parenting

Penny-PayneGuest author, mother and reading tutor Penny Auchmuty penned this loving letter to her son, published on her blog, Dyslexia - Our Story.

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Dear Payne, On the eve of what will be the start of tutoring a new student, there are a few things I wanted you to know. Because of you- I will use all the knowledge I now have about dyslexia and reading struggles that I didn’t have when you were their age, to help them.  Because of you- I promise, I will never tell them to try harder because I now understand that’s a horrific thing to say to a dyslexic student. Because of you- I will not get frustrated with them when they have difficulty spelling a word or remembering a sight word, I will show them a different way, a better way. Because of you- I will make sure to let them know how awesome they are. ​ Because of you- I now know what Orton-Gillingham is.  Because of you- I am now a tutor helping children like you learn to read.  Because of you- My life has taken a turn in a direction that I never envisioned.  Because of you- I now have an irrepressible drive and a mission to make a difference.  Because of you- I feel like I’m a better person.   Thank you. Penny Wagner-Auchmuty is a founding member of Decoding Dyslexia-West Virginia and Decoding Dyslexia-North Carolina along with her husband Neil and children, Payne and Kaitlin. She is a volunteer Augustine Literacy Project Tutor for ReadWS (Read*Write*Spell) in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, North Carolina. Penny trained in 2014 to become a volunteer IEP Partner for North Carolina’s Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center (ECAC.) Her blog is Dyslexia: Our Story.