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A Mother/Tutor's Gratitude
Categories: Learning Disabilities, Parenting
Guest 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.