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Heartfelt Thanks: How Kells Saved My Son
Heartfelt Thanks: How Kells Saved My Son
April 2013
Our son Jordan was diagnosed as being dyslexic and with a condition called sensory Integration dysfunction. At the end of Grade 3 his reading level was that of a child in Kindergarten. We switched Jordan to the Vanguard School in grade 4. Vanguard is a school that specializes in teaching children with Learning Difficulties. By the middle of grade 6, Jordan was bored, restless, uninterested in learning and was heading towards being a juvenile delinquent drop out.
This is where Kells entered our lives. We moved Jordan to Kells Elementary School in the middle of grade 6. We immediately saw an improvement in his learning, his grades, but most importantly in his attitude.
Kells High School saved our son. During his 5 years at the Kells High School, Jordan was engaged by his teachers. The faculty really got to know Jordan, both his strengths and his weaknesses. The staff helped Jordan as a team. This included everyone from the secretary at reception to the principal.
The teachers at Kells really made the difference. They understood Jordan and his issues. When homework was emailed to students in Grade 10 & 11 by the media teacher- we were on the email distribution list. This helped us ensure that homework was handed in.
The most important tool Kells gave Jordan was the ability to use out of the box solutions to his problems, including his lack of organizational skills. In grade 8, Ms. Campbell and Jordan discovered that the reason Jordan’s homework was not being handed in was because it was not getting from the printer at home to the classroom. Ms. Campbell encouraged Jordan to submit assignments by email. Jordan took this solution to all his classes and the issue virtually disappeared.
Kells used Jordan’s strength- his intelligence and his ability to quickly comprehend material – to make him feel capable and to give him the confidence to handle his weaknesses- his difficulty reading and writing.
Kells allowed Jordan to flourish because they made him feel welcome, safe and normal- even if he had learning issues. The teachers pushed him and told him they were doing so because they knew him to be smart and able to do more. Jordan believed them because he knew they really knew him. He also knew that the teachers would not let him get away with anything.
Jordan graduated Kells with an 83% overall average, and won the award for most improved student!