The Free tutoring offer

Some history:  At the beginning of January 2012 we got the diagnosis of dyslexia for our daugther.  I immediately began searching for a tutor (thinking that we were going to stay in the small Catholic school we attended at the time).

She could barely read. She was getting one hour of tutoring from a supposedly Orton Gillingham trained tutor (who was really doing reading recovery which doesnt work for dyslexic kids).  It was not  helping.  I read with her every single night so I would have known.

It was first grade but in her classroom of 25 kids there was a sink or swim attitude from her teacher who had, in our first conference of the year called her inattentive, unable to complete her work etc etc (all very personally critical of our daugther).

This prompted the testing since of course I didnt believe this teacher who I really saw as trying place as much blame as possible on my daughter with no regard to teaching methodology. (Plus remember my family had been through this when I was growing up with my brother- lots of staying in at recess and punishments).

I worked for the whole month of February as hard as possible trying to find a tutor once I knew it was dyslexia.  

One of the places which is free is run by the Masonic Temple and in my town is called the Children's Dyslexia Center.  I submitted all the necessary paperwork as quickly as possible. 

It's June.  They now have a free tutor for my daughter starting this fall.

This is good of course but my point here is that none of this is fast enough. 

An ENTIRE YEAR would have passed had I been in the position to have to wait for this assistance for my child. 

That is an ENTIRE YEAR of:

being berated by her teacher,

not being able to keep up with her lessons,

working 4 times harder in class than a non-dyslexic student,

being called ____ (you name it) by peers who would have no inkling about learning differences,

having her self esteem challenged by a read-as-fast-as-you-can overly competitive society.

None of this is okay.

Will we take the free tutoring?  I dont know. 

So far I have paid for many other options and my child is reading (thanks to the Orton Gillingham based instruction at her private school) at a grade appropriate level now.  Still, none of this should be about how much our family can pay!  

I say my prayers every single day that God bless those children who I know are blaming themselves for their learning difference.  Most of them dont even know they have a learning difference. 

I can get really worked up about this very quickly.

On the good side for me I just had our daugther privately assessed again by a private tutor who didnt even think her dysgraphia was too bad (and this tutor has seen a lot over the years).

So I'm feeling pretty good about our current situation although I am pressing hard for another year at the overly expensive private school.  Saying my prayers she can be there another year.  We shall see.