Monday, September 19, 2011

Mastering the art of spelling

Our son needed help with spelling. Though he did well in school in general, he had long-struggled with knowing how to spell correctly. We had tried various interventions over the years, but at the age of 13 he was still testing in the 10 to 20th percentiles on standardized tests for spelling.


When we presented the idea of another round of intervention to our son, he reacted very negatively. I wasn't exactly sure why he was so unhappy about the prospect--perhaps he felt embarrassed about his struggle or perhaps it was a negative experience in the past with tutoring.


The day came to go to the Langsford Center for our first meeting with his tutor. I still remember sitting in the waiting room together observing others who were in and out and being concerned about what our son was feeling. He seemed to be the oldest one there at that moment--another potential hit to his teenage ego. I wondered how he would react to his first session.


To my delight, he came out of his first session smiling and never once complained about attending his twice-a-week sessions. He looked forward to them!


The secret to Langsford success for our son was the combination of rapid skills building by having intensive training in spelling and high quality tutors whom Phil enjoyed. Langsford has truly mastered the art and the science of their work.


I am happy to report that our son received straight As for the second semester of his Freshman year! (Only one B on the first semester). His academic confidence is on an upward trajectory, and we give Langsford credit for doing their part to help him with his spelling.


-Written by Phil's mother

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