Wilson Worked Hard!

Wilson had a last day celebration today and here he is pictured with his Langsford Certificate. Wilson was a joy to work with and during one of his most recent sessions, he decided he wanted to write a letter expressing his views about working with us. Here is what he wrote (Kristin was his Learning Coordinator):




Dear Kristin, I learned at Langsford how to spell and read. All the teachers, except Paul, are nice. Paul made me work too much! Wilson

We think Wilson is going to be quite a writer. He certainly is not afraid to say what he thinks!

Nothing Goes Better With Cookies Than Milk

Rhonda, one of our Learning Coordinators in the Middletown office, recently had this story to share:

Jackie, an eighth grader, was having her celebration today. Mom ran in just as Jackie was coming up the hall, Mom breathlessly saying " I GOT IT!" to Jackie. She was carrying a jug of milk. Jackie said, "Moooooooom--I was just kiddin' about the milk."

Mom said, "I brought milk for the Oreos, surely you all have some cups here. Whoever wants milk come with me." So several folks had milk and cookies in the kitchen. Then mom did the dishes.

Oh and she made us have one of those Oreo licking contests too. ;-)

All's Not Quiet On The Reading Front

We received an interesting email from a mother of a Langsford client the other day. Among other things, she was very excited that her teenage son was starting to read for pleasure. She said he was talking to her about reading All Quiet On The Western Front, one chapter per week. For FUN she added.

He has been studying World War I in school and doing work in comprehension is opening up a whole new world to this young man as he is making connections between the book and schoolwork.

"I'm Sending My Kids to Langsford"

This week one of our clients told her instructor that when she grows up, she wants to send her kids here to do work. She said she's crossing her fingers and hopes they struggle so she can bring them here.

That's one of the many funny comments we hear around Langsford and while we certainly do not want her children to struggle, we are happy to know that she had such a fun experience working with us that she would consider us an option for her own children.

Of course, the other part to this is that Langsford also works often with students who are not really struggling, but who would just like to boost their skills. This seems to be particularly true with the work we do in comprehension for middle and high schoolers because the metacognition involved in our sessions can really help students think about how they think. This makes their learning easier and much more efficient.

Langsford Celebration with Ross the Builder

Marsha, Tracy, Mary, Jenny and Jessica help Ross celebrate his last day of regular session work. Ross entertained us regularly with the wonderful contraptions he made using the bucket of blocks we have in the lobby. Mom and Dad tell us that Ross can build something interesting out of most anything, even a few pieces of trash paper!

Ahhhh, No Anxiety at Langsford

ABOVE: Christopher, one of Langsford's instructors, enjoys dinner before one of our Trimester meetings.
Twice a month, Langsford staff participates in ongoing training and three times a year we have a bigger "Trimester" meeting. At these meetings we often invite someone from the community to speak on a topic relevant to education and learning.

Last week's meeting focused on anxiety as it relates to learning struggles. Alison Johnson, LCSW, LMFT and Traci Simonsen, LCSW presented a wonderful program helping us to understand what happens in our bodies when experiencing any type of anxiety. They gave us specific actions we can do to help relax when we find ourselves in tense and anxiety-ridden situations. By the time they were finished, the entire staff was so relaxed we nearly slid out of our chairs. :)

We also discussed how anxiety affects students who are working so hard, yet still struggling to learn. This presentation will help us in many ways, not only for ourselves personally, but also as we work with students in our sessions.

Alison and Traci have 43 years of combined experience working with families to provide therapy and specialize in alternative healing methods. They provide a variety of group offerings as well, one example being a group for teenage girls and another for mid to late teen boys.

As these two ladies spoke, we could really feel the energy and enthusiasm in what they do.

If you would like more information about their group, Integrating The Heart, call or email Langsford and we will be happy to pass on their contact information.

Three Langsford Musketeers

When waiting for sessions to start, students who come to Langsford get a chance to play with each other in our lobby. We have many puzzles, games and toys on hand and Lincoln, Julian and Joe, always had quite a good time together.