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Dyslexia is defined by the International Dyslexia Association as: “Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.” The most important part of this definition, for me, is the word “unexpected” because so many people with dyslexia are not only highly intelligent, but are among the hardest workers and often rise to the highest ranks in their professions.  Dyslexia has NOTHING to do with intelligence, potential or capability.  People with Dyslexia can do anything and achieve anything- especially with early detection, evidence-based interventions and support.  If your child is experiencing an “unexpected” difficulty in reading, please reach out to My Learning Farm at www.mylearningfarm.com to help unleash his/her potential.

As I see fall’s splendors abound in reds, yellows, oranges; feel the cool crisp air; smell dewy leaves- I feel such gratitude for all of the gifts My Learning Farm has brought to my life these past four years. I feel lucky to have met so many great kiddos and families. I feel in a place of peace, gratitude and a deep knowing that this is the “work” I have been called to do. I am humbled to be able to use the gifts I have spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours in trainings, certifications, workshops to learn to help children build reading, writing, math and spelling, spelling skills here at My Learning Farm surrounded by beauty, animals and calm. Knowing I am helping families advocate on behalf of their children to receive comprehensive evaluations, goals, accommodations and services makes my heart smile. I finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up-Me!- doing exactly what I am doing to help support kids and families. If your child is struggling in reading, writing, spelling or math, please visit www.mylearningfarm.com and contact me today!

I write this blog because it's that time of year for parent/teacher conferences and progress reports. If your child is struggling in school, please reach out for academic support, my wish for your kiddo is to rise like the phoenix and redefine themselves! I think about so many students over the years, but one student stands out particularly. She came to My Learning Farm for math support. She kept telling me she,”loved school, but hated math because I'm not good at math.” We spent the summer building math skills, particularly division facts and long division skills. She always came ready to learn, but was so timid in her math approach-little by little-her willingness to stretch herself, to tackle more complex problems, to walk and talk her way through them and get the correct results were emerging. Her confidence, scores and abilities kept increasing. On our last session, she told me, “I like math and I’m good at it!” Yes, Ms C-this is for you-you are a division diva, my dear girl! You can do it, you are doing it and doing it well. Redefine yourself as the amazing math student you are and tackle math head on-you’ve got this! Be like the mythical phoenix and rise from the ashes to achieve, to be who you are meant to be! Please reach out to My Learning Farm for 1:1 math support for k-8 students at www.mylearningfarm.com

So many times parents come to me asking about what the process looks like to seek evaluations for IEP/504 plans for their children; this process is governed by state and federal IDEA/ADA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Americans with Disabilities Act) laws and have VERY specific timelines. First, a parent should look at the overall academic, social, emotional, medical picture for your child-what are the academic needs, specific medical needs, emotional needs? Then schedule a meeting with your child's teachers to see if what you are seeing at home aligns. I LOVE teachers, I LOVE principals and I LOVE special educators-I believe they have the BEST interest in their hearts for your child’s success and I highly recommend open communication. Many times, teachers can coordinate an SST (Student Study Team) pre-intervention plan to help bolster skills with additional teacher supports. If you feel that may not be enough, then parents can write a letter to your child’s principal requesting a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation in the areas of need (you and your child’s teacher have identified above). From the date of the formal letter, the school has 15 days to respond to parent requests. The school will develop an AP (assessment plan) and parents can review and sign it when parents feel it is complete. The school has 60 days to complete an evaluation and hold an IEP (Individual Education Plan) meeting to review the results of the completed evaluations. If your child qualifies for special education services, an IEP/504 plan will be developed with yearly measurable goals and benchmarks. Parent consent must be given by signing the IEP/504 document prior to your child receiving services. This process can feel overwhelming, if you need additional support to help navigate this process, please reach out to My Learning Farm www.mylearningfarm.com

As a new school year dawns, it can be an important time to bring your child’s team together to huddle up and develop an effective game plan to support your kiddo. Whether or not your child has an IEP, 504 Plan or no formal educational plan in place-discuss your child’s unique strengths and areas of needs with your child’s teachers and support staff. Make sure your child’s needs are being met, understand how you can support your child at home, get a feel for the year’s topics, curriculums and talk next steps if your child falls behind. My Learning Farm provides advocacy support to help navigate the complex special education process visit www.mylearningfarm.com for more information.

My Learning Farm summer camps are filled with fun, animals, adventures, new experiences, games, crafts and farm life. I LOVE meeting new kids and families and sharing my passion about farm life with them. We learn by doing, exploring and immersing ourselves in farm life through hands-on projects, activities, animal encounters, crafts and games. Whether it be the ever-popular egg drop, handling chickens, painting, tye-dying, gathering fresh eggs, making new friends or group games and through STEM-there is something for everyone. I LOVE the great questions from curious minds and the sheer joy of working with farm animals. Summer camp holds a special place in my heart-find out more at www.mylearningfarm.com.

Summer is a time for kiddos and families to relax, unwind, make memories and...it can also be an important time for a struggling student, emerging reader to build skills in reading, writing, math and spelling. My Learning Farm’s 7-week summer session is an ideal time to work 1:1 with students who need additional support. Building school-based skills during summer is an opportunity for kiddos to catch up and feel confident about themselves and their skills when school starts in the fall. I LOVE what I do! You can find out more about myself and My Learning Farm at www.mylearningfarm.com

The end of the school year is always so hard for me to say goodbye to students who graduate from structured literacy, complete explicit math instruction, complete spelling, writing coursework or attend farm classes. Whether it’s building reading, writing, math, spelling or farm classes-goodbyes are always hard! Working 1:1 allows me to build relationships, rapport and get to know each kiddo. Believe it or not, we have fun working together! Even with group farm classes, every kiddos brings something fun and interesting to the class. It’s hard to say goodbye after spending time together, but nothing makes my heart smile bigger than seeing a kiddo who is confident, capable and ready to fly! I love hearing from families about kiddos’ next adventures, successes, wins and man, when they come back for a visit-it’s always great! I truly LOVE what I do at My Learning Farm to help build students skills in reading, writing, math, spelling, through advocacy and farm classes. Happy trails kids!

Learning multiplication and division facts can be challenging for some students. For those students the amount of classed homework time dedicated to learning them is often eclipsed and the class has moved on to another math concept, leaving them behind. This was the case for both of my children. That is, until I was exposed to math methodologies that took the struggle, rote memorization and drill and kill out of it. I work with kiddos teaching an explicit, evidence-based math methodology that helps kiddos learn, remember and apply multiplication and division facts in fun, quick activities, practice and application. We work together 1:1 to master multiplication facts and improve understanding of multiplication and division. If your child is struggling to learn multiplication and division facts, please reach out to My Learning Farm today. www.mylearningfarm.com

When I first started on this journey with my own children, I kept hearing the names Orton and Gillingham come up in conversations, on internet blogs, advertising for various reading interventions and I wanted to know more...Who are these strangely hyphenated names and what is their connection/contribution to helping my children learn to read? I dug until I found out all about them and THEY ARE MY HEROS! I know you’ll love them, too... Samuel Torrey Orton (1879-1948) was a neuropsychiatrist and pathologist who studied reading difficulty in cognitively typical children starting in the 1920’s. He focused his attention on children who struggled to learn to read despite being typically functional, hitting childhood milestones-often these children displayed high verbal intelligence, mathematical, social skills, but had extreme difficulties learning to read, for an unknown (at that time) reason. He found that children with language processing disorders needed reading, phonics and reading instruction broken down into manageable chunks using a multi-sensory approach. He developed a set of teaching strategies and approaches that worked to support and build successful reading skills with this population of children. During the 1930s-1940s he teamed up with Anna Gillingham (1878-1963) a well-known educator and psychologist who had an uncanny ability to understand and breakdown language skills into rules (orthographic mapping and phonics). The two worked together to create instructional materials for teachers to support this student population. The Orton-Gillingham methodology is still considered the gold standard approach to help students with language processing disorders like dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia. The cornerstone of the Orton-Gillingham methodology is that through explicit, systematic, multi-sensory teaching, it builds connections between letters, sounds (phonics) to decode words. Orton-Gillingham’s work pioneered effective literacy programs. Practitioners are trained to use sight, hearing, touch and movement to help students make meaningful reading connections in a systemic, explicit, 1:1, foundational approach-teaching over 374+ phonics rules. I LOVE Orton-Gillingham for giving the gift of literacy to EVERY child who walks through my doors. My HEROS!

I pour my heart and soul into My Learning Farm Classes because teaching kids about the importance of agriculture, our natural world through hands-on projects and activities, engagement, games, crafts because it helps kids feel connected to our world. My Learning Farm classes take place on my family farm in Penryn in the Big Red Barn where we learn about a variety of ag topics including chickens, compost, soil, plants, animal husbandry, predators, alpacas, working dogs and more. Empowering kids with knowledge and skills, making new friends, creating, building, getting their hands dirty and the inner calm of being in the presence of animals-kids learn the beauty and importance of our natural world and their place in it. I LOVE teaching farm classes-seeing kids joy, discovery, successes and try-agains on the farm is the best. Please visit www.mylearningfarm.com and click Farm Classes.

As Valentine's Day approaches, I often think of the most important job of a parent...to fill your child's LOVE cup! I am grateful to do work that I LOVE, that fills my love cup and to pour love and support into children's cups. One of the first questions I get from parents who come to me for academic support for their struggling learners is, "what can I do at home to help my child?" My reaction usually takes parents aback, I start by telling them to love their child, to praise him/her, tell them s/he is AMAZING! I say this because by the time kiddos come to me, they're struggling, self-esteem is affected, they feel badly about themselves. My approach to academic support is to ensure kids feel important, special, capable and able to tackle anything! In time, I send work home for parents to support their children-decodable readers, worksheets, guided words, sentences when children are at a point where they feel good enough about themselves and their new skills to "show-off" to their parents. Contact My Learning Farm today for academic support in reading, writing and math www.mylearningfarm.com.