The Prentice School in Tustin is a private K-12 school for children with language-based learning differences. Carol Clark has been at the school for 17 years and will be retiring this summer after nine years as executive director. She spoke with the Tustin News about dyslexia and how The Prentice School's programs help children with learning differences achieve their full potential.
Q. Describe the problem dyslexics have with learning.
A. The term dyslexia is Greek, with dys meaning "difficult" and lexia meaning "word" or "language." The reason kids with dyslexia have difficulty learning to read and spell is because they don't get the sounds of our language. At Prentice, it's about getting to the sound of language first, before you get into associating those sounds with the letters.
Q. How does The Prentice School adapt to the needs of its students?
A. We do as much multi-sensory instruction as possible. When we introduce a new word, the students hear it, say it, see it, and write it in the in air so they feel it. This method links all three of the learning channels. The rationale is you're going to use all channels simultaneously so the stronger channels help the weaker channels.
Q. What is the greatest challenge for dyslexic children and parents?
A. What really hurts them is being in a traditional classroom where they see themselves as stupid because they aren't understanding the information the way it is being presented. It's not because of bad teaching; it's just not the right approach for them. A lot of our kids come into the school feeling defeated, and one of our big goals is to have them come into the classroom and be able to relax and take risks again.
Q. What accomplishments are you most proud of from your time at Prentice?
A. During my time, I've encouraged and developed our technology, carrying us into the 21st century and hiring experts to help us. Our kids love our interactive smart boards because they're multisensory. It's really fun to go in and see the kids smiling and happy and interacting with the technology.
Contact the writer: 714-796-8670
Contact the writer: email@example.com