For our final meeting of this school year, our speaker was Margaret Petty, Special Education teacher at Liberty Middle School. Margaret will be moving to Rainbow Elementary school next school year to help children earlier in their school, when they need that help the most. They will find a strong advocate in Margaret, who is dyslexic herself and knows first hand from her daughter what it�s like to raise a dyslexic child.
Margaret told us to accept our children�s dyslexia from the positive side. She said dyslexia is a marvelous world of giftedness, that God gives great talent and gifts to people with dyslexia. She encouraged us that there is great light at the end of the tunnel, and she thanks God for her dyslexia, and that she can help children. Margaret�s 31 year old daughter is dyslexic and will complete her PhD in two months, Margaret�s millionaire brother is dyslexic, and so are two sisters.
At age seven, Margaret went to an all-girl, Catholic boarding school to accompany a sister going on scholarship who would only go if Margaret went along. She told us she was slow learning to read and was called �poor Margy� and was told �someday you�ll be like your sister.�
Margaret said she thought dyslexics are either highly motivated or not highly motivated with few in between. Those who are highly motivated are almost obsessive compulsive to put their world in order, while those not highly motivated are better able to see the big picture. Margaret knew early on she wanted to be a teacher but it took ten years on and off to get her elementary education degree.
When Margaret�s daughter Tasha was a college freshman they discovered she was dyslexic, which explained all the struggle through Tasha�s schooling. Although Tasha was a great dancer, athlete, and storyteller, she couldn�t read until Margaret brought home at risk materials to teach her to read. They worked together 3 to 4 hours per night to get Tasha�s work done.
One thing that worked for Tasha was the colored eyeglass lenses. This theory by Helen Irlen that some dyslexic kids also have sensitivity to white light proved true for Tasha and the overlays and glasses helped her. Margaret calls herself the OVERLAY QUEEN at her school and said most children do better with their favorite color because they feel comfortable with that color.
Margaret told us two important things to remember:
1. �If you can�t do anything else, focus on the positive. Underneath dyslexia is an incredible mind, and these are the people who make the world work. Be sure they (our children) know that they are gifted, encourage their gifts. Find their talents, develop and use them. She said one program doesn�t work for all kids, and what you have to do to encourage an under motivated dyslexic child is to make the task do-able, break it down and make it fun, and colorful.
2. Have the child read to you, stuff that�s comfortable and fun. Comic books, easy books, but not TOO easy, short books. She and Tasha read at bedtime when Tasha was too tired to fight
Margaret plans to offer two sessions in the first nine weeks of school, one at Rainbow, and one at Liberty for parents on �how to study with your kids�. Kids don�t just learn how to study automatically, and dyslexic kids need their parents to make the projects easier to see the big picture.
Margaret prefers dyslexic kids to stay in the general education classroom, having some services in the resource room, but being with their class as much as possible. Children learn from other children, and benefit from each other. Bright, gifted dyslexic kids need to be with the cream of the crop she said.
Margaret ended her comments by telling parents to talk to their children about the dyslexia and to make sure the children know that they are gifted.
She invited anyone with questions to email her at [email protected] or to call her at home at 830.4673.
We really appreciate Margaret sharing her story and her encouragement. It is exciting news indeed that dyslexic kids at Rainbow will have Margaret on their side next year!