Despite her own learning challenges in reading and math as a child, Evan Lefton knew at an early age she wanted to become a teacher after being inspired by a patient middle school teacher who recognized and encouraged her talent in writing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a child with a learning difference, I grew up in a time where there was one method, three oral reading groups (mine being the lowest), and many teachers who did not understand or have the patience for a \u2018slow reader,\u2019 she shared.\u00a0\u201cThis was excruciatingly painful and embarrassing as a young girl, but it also lit my fire. I knew at an early age that I wanted to become a teacher, and I made a promise that I would NEVER let another child feel the humiliation that I experienced.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evan fulfilled her goal of becoming a special educator, then upped her teaching game in 1999 by becoming certified in the Wilson Reading System\u00ae <\/sup>(WRS). Most recently, she taught for 12 years at the Churchill Center and School in St. Louis, MO, before retiring in 2017. She\u00a0continues to tutor struggling readers.<\/p>\n \u201cBack when I was learning Wilson, we were creating our own workbooks and using cookie sheets to house our magnetic tiles. For the first time in my life, I learned our language.\u00a0I mean really learned it.\u00a0I got answers to confusing questions that I never even knew had answers:\u00a0\u2018Oh! So this is why s says \/z\/!\u2019\u00a0I couldn’t wait to open the eyes of my students, as mine had been opened. There was now a system in tandem with my compassion,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWilson is a game changer, a confidence builder, a magical and brilliant gift for any human learning our language.\u00a0But the biggest gift is that it gives struggling readers their first sense of competence and feeling good about themselves. It builds their self-esteem, and some of these kids have never felt that \u2013 ever. It\u2019s amazing to see that happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Cara Boliantz, a reading tutor in Ohio, and Christina Farrell, a special education teacher at a public school district in\u00a0Illinois, shared similar experiences.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was in elementary school, I was diagnosed with dyslexia,”\u00a0said Cara, a Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner who earned her WRS Level I Certification in 2016. “My mother fought long and hard for some type of phonics program to be taught at my public school. I eventually was taught the Wilson Reading System. Years later, I am now a Wilson certified tutor! I get the opportunity to teach students that deal with the same issues I live with every day. It brings me so much joy to encourage my kids with their self-esteem and enforce perseverance.\u201d<\/p>\n When you’ve\u00a0experienced the same struggles as your students, you can relate to their frustration and the vulnerability they feel revealing their reading weakness,\u00a0said Christina, who is currently pursuing her WRS Level I Certification.<\/p>\n “During\u00a0my introductory Wilson course, the trainer explained that one\u2019s ability to read and write is not an indicator of intelligence. This was a game-changer for me. It confirmed what I had always suspected about my own learning and the learning of my students,” she said.<\/p>\n “I became a special education teacher because I know the loneliness, self-esteem issues, and generalized anxiety that are associated with being a \u2018poor learner.\u2019 From day one of working with my practicum student, I was convinced that this style of learning is THE WAY to rebuild confidence and gain access to a world that feels utterly inaccessible. I am overjoyed with the progress I have seen in my students, but the psychological changes I have seen in myself have been nothing short of miraculous. WRS is a passion for me, and I am honored to have the privilege of sharing this gift with as many students as I can.”<\/p>\n