{"id":1376,"date":"2020-11-24T14:27:07","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T14:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.wilsonlanguage.com\/knowledge-library\/success-story\/a-leap-of-faith\/"},"modified":"2024-08-28T18:59:12","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T18:59:12","slug":"a-leap-of-faith","status":"publish","type":"success_stories","link":"https:\/\/dev.wilsonlanguage.com\/knowledge-library\/success-story\/a-leap-of-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"A Leap of Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Pat Shafer retired in 2016, but that didn\u2019t stop her from teaching. Following two decades as a reading teacher in public and parochial schools, the idea of no longer sharing the gift of literacy with students was unfathomable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI retired because I wanted more time to travel, but I knew I couldn\u2019t leave working with kids behind,\u201d shared Pat, a Wilson<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Dyslexia Therapist (W.D.T.) and Fundations<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> Presenter for Levels K-3. Recognizing tremendous need in her community, Pat combined her passion for helping struggling readers with her extensive experience in Wilson programs to establish a bustling nonprofit tutoring center in Green Bay, WI.<\/p>\n<p>Pat\u2019s idea to open <a href=\"https:\/\/onthemarkdyslexiaclinic.wordpress.com\/\">On the Mark Dyslexia Clinic<\/a> in 2018 was met with an outpouring of community support\u2014starting with her church, Union Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC)\u2014the moment she proposed the idea.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey believe that this is a matter of justice for students with dyslexia, and really wanted to support what I was trying to do,\u201d Pat explained. The clinic is housed in the church\u2019s basement at no charge. Grants from the church and the National UCC, as well as donations from area churches, businesses, charitable foundations, parents, and community, provide funding to maintain the clinic. They also provide resources for Wilson Reading System<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> (WRS) tutor training and student materials.<\/p>\n<p>At On the Mark, Pat and her team of 12 tutors provide free WRS instruction to students with dyslexia who otherwise would not have access to the intensive instruction they need. Pat named the clinic in memory of her son, Mark, who died of a brain tumor at age 13. The clinic\u2019s name, she said, also aptly defines her conviction about the effectiveness of Wilson programs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWilson is something I have fought for because I believe it\u2019s the most complete program to cover comprehension, fluency, reading, and spelling. I just think it\u2019s the best and I\u2019m really committed to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pat is equally adamant that finances should not prevent bright kids with dyslexia from learning to read and succeed academically. \u201cStudents with dyslexia have a right to read just as other kids do.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, the clinic served 46 students, up from 24 the previous year. This year, 57 attended summer sessions after Pat diligently put extensive precautionary measures in place due to COVID-19. Protective masks, plexiglass barriers built by Pat\u2019s husband Bruce, hand sanitizer, social distancing, and other safety measures remain in place this school year.<\/p>\n<p>Grateful parents and colleagues often speak of Pat\u2019s limitless energy and passion for raising awareness about dyslexia to ensure students are seen and understood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPat truly exemplifies what it means to be an amazing teacher and person,\u201d shared Cheri Dietrich, one of the clinic\u2019s tutors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPat started On the Mark because she saw the needs of so many students in the area. However, she didn\u2019t stop with just opening the clinic and serving as the executive director. She is also an incredible teacher. She has helped so many students with dyslexia soar to new heights in their reading and writing. She selflessly gives her gift of teaching each day, asking for nothing in return.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for Pat, the rewards of her vocation are immeasurable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy cup is full from how much these parents feel I am helping their kids,\u201d she shared. \u201cIt really takes a village. I\u2019m just touched and amazed by the teamwork and generosity that make this happen. When I need something, it shows up. It\u2019s a leap of faith.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>(This article originally appeared in the Fall 2020 issue of <a href=\"https:\/\/dev.wilsonlanguage.com\/the-2020-fall-decoder\/#Decoder10\"><em>The Decoder<\/em><\/a>.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pat Shafer retired in 2016, but that didn\u2019t stop her from teaching. Following two decades as a reading teacher in public and parochial schools, the idea of no longer sharing the gift of literacy with students was unfathomable. \u201cI retired because I wanted more time to travel, but I knew I couldn\u2019t leave working with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1377,"template":"","success-story-cats":[],"success-story-tags":[],"class_list":["post-1376","success_stories","type-success_stories","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Leap of Faith - Wilson Language Training Knowledge Library<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dev.wilsonlanguage.com\/knowledge-library\/success-story\/a-leap-of-faith\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Leap of Faith - Wilson Language Training Knowledge Library\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pat Shafer retired in 2016, but that didn\u2019t stop her from teaching. 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