Category Archives: Teacher Heroes

University of Utah Reading Clinic

| July 24, 2018
https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/university-of-utah-reading-clinic/

In Utah, Michele Blake, Grace Craig, and Holly Dean are three in three million. The trio of educators at the University of Utah Reading Clinic (UURC) are Wilson® Credentialed Trainers (W.C.T.) in the expansive state of three million residents. Together with UURC Director Dr. Kathleen Brown and other Wilson-trained professionals at the clinic, they are providing intensive multisensory structured language (MSL) instruction to teachers and students from the majestic mountain ranges to the vast desert regions. Established by the state’s legislature in 1999 and housed within the university’s [...]

Teacher Appreciation Month

| May 30, 2018
https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/teacher-appreciation-month/

During Teacher Appreciation Month, we asked educators to share what it means to be part of the Wilson community. We are so very grateful to have received over 1,600 poignant, thoughtful, heartwarming, and enthusiastic responses from teachers across the country! Read on for a sampling of what they had to say. My classroom is part of the Wilson community because … ... Wilson fosters confidence. When a student struggles with reading it affects their entire day. Not only do they have difficulty in language-based subjects, but also math, music, physical education, and art. In addition, outsid [...]

Celebrating Teachers & Mothers

| May 10, 2018
https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/celebrating-teachers-mothers/

Wilson® Dyslexia Practitioner (W.D.P.) Holly Keple, a first-grade Fundations® teacher at a public elementary school in New Jersey, shares how the love of teaching spans generations in her family. In Holly's words: “I have always wanted to become a teacher ever since I was a little girl. My great-grandmother Gertie was the first to influence me, as she lived with us in our home and shared many of her lessons and handmade books with me. She was a special education assistant who not only passed down the love of teaching to my mother, but also instilled the passion in me. I lived in a home [...]

Marianna’s Mentors

| November 6, 2017
https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/mariannas-mentors/

Determination, a supportive family, dedicated teachers, and a cadre of mentors brought first-year special education teacher Marianna Wells to where she is today. Orphaned at age 2 in her native Hungary, Marianna and her three older brothers spent seven years in orphanages before coming to Massachusetts in 1999, when their adoptive parents, Doris and Kevin Wells, welcomed them into a family that already included three sons. Being the only girl among six boys was the least of Marianna’s worries. “I came from Hungary completely illiterate in my first language.” In third grade, it became e [...]

In Appreciation of Teachers

| May 4, 2017
https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/in-appreciation-of-teachers/

During our Teacher Appreciation Week Sweepstakes, we asked educators to share their most memorable moments from the field. We received nearly 1,000 responses from across the country, ranging from stories of jubilant children just learning to form words in Fundations® to the triumphant breakthroughs of struggling readers in the Just Words® and Wilson Reading System® programs.“It’s the tiny successes that have the biggest impact,” shared Julie H. “I remember the day one of my students was able to read by himself. I had been working with him for four years ... I cried, along with every [...]

Leading the Way

| April 4, 2017
https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/leading-the-way/

While Allison McAvoy can’t predict the future, the veteran educator has a pretty good idea where she intends to be one spring day in 2026: celebrating the high school graduation of a student she met when he was a headstrong first-grader with dyslexia.“Some students come in eagerly and some come in kicking and screaming,” the Chattanooga, TN, educator explained about the intricacies of running a private reading center.“One boy was adamant when he arrived, protesting, ‘I didn’t sign up for this! I don’t want to be here!’ I’ve had him for two years now. He’s now in third grad [...]

Promising Practices in Wisconsin

| August 15, 2016
https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/promising-practices-in-wisconsin/

Earlier this year, Wilson In-District Trainer Sara Adamovich was invited to participate in the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Promising Practices Workgroup to develop and share strategies for literacy success. Sara teaches at Eagle River Elementary School (Northland Pines School District), one of only 18 schools identified for the Promising Practices Workgroup because of their high reading achievement growth for students with disabilities. The workgroup was tasked with examining and recommending practices/strategies to increase literacy outcomes for students with disabilit [...]

A D.C. Fundations Kindergarten Teacher Shares Words of Wisdom

| June 9, 2016
https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/a-d-c-fundations-kindergarten-teacher-shares-words-of-wisdom/

All eyes seem to be on Marissa McGee's kindergarten classroom.  Marissa's class "has been heralded as a room to watch by D.C.'s public schools," and was visited by teachers last year for professional learning observations. Recently, the teacher from Walker-Jones Education Campus was interviewed by NPR® about her teaching philosophy. For several years now, Wilson has partnered with District of Columbia's public schools to provide coaching and support with Fundations Tier 1 implementation. We are pleased to share Marissa's story and insight! During NPR's visit, Marissa offered her classroo [...]

Teacher Appreciation Week Stories from Inspirational Educators

| May 31, 2016
https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/teacher-appreciation-week-stories-from-inspirational-educators/

During our Teacher Appreciation Week Sweepstakes, we asked educators one simple question: "What inspired you to become a teacher?"  In reply, we received over 1,000 thoughtful, motivating, and memorable stories about how teachers, reading specialists, tutors, and special education professionals chose the field of education. Many individuals were inspired by a special teacher they wanted to emulate, parents who instilled a great respect for education, or a special student who inspired them to further their career. Some individuals were motivated by their own struggle with school or a sibli [...]

A Dynamic Duo: Student and Teacher Team Up for Success

| January 7, 2016
https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/carroll-luther-school-has-success-with-wrs/

In December 2015 Mandy Gilbart, a Wilson Level I Certified educator, reached out to Wilson to share a Carroll County Times article about her remarkable Wilson Reading System® student, Coley. To read the full article, click here. We recently checked in with Mandy to learn more about her journey with Coley and Coley's recent accomplishments. Mandy wrote: I first met Coley in the weeks before the 2014-2015 school year started. She was beginning 8th grade as a new student at Carroll Lutheran School. That August day, I realized she was reading more than four years below grade level, and she d [...]