And the award for Bravery in Learning goes to Grace!
Learning difficulties are often traumatic for children. No one wants to be different, so they hide the fact that they can’t do the same academic tasks their peers do so easily. They tell themselves they can’t do it because they’re stupid, and this negative self-talk further damages their confidence. This was Grace when she first came to the Fort Wayne Center for Learning.
“From early on, Grace had difficulty focusing at school. The only time she could complete her work was if she was standing at the teacher's desk. Before long, the teacher started sending home Grace's incomplete assignments with long notes telling us that Grace had to stay in at recess because she wasn't finishing her work, that she wasn't applying herself, that she was disrespectful, and disruptive. One evening, we were at a school fundraiser and Grace's teacher walked into the room and Grace dove under the table. She wouldn't come out. When we left that evening, Grace was crying and wouldn't talk. The next morning, she started throwing up. I remember sitting on the side of the bathtub holding her in my arms, rocking her and crying with her. I stroked her hair and told her she would never have to go back. I pulled her out of school that day.”
— Grace’s Mom
“FWCL is the one place Grace always wanted to go. She has always hopped out of the car to dash ahead to get there. Even on the days where she didn't feel like working - she felt safe there.”
— Grace’s dad
“I just felt like normal. The whole time I was at FWCL, no one was ever mad at me. Never. Not once.”
— Grace
Fast forward to now, after several months of intensive instruction in comprehension, reading, spelling & math:
“Something clicked and the world opened up to her - she could read all the normal, everyday things that had been floating around her for years: street signs, billboards, the names of restaurants, the church bulletin, the cereal box. She found our Snoopy comics books and started following me from room to room reading them out loud. Her life, seemingly overnight, became so much richer. She became brave and motivated. Her self-confidence soared.”
- Grace’s Mom
“We still have a road ahead of us. But she wants to engage now. She has a stake in it. She understands the joy of reading. She has fun computing a tricky math problem. FWCL taught her to show up and try her best. From day one, the care and compassion that everyone has given us, all of us, has been phenomenal. During our time with FWCL, I believe we all healed from a very traumatic few years. We are a single-income family of six. Without the scholarship Grace was given, we would not have been able to send her to FWCL. The impact this program has made on Grace is so powerful. I saw the fruits of everyone's hard work when she bravely marched into school on her first day and gave it her all - a far cry from the girl who was diving under the tables a few months ago.”
— Grace’s Mom