by Debra Mitchell, Director of Admissions, Transition and Testing
For many parents it feels like the school year just started, but Riverside School has already received many inquiries about admission for the following school year. Part of my job as Director of Admissions is to meet with families as they start the application process and to have the opportunity to show them happy, successful students.
The journey to find a setting like Riverside School for a dyslexic child can be a long, arduous process. Often families arrive here because their child is not experiencing success in their current educational environment. This is when I love to take these families on the tour of our building. To witness the Orton-Gillingham Approach in action requires no words. Parents see movement, touch manipulatives, and hear laughs.
Students at Riverside School are happy children. I cannot tell you the number of parents that are shocked by how engaged the students are at Riverside School. When I give current students the opportunity to share a thought about Riverside with prospective families, it is often a how they can actually learn at Riverside when they couldn’t at their previous school or how Riverside teaches in a way that helps reading make sense to them.
Students’ feelings about themselves and about learning are vital. A component of the Orton-Gillingham Approach that often goes unnoticed is the fact that it is emotionally sound. In this approach, teaching is directed toward experiencing success and this is so important for our students. With success, comes self-confidence. And with self-confidence, students can thrive and reach their fullest potential.