I use to get mad or fight with my mom when I had to meet with my reading tutor. I really struggled when it was time to learn to read.
Eventually, after lots of tests, they said I had a learning disability.
Reading and spelling are challenging for me.
"And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against
This Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth,
And he man of war from his youth."
Both my family and my church accepted me as I was.
They worked with me and taught me to value education despite my disability.
Their support helped me succeed in high school.
"Thy servant kept his father's sheep,
There came a lion, and a bear thy servant slew both the lion and the bear
The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion,
And out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine."
The love of my family and my church sustained me at college.
The skills they gave me made me strong enough to advocate for myself.
I faced my final college semester with confidence just like David faced Goliath.
Today, my heart breaks for one of our new students. ”Alex is a 12 year old in “grade 6.” (Poem from bible class) He just moved into the home in May. We had his siblings last year and they both are bright students. They thrived last year at Pag-asa. We thought when his older sister told the directors of the school that Alex could not read, she meant he struggled with English which tends to be an issue with all our students when they first arrive. But, she meant, Alex could not read at all. Even simple words were hard because he only knew the sounds for some of the letters. So, Alex started full intervention during his two English classes. Every day he goes through a routine with sounds and blending and games. Through patience and repetition, we are beginning to see progress. It seems like little lights are going off in his brain and this week he has was able to read a 5 page book called Cats. God is good all the time!