When I was little, my mom worked as a writer and editor. She did some tutoring for college students, too. She really liked staying home with me and my brother, so she got pretty creative finding tutoring, editing, research and writing projects she could work on while she focused on being a mom. She has a lot of education, so she was really great at helping people with all sorts of subjects in college, too.  

Once my brother and I were both in school, Mom started volunteering. Then one day she was filling in for a teaching assistant, and a teacher encouraged her to apply to be a sub, so she did. She started working as a tutor for the district, and a substitute, and things were going really well. It let her spend the time she wanted to with me, and my brother. She kept on doing some writing and editing, too. Then, in 2020... well, the world went kind of crazy. 

We missed our friends, and we weren't used to doing so much on computers. But there were some fun times too. My family got even closer, if that's possible. Mom did a great job of finding extra things for us to do that made learning fun. We watched live presentations by paleontologists, made models of atoms and molecules out of marshmallows, and made our own litmus paper with purple cabbage. 

See, we found out I had a learning disability called dyslexia. I also have dysgraphia, which means I have a really hard time writing. Mom had been trying to get me some help right before the schools closed, but now that help felt really out of reach. We were finally able to get a diagnosis, but Mom knew that online learning and missing school weren't helping me at all. So she decided to help me herself.

My mom spent months taking classes online through Dyslexia Training Institute. She learned all about how our brains work, and why I can be incredibly smart and yet struggle with decoding words, learning to spell my last name, and writing short sentences. She even learned that problems with attention and executivie functioning, and feelings of anxiety, often go together with dyslexia. Mom had to do a supervised practicum and record lots of lessons to submit to her supervisor, who watched them all and gave her tons of feedback. Finally, Mom got certified as an Orton-Gillingham tutor. We are so proud of her!

Working with my mom on Orton-Gillingham lessons feels really challenging. I'm not so sure I like challenging, to be honest. But I do like knowing how to spell my last name - I was so proud when I learned that! And my reading and writing has improved a ton. It's a slow process, but it definitely works. Mom tries her best to make it fun by including games and sensory learning - like sandpaper letters and hand motions.

It doesn't matter if they are younger than me, or all grown up - Orton-Gillingham lessons can help them. My Mom is also great at helping with other subjects (like math) and working with kids who struggle with attention and anxiety (like me) or who are on the autism spectrum (like my cousins). I think the best thing about my mom is, she really cares about people. 

So that's the story of how my mom became a tutor. My brother says there were a lot of good things that happened in our family in the last few years. And you know what? I think he's right.