.jpg)
Compass PD Podcast with Dr. Carrie Hepburn
Compass PD Podcast with Dr. Carrie Hepburn
Episode 83: Beyond the Label: How Churchill Transforms Learning for Students with Dyslexia
In this inspiring episode of the Compass PD Podcast, Dr. Stephanie Brenner sits down with Anne Evers and Rachel Wheatley from Churchill Center and School, a St. Louis institution renowned for its evidence-based approach to supporting students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences.
Together, they explore how Churchill empowers both students and educators—through personalized instruction, 1:1 tutorials, small-group classes, and a culture grounded in research, relationships, and relentless pursuit of excellence. Anne and Rachel share the heart behind Churchill’s mission, how they train and retain expert teachers, and the systems that help students thrive academically and emotionally.
Listeners will hear powerful insights into Churchill’s Demystification Project, parent outreach programs, and educator partnerships that extend their impact far beyond their own campus. Whether you’re an administrator, classroom teacher, or literacy leader, this episode offers practical steps for creating dyslexia-aware classrooms that foster confidence, competence, and joy in learning.
Hello, and welcome to the Compass PD podcast, where we dive into evidence-based practices and research-driven strategies that empower educators and leaders to make a lasting impact. I'm Dr. Stephanie Brenner, your host, alongside Rachel Wheatley and Ann Evers from the Churchill Center and School. Welcome, Rachel and Ann. Thank you for joining us. I am thrilled, been thrilled since we started talking about this. So I'm very happy that today is finally here. Rachel and Ann, both of you have very impressive backgrounds and histories, especially with the Churchill School. Can you tell us a little bit about each of you?
SPEAKER_02:Sure. I am the head of school. Prior to that, I was the director of admissions, the auditory visual supervisor, a teacher, a tutor, and I've just been so fortunate to have a career here where I was able to not only witness the field of learning disabilities, but watch that grow as well as Churchill. And we truly are experts in the field, and we are so excited as we are approaching our 50th birthday.
SPEAKER_00:I didn't know that was getting closer to the wow. That is really, really exciting. What a long history of being a pillar in the community. That's great.
SPEAKER_01:Rachel? So I taught at Churchill for 12 years in the language arts department. And then my family and I moved to Boise, Idaho, and we were there for five years. And charter schools are really big in Boise. So I became the um testing coordinator and Title I and Milingual Teacher. And I gave my certification in multilingual instruction. And I was the so I became the federal programs director and saw that side of things. And it was a great experience. But I was so happy to come back to Churchill and be in my home, and it was great timing as the person who had my role before was retiring. So it all just the stars aligned for me to be back at home at Churchill.
SPEAKER_00:I bet they're really glad to welcome you back as well. And definitely the stars align to be able to come back where you feel at home and have a place where your um your heart feels where you should be as well. It's definitely a wonderful opportunity. October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. It is often a time dedicated to deepening, understanding, strengthening support, and celebrating the strengths of individuals with dyslexia. Today I'm honored to welcome the leaders of Churchill Center and School. Churchill has been, like I mentioned, a pillar of St. Louis for almost 50 years now, and not only serving students with language-based disabilities, but also empowering teachers and families and schools through high-quality training, outreach, and partnerships. And that's how we I first uh formed a relationship with Churchill was a partnership with my former school district and the outreach and training that Churchill was able to provide. I've invited them into this conversation because their work reflects what Dyslexia Awareness Month is all about. And it's about informed instruction, equitable support, and a strong belief that possibilities of every child are endless. The purpose of this episode is to help listeners understand how to support students with dyslexia in and out of the classroom. We'll talk about Churchill's educator training model. We will talk about the work they do with families and practical steps that schools can take to better serve students with dyslexia. Ready? Let's dive.
SPEAKER_02:Let's start. Okay, so Churchill is an independent school located in St. Louis County. We have been around since 1978. We were founded by two moms. It looks so wonderful.
SPEAKER_03:It's great to join me.
SPEAKER_02:And they had bright boys who had a hard time learning how to read. So at that point in the um 1978 era, there really weren't a lot of services in St. Louis. So they ended up sending their sons to boarding school and realized that there was a need for a school in St. Louis. So the rest is history. I think their intention was to start a summer school, and that summer school program grew into the school that we are today. So we serve over 150 students, and you know, it's not only the school that we have, we have tutoring services, but it's really in our outreach department, and which Rachel is in charge of that we can really serve students and impact other students that aren't necessarily in our building. And it's just making a difference for every student out there one at a time, right? Exactly, which is so important. So um, you know, it's really our mission is just um have our students have high potential and we're very um intentional with our admissions. The other exciting thing about Churchill is that it was founded after the landmark school in Pride's Crossing, Massachusetts, which is still in existence today, flourishing, and um they too have the daily one-on-one tutorial, and they had a class called Auditory, and of course, we have a class here called Auditory Visual, which works on the processing skills that you need to be a good reader and a good writer. Right. So our mission at Churchill is to give students the finest individualized remedial education and to have them return to that traditional classroom as soon as possible. But in addition to that, it's really to provide support and foster greater understanding to the community about learning disabilities. Um, and that's where you met us. We were doing our outreach in traditional classrooms, right, school districts here, as well as some of the other independent schools.
SPEAKER_00:Right. And I think that that is just probably a unique characteristic that Churchill has with that outreach and willingness to partner with other schools and provide high-quality professional learning for teachers, where a lot of private schools, other private schools, don't have that as one of their core values and missions. Or do they, if they do, it's not something that they really come to life, make come to life, and Churchill does.
SPEAKER_02:Well, and we're fortunate because it's because of donors that we are able to go to other schools and provide these services at either no cost or low cost. Yeah. So it was the Forever Grateful campaign about five or six years ago that really made that possible through the Sandra K partnership. Wow. We always had outreach.
SPEAKER_01:Well, not always, since 1980. 90s, 90s. We had outreach, but now we're able to do it on a greater scope.
SPEAKER_00:Right. And I think I'm forever grateful for that my I have benefited from it, the district that I used to serve benefited from it, but just anyone in the area, and this isn't the only Churchill school either, but there are Churchill schools across the country that have the same mission.
SPEAKER_02:There's one other school that we know of with the name of Churchill, which is not affiliated with us, but there are over 200 other independent schools that really specialize in the language-based learning disabilities. And it's really the Association of LD Schools, which is a newly formed association that has brought over the last couple of years all these schools together.
SPEAKER_00:Wow, that's amazing. Um, yeah. Did you have something you wanted to say?
SPEAKER_01:Just one of the core values at Churchill is being knowledgeable and that educators at Churchill are experts in dyslexia, which is what the majority of our kids are diagnosed with, along with other comorbidities that have common with dyslexia. Um, so yes, the kiddos are with us for an average of just under four years, but it really depends on the complexity and severity of their learning disability and their journey.
SPEAKER_00:And again, I think that's something that's unique about Churchill. It's we want we want you here, but we're gonna give you very targeted instruction by very high-quality teachers and with the goal of helping you transition to your homeschool as soon as possible in a way that is gonna set you up for success. So making sure that you're set up properly for success when you get that when you transfer back, it's not a once you're at Churchill, you always have to be at Churchill. The goal is to get you back to the state. And that is your school mission, right? And that that's why I brought it up because it's not even in the other LD schools, most of them will keep the kiddos until they're through 12th grade or through eighth grade, however high they go.
SPEAKER_01:But yes, our mission really and that helps us reach that many more kids because then we can bring in we have room for more kiddos.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and I think that that also for families that are considering having their children come to Churchill, that's got to be reassuring to them too, to know that the magic that happens here is so highly targeted to their child, they're able to not only catch them up, but have them be prepared well enough that they can go back to their homeschool.
SPEAKER_02:Well, and our intention is that they go back and they really thrive, right? Survive that's right.
SPEAKER_00:Like it's not just to catch them up, they're set up for huge success once they're there.
SPEAKER_01:And the other schools really get excited when we go and share what we do with them because they have our alumni and they're blown away at their self-advocacy, other classroom skills, right? Their demystification.
SPEAKER_00:And taking skills everything. Like all of those uh I don't want to just say soft skills, but the also the uh unspoken skill, the school uh type uh characteristics or strengths that kids need that we don't talk about, really their life skills, right? Like organization and things like that that they um they have strategies and that help them.
SPEAKER_02:So in addition to the daily one-on-one tutorial, we have um your typical math class, only I say typical because that's a traditional class that students would have. But again, our type of instruction here would be multi-sensory and individualized to meet whatever the students' needs are. But um, language arts, we're focusing really on the writing, yeah, as well as social studies science, and then we have that unique class of um auditory visual, but our students get fine arts and they get motor skills daily, yeah, just to really help develop other strengths and passions, and the brain needs to have other things to work on besides the weaknesses, so we're remediating the weak areas while developing other areas of talent and expertise. And I I just think that it's amazing.
unknown:Well, thank you.
SPEAKER_02:Um, another core value that we have is knowledgeable. So we are fortunate here. We are a Wilson Partner School, we are a best practice site, and we have five Wilson language trainers, which um it's a gift for us because our teachers are certified and trained and have continuous professional development. Right. But as you said earlier, it's also a gift to the community because we are at other schools, public and at private, um, working with the teachers, teaching them to be um master teachers with Wilson, as well as the Foundations program, which is for the younger kids. Right, and that's becoming more and more popular. And that is good instruction whether you have a diagnosed learning disability or not. Yeah, and very true.
SPEAKER_00:All it's good for all kids. Correct. It's critical for kids who have dyslexia, and it works exactly. It's effective, right? It's the the phrase I think it gets thrown around, but when I say it or really mean it, it's not just research-based, but evidence-based. Yes. And uh both the foundations and Wilson are both research and evidence-based instructional models. What you guys have described is a dream education setting. It really is for students and the educators. You mentioned that several staff members are Wilson trained, and that's a huge accomplishment, not for those teachers and for your school. And one thing we know is that that level of training of teachers highly impacts the effectiveness of the instruction. And highly trained teachers is one of the biggest appeals to Churchill. It is. And so can you talk a little bit about the training model here for teachers?
SPEAKER_01:It's a really big question because we do a lot of teacher training. We don't necessarily take teachers who are special ed or elementary ed. We really look for good bits. So it really starts with being, we ask questions about their if they're proactive, if they have a love of learning, if they're open to tips and strategies and learning how to work with kids, because really we need lifetime learners as our instructors. Um so it's a continuous learning and the expectation is continual growth for teachers. We really look at if they're a good culture fit, which also means that they're very child-centered, and that's the really main criteria. We can train other things, right? But we can't train if you're child-centered or not. Right. And every teacher works closely with supervisor, curriculum, and tutorial coach, and they meet with them once a week or you know, less often, more often, but typically when you start, it's once a week that you'll work with each one of those coaches, and then three Wednesdays a month, we ask teachers to be available for professional development and team meetings and everything.
SPEAKER_00:And that's for all teachers, that's not just new teachers.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, and then the fourth Wednesday a month is for our new teachers after school.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, so oh, that makes sense. So new teachers have and very intense training though, those first couple of years. Yes. And you're right, that they work with two coaches, one for the tutorial and one for the curriculum.
SPEAKER_02:That's and that's regardless of how long you are here. I mean, right collaborating, and two minds are better than one. And if our mission is to give these kids the finest education, we need to work together. Exactly.
SPEAKER_00:You're right, absolutely, and that model of I love what you said, Rachel did. You can, I can teach you, I can get you trained as as a Wilson training teacher, but I can't train you on loving kids, and I can't train you on being a lifelong learner. And having those things as what you're looking for most in the educators who join the staff is that's a really help serve the mission of the school.
SPEAKER_01:It does, yes. And after the first year, teachers just kind of get to know who we are and what we're all about and how to work with kids and how to work on a team of teachers and all of that. And then their second year, they'll do their level one practicum typically, which is a year-long intensive.
SPEAKER_00:And that's the year the practicum for Wilson training or certification.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, level one certification. And they work closely with one of our Wilson trainers for that. And then the second year, then we focus on um key comprehension routine, which is our note-taking and comprehension method that we instruct. So all of our teachers get training in Wilson and the key comprehension routine. And then the third year, if they want to keep going with level two certification in Wilson, then we make that happen for them. As long as all of that, the level two is a little tricky to make sure that the kids and all of that align to get it done within a year. Um, but yes, many of our teachers are level two certified as well. And then there's other opportunities. We have to bring in speakers doing the talk about the things.
SPEAKER_02:We do. So this year we've brought in the responsive classroom to address the needs of social emotional learning needs of students. Um, this spring we're bringing in um experts from all kinds of minds to talk about the neurodevelopment constructs, which um is so critical that everyone understands what in order to learn. You know, it's not just a matter of sitting still and paying attention. Right, you know, it's language and higher order thinking and memory and sequencing and reasoning and all those other skills that we need. Right. Um, and then you know, part of our speaker series over the years, many, we've brought in um experts like Rick LeVloy and the Shea Witzes, and of course Dr. Sally Sheawitz's book, Overcome Dys Overcoming Dyslexia, is one of our favorites. Mine too. Um, and then just other experts in the field, you know, another favorite book that many people have used is the basic facts about um dyslexia, which is published by the International Dyslexia Association.
SPEAKER_00:Right?
SPEAKER_02:Yes, there's several authors, I think several people have been involved with that book. Okay. Um, but it is a good resource that um we always introduce to people when they're when this whole idea of dyslexia is new to them.
SPEAKER_00:Is that one um is that one good for parents? That would be great for parents.
SPEAKER_02:In fact, it's easier to digest than overcome dyslexia. It's a good book to start with and then move into overcoming dyslexia, which is just such a great resource. So demystification is such a critical part of our program, and it's really taking the mystery out of learning for the kids. So um, it can be anything as simple as reading a book to them. Um, you know, there's lots of children's books out these days about dyslexia, yeah, or it can be um teaching them of why are we using the strategy? How does that help you? But over the years, I mean, we had Henry Winkler come, that was many years ago, but he has written a fabulous series for kids, yeah, sister series, and really Hank is about a 10-year-old boy and he's dyslexic. And guess who he's written after he was small, yes, Henry Winkler, and they are just fabulous bookstores. They're so engaging, they're very engaging. They are, and they're real. And if a student has just been diagnosed, it's a great way to introduce that whole idea and concept to the student, the child, that um it's not all bad, it's actually a good thing, right? Um, to understand once you get that diagnosis, people can actually help you and give you what you need. But so Henry Winkler has been here over the years. A couple years ago, we had Jared Blank, and um he came and he ran Seven Continents in Seven Days, and he's written a book about that, and he was fascinating. I mean, if you can imagine that. So he's dyslexic and um has a story to tell as well. Obviously, seven continents in seven days, that's a big story. It is a big story. So we've had artists and um all sorts of people that have just been an inspiration to our kids, right? Um, and you know, the other cool thing is for many of our kids is dyslexia can run in the family. So they have positive role models, many of them in their own family.
SPEAKER_00:Right. And that that's such a good point uh to bring up is that in my experience that oftentimes when a kid's diagnosed or they start having problems and you're having conversations with families, it comes out, oh well, I had problems reading or writing, or or grandpa did, or the uncle did, or the sibling did it.
SPEAKER_01:A lot of times they never were diagnosed or never knew why they struggled in that.
SPEAKER_00:So they're also experiencing all of that while they're yeah, they have the emotion of that for themselves, not just their child. And and that's uh where these kinds of opportunities for the students and families can be really, really helpful. And I know that you talked a little bit before, you shared with me before some of the things that you've done for families in part of that outreach as well, that is part of the professional learning that you provide.
SPEAKER_02:Do you want to speak a little bit about that?
SPEAKER_01:Dyslexia? Yes. So we have a lot of leadership opportunities for our teachers too, which is extremely beneficial for them to be able to share their knowledge with not only our staff, but others as well. So we offer experienced dyslexia a few times a month for the community at no cost, and our teachers lead stations, and it's a very there's six stations that you rotate right for experienced dyslexia, and it's a phenomenal event. And our teachers love doing it as well, and getting to know the community, and there's also a lot of emotions that come after parents or grandparents or even educators go through it because things that you think are helping are not helping, yes, and you don't realize that until you are there experiencing it. Right.
SPEAKER_00:And so for our listeners, the experience dyslexia is um a series of simulation that people who do not have dyslexia are put into situations to mimic, make them feel like they do have dyslexia and it they experience all the struggles that comes with reading, writing, uh, taking notes and communicating, uh, and all of those things. So, yes, the so many emotions arise when family members participate in that. And I think it's like you said, that's a really great opportunity to give teachers the opportunity to start doing some leadership and uh helping others grow and they're building their own knowledge even more as they do it.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, so we definitely would not have an outreach department without all of our great teachers helping out and sharing with the broader community everything that they know and their expertise. Yeah, that that's a really good point.
SPEAKER_02:We also have a sibling workshop that our teachers present. Actually, it's um similar to experience dyslexia, only appropriate for their age and where they're coming from. But um, this is a family event when a student is diagnosed, and often um the student that is diagnosed may take more time and energy, and it's affecting the other kids in the family too. So to give them some empathy and some understanding really is helpful, right?
SPEAKER_00:Helps them have a better perspective of what their sibling is experiencing.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:One of our speakers was I can't remember if it was Glavory or Brooks, and he talked about the waterbed with Glavor.
SPEAKER_02:Oh the family on the waterbed with the student with the dyslexia or whatever the learning disability might be. One moves and they all move as far as that acceptance.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, such a great analogy. I've not heard that analogy before, and I really that is really great. Yeah, that's true. You're on a waterbed.
SPEAKER_02:And the child and sibling are on other places. Yeah, just um right.
SPEAKER_00:Everyone's impacted. Yeah, absolutely. That analogy is gonna stick in my head. I I really am speechless to hear all of the opportunities for your staff and not just your staff, but for the family members of the students that you serve. It's just uh amazing that they are able to participate in growing and learning about dyslexia and learning differences in general, not just dyslexia. I really can't imagine how inspiring and motivating it would be to have those speakers and those opportunities. Me just hearing about the names and the people gets me excited. And I wasn't even there. So I can't imagine how much your teachers value those opportunities. I think that one of the things I say often is if you want teachers to feel valued and appreciated, it's to provide them with not only with high-quality professional learning and opportunities like that. That's when you invest in them as the teacher, they feel valued. And you guys are doing you're knocking them out of the park, which I think is amazing. You mentioned the experience dyslexia events, which are big opportunities to participate in simulations and um sibling workshops and other community events. Can you talk more about that? I'm thinking like, how do you involve parents in some of that understanding, which we've talked a little bit about?
SPEAKER_01:So every student works with their tutorial teacher to prepare demystification talk. And again, demystification is taking the mystery out of the kids' learning, the students' learning. And it's really demystification is talked about across the students' entire day, entire school year. So they prepare, and it can be anything. I've had students make an iPhone and because they wanted an iPhone, so they used an iPhone and the apps or their strategies.
SPEAKER_03:Oh wow!
SPEAKER_01:And they talked about what drains their battery and what powers their battery. So it's really just the parents come in and sometimes grandparents, sometimes siblings come in, and the students really take ownership over their strengths, their challenges, their allies who's in their corner supporting them and helping them, right? And their strategies that they're learning to be successful. So it can be focused on one class, maybe written language, or it can be focused on will send instruction and learning how to decode and spell, or it can be focused broadly across the board about all the skills and strategies that they've learned at Churchill. And it's a really powerful experience and super fun for families.
SPEAKER_02:And it really just depends on the age of the student and where exactly they are. Some of our students, as they get ready to transition back to that traditional classroom, their demystification process is writing a letter to their future teachers, introducing themselves and telling them what you know their strengths are, what's a challenge and how they will advocate for themselves and what strategies help them. Right. And that's powerful.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and that really could be part of the IEP process. Oh, the transition back process. Yeah, it could be yes, and the whole demystification should be part of the IEP, and the kids should be involved and know that what their goals are.
SPEAKER_00:Right. Right. When I first heard about the demystification projects, like no lie, like tears uh welled up in my eyes, and I have known some family members who have come. To Churchill, and that that was one of the first things that they mentioned was the domestification emphasis and the projects.
SPEAKER_02:Well, self-understanding is just so critical to this. And you know, for students to be their own advocates and know what they need and have the confidence to ask for it really just unlocks a lot of opportunities.
SPEAKER_00:It does. And that's, I think, when I talked to family members, that's exactly what they were excited about was it provided opportunities for their child to learn about themselves and learn how to advocate for themselves so that when they did transition back to their school, they were more set up to thrive. Right. Because they're able to communicate their needs to others. We talked about overcoming dyslexia and Sally. Um, she's my best friend, but she doesn't know who I am. Um, but one of my favorite quotes about Sally, and it's in chapter 22, Protecting and Nourishing Your Child's Soul, is the quote is parents and teachers too of children with dyslexia should make their number one goal, the preservation of their child's self-esteem. And that really is my favorite quote from the entire book. And I think that the domestification projects that you have going on are living up to that standard. And um but I think it it's just encouraging to hear those. And I think that that is one thing that schools could do in public schools that are not Churchill. That is one thing that they could do. With so much greatness occurring here at Churchill, how can, and this I what I just mentioned kind of leads into this, but how can public school leaders or district teams start integrating what Churchill does in their structures and systems?
SPEAKER_01:We love that Sally Shewitz quote as well. And Churchill's really unique, but there are some things that you can really transfer and take into the public schools or a traditional school. We're really child-centered in every decision that we make is based on what's best for the student and each individual student. We're very intentional about that.
SPEAKER_02:Right. The important thing is that all of our teachers are trained and that teachers do need to be trained, and that all of these research-based programs need to be done with fidelity.
SPEAKER_03:Yes.
SPEAKER_02:And that goes back to the training. It's not that you can take a little bit of this and a little bit of that and have it be effective.
SPEAKER_03:Right.
SPEAKER_02:For a program to be really effective, it needs to be properly trained, it needs to be done well, done effectively. Um, it's just critical, no matter what program a teacher is using, that they're using it to fidelity. These research-based programs have been proven to be effective because of the way they were designed and a way that they were to be implemented. So the teacher training, professional development with whatever curriculum it might be is so important so that it can be carried out with fidelity, right? So that you get that academic growth you're expecting out of with your child or with your students.
unknown:Exactly. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Um, another aspect of Churchill that really could transfer into traditional schools is that our teacher retention is really strong. And it's because we invest in teachers, we encourage we take care of our teachers, we encourage them to take the mental health that they use when they need to. We really have a lot of structures and supports in place to encourage them and help them be the best that they can be. We have a social committee that plans fun events and contests for the staff. And then the as we talked about, research proves that teacher education really helps retain teachers too. And obviously we're very strong in that.
SPEAKER_00:Right, absolutely. And it seems like um, you know, there's a there's definitely a magical component to Churchill. And you when you walk in, you feel it. There, and I'm not the only one that has said that. Almost anybody that I've talked to that has come visit Churchill, and I there's just something about when you walk in.
SPEAKER_02:And I think that that is part of the culture, and what keeps the teachers wanting to be here, and it's the children's success because it's a program, and the and that is what keeps everyone coming back, right? And they really are strong relationships with students and their families too, because you work one-on-one with the kiddos, and even on our curriculum classes, you max it 10 kids in each curriculum class so that you get to know those kids so well too, and get so excited for them, and they're learning that like teachers and kids want to learn, and so the fact that they have techniques and strategies that are being implemented to help them to be successful learners is what keeps them going, and that in turn keeps all of the faculty and staff going as well.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and the kids aren't just like this teacher's kid, the kids are all of our kids, and we all have a hand in each and every student. We share that, and I think that also is powerful in that it's not just dependent on you as the classroom teacher to make sure that the kids are growing right for a team.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely, yeah. Everyone everybody, yeah, yeah, the family connection, it's everyone has a high vetted interest in each child. Yes, and you know you feel the successes together. And one of the things you had shared with me before was that every day the staff gets together to talk about things that are going really great for particular kids, or even bringing to the whole entire staff attention if a kid's having a rough day, to how you can love on them a little bit more, which just goes more with the relationship and feeling of you feel like this is your place, right? And so it's not just kids feel like this is their place, teachers get to feel like this is their place too. Yeah. And you know, I said it earlier, and I'll say it again, there's just a a unique quality to Churchill, and the you just you really feel it when you walk in, and um, it's different than any other school I've entered. And I say that with very sincere, genuine we thank you and we welcome visitors.
SPEAKER_02:Let other people see what we have to offer. And um, if they're coming for a workshop or whatever it might be, take away whatever you can. Yeah, because we do have a lot of great things happening here.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, you're right, and not everything can be um taken back to a public or a traditional setting because of the infects of Churchill, but there are definitely some things that teachers could take and um start doing right away. And so, kind of on that vein, what do you think would be recommendations that you would give a classroom teacher that they could start tomorrow that would really help create an environment of in feeling of support for kids who have dyslexia?
SPEAKER_02:One of the things they can do is just be there to welcome the student to their room every day. Um, for a student to know that they're welcomed and part of a warm, supportive place to learn that's safe, is fabulous. Um, another thing teachers can do is go to our website and we have an outreach program with workshops and all that is on our website. Yeah, and it's churchhill sstl.org. And that's because there is another church hill in the United States.
SPEAKER_01:So yeah, and I think sharing too like your struggles with the kiddos.
SPEAKER_00:That's a good point.
SPEAKER_01:Like, for example, I in my master's classes now I'm struggling to like pay attention and comprehend the reading material. So I interact with the text and I highlight and take notes and draw arrows and all of those things. So talking about areas that you struggle with. I struggle to remember things, so I write them all down as well, and that really helps kids understand that everybody has strengths and weaknesses, and we all use strategies to help us every day. And the going back to the Sally Shewitz quote as well, IDA has a new definition of dyslexia coming out, right? Which is exciting, it should come out later this year or early next year. Um and they talked too in there about the secondary consequences of psychological well-being and how important that is.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So really just creating an environment and loving kids and meeting them where they are without having those high expectations. There was oh somebody said we have to stop shooting on kids, like they should be able to do this. We should be able to do that. I love that.
SPEAKER_00:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:And they'll do it if they can do it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, when they're ready, yes, you know, that should be able to, when they're ready, they will be able to. I I think that's a great mission or a really great advice. One of the things that I love it too when we talk about um kids who have dyslexia and the teacher showing up and showing their own struggles or their need for strategies, I think that that takes the weight off of kids. Sure. They say to kids basically, I know you have dyslexia and you're struggling with XYZ. It's not your fault. It's okay. I know exactly what you need, and I'm here to help you. That's just one of the best messages we can give kids, and then prove it to them by showing up every day, giving them uh supporting them. It's really reinstation that is high-quality instruction that is using research-based um programs with fidelity. Yeah, absolutely, yes, and I think go ahead.
SPEAKER_02:I was gonna say kids want to learn, yes, and there are not really lazy kids out there, yeah, there are kids that may not know how to tackle a task, but they do want to learn and it will show up in different ways too with different kids, right?
SPEAKER_01:I think too, thinking about the goal of your assignment, and if your goal of the assignment is to show knowledge, curriculum knowledge, then maybe we don't shouldn't grade spelling and grammar and sentence structure for those tasks. So really thinking and keeping the goal of an assignment in mind too, and what you really want to grade for the kiddos for elementary school students, 80% of your kids should be successful with your core reading curriculum. If they're not, if you're not hitting that 80%, it's either a fidelity problem or it's what program you're using problem. So like you really need to dive into that too, and then making sure that your tier two and tier three aligned and you're using the same instructional language with important as well. And Compass PD also has some great podcasts and resources too. I listened to your one from last October, oh, and it was good. Yeah, it's you shared some great information about dyslexia. Oh, thank you. So just doing your own research and finding great resources and learning, right? You can't do better than that professor and teacher.
SPEAKER_00:And there are some really great reputable resources, and I know on your website there is that resource part and the outreach that provides some of those that information too. So, yes.
SPEAKER_01:So last week we were fortunate enough to attend the International Dyslexia Association conference. So jealous. And a lot of the speakers were really talking about the importance of oral language development on reading and comprehension. So, really looking at oral language development for kids and interventions as well as just good classroom instruction or good classroom tools and strategies to develop that in kids is super important. And another big focus area was about um explicitly teaching affixes and morphological word families, such as nature, unnatural, naturalism, supernatural, denatured, right, and talking about all of that will really build up the kids' vocabulary.
SPEAKER_00:Right. And I I I believe that the affixes and the morphological parts are a place that secondary, and that is a place they need to latch on to. Yes, because so much of especially our content classes, they're so heavy and vocabulary, but they're all morphologically based. And once you know a couple of a content area, you just open up the whole world of that content area, and so that have being a place that our secondary teachers can really focus with their all of their kids, but especially their kids with dyslexia, would be so wonderful. Great opportunity for them. Yes. Everything that you've mentioned is just great suggestions and I think absolutely applicable to our to teachers and leaders in outside of the private school system. If someone listening loves what they're hearing and wants to partner with Churchill and um bring their training to their district or their community, how would they start?
SPEAKER_02:By calling Rachel Wheatley or the Sandra Killigan partnership.
SPEAKER_01:So um, yes, and it would be a great place to start. You can call our school, look us up, and just dial the main number and ask for me, or you can go to our website and you'll find emails and more information about our outreach program too. Yeah, and all the opportunities. We do have a speaker coming next week, Peggy Campbell Rush, and it's open to everybody in the evening over an evening session. So that is a great opportunity to for people to come and learn. She's gonna talk about executive functioning, wow, which is a very hot topic. Yeah, that's probably one of the most requested professional developments that we're getting right now, is for ADHD. That's interesting. Executive functioning.
SPEAKER_00:Today's been an incredible conversation. Thank you so much. Thank you. I you've provided such a powerful look into um or inside a learning community that's built on deep expertise and strong relationships and such a genuine belief in the success of every child. Um, I'm gonna try to wrap up all the things that we've talked about. There's so much. So um I'm gonna do my best. So bear with me. So we've learned today that Churchill really, um, the model of Churchill depends on daily one-to-one tutorials for each student, along with small group instruction and curriculum classes for um content like math science and that sort of thing, that are led by expert teachers who help students with dyslexia build skills and competence. Um, we also have learned about the high specialized training that teachers here have that, and it's ongoing, that there are so many opportunities for teachers to grow, and it's highly supported by the leaders and just the mission and beliefs of church. They truly are lifelong learners. Yeah, they yes, you have to embody that here and and live it, not just say you are, but you have to really live it, and I think that's wonderful. We've learned a lot about how your outreach works to empower the community and the families of the students with dyslexia, but also works with other schools. So we've learned how your outreach works to empower families through workshops and simulations like the experience dyslexia, but also one of the things that stuck out to me most was the demystification projects that occur here. That alone can absolutely change the trajectory of a child's life. Absolutely. We know now too that even if you're in a traditional public school setting, that Ann and Rachel, you've reminded us that there are still things that we could do to and take action on tomorrow, things like focusing on building really strong relationships, using evidence-based instruction with fidelity, and creating safe spaces where students feel seen, supported, and proud of who they are, so that they their worth is goes far beyond their reading ability. I think that it's been clear that when you blend research and heart with really good instruction, there all things are possible for our staff. Yes, and our kids feel empowered, right? Which is a lifelong skill that they need. If you want to partner with Churchill, like they said, and bring their outreach to your school community, you can visit churchillstl.org and look for the outreach and workshop tab, and that's where you can find training, events, and connection opportunities, and they're all just right there. As we honor Dyslexia Awareness Month, Ann and Rachel, you have really helped us remember that when you lead with knowledge, empathy, joy, and passion, and high-quality instruction that we don't just teach kids to read, we really help them believe in their future. And thank you. Thank you again. It's such a great mission that you're living every day. They are a resource for our community. So yeah, I hope people reach out. I do too. Yes. It was wonderful talking with you today. Thank you. I've really enjoyed it. I'm very excited about this. Well, so are we. I hope that the insights today help you as as you navigate your journey in education with clarity and confidence. If you found today's episode valuable, consider sharing it with a colleague who might benefit from today's message. Thank you for joining the Compass PD podcast. Remember, at Compass PD, we believe that every educator has the power to inspire, change, and transform student learning.