Why I Love OG!

Our kid was not enjoying school. In fact, he dreaded it daily.

In Grade 2 our son’s teacher asked us to come in and go over some achievement testing. We were all trying to understand – why “everything had become so difficult.”. 

It didn’t make sense to us because he loved stories and loved learning.

We suspected it was serious so Craig, my husband, drove across Vancouver, to attend the meeting with me. 

The teacher let us know that our child was very bright, and he was struggling. 

Why was he struggling?

We wanted to know what the school could do and what we needed to do. So we kept pressing for answers.

Now I understand that I had put her in a tricky situation, but at the time, I was asking a heartfelt question.

I wanted to know what would help our son. 

There had to be a path forward, could she point the way? 

She gave a lovely answer, “I have a friend who is my age, and he is dyslexic. My friend tells me he learned to read with an OG tutor.” 

OG? What’s an OG Tutor!?

As far as I know, this was the first time I had ever heard of OG, Orton-Gillingham, tutoring. 

So I went home and “Googled OG tutors”  That simple suggestion and that simple search set me on a pathway that would change our lives forever.

Our son’s OG tutor was patient. Watching her through the doorway felt magical. Within 6 weeks we noticed a difference. 

In time, we learned so much about dyslexia and structured literacy. Our son would spend years acquiring all he needed to go to university and to love reading. The trajectory of his life was changing!

I love OG because it immediately gave us hope that our son would read. OG and the people who worked with him, helped him build the skills and create new pathways that he needed to learn to read.

But it also helped him rediscover delight in learning and ultimately helped him understand himself with acceptance and grace.

Ellen O’Brien, Co-Founder & CEO of Education Mavericks

Note:

How is the dyslexia journey going for you or someone in your family?

Reach out to see how Education Mavericks and OG Tutoring can help.