Classroom

This is Tori, a former Stowell Learning Center student and currently a sophomore Meteorology student at the University of Oklahoma.  At 16, she was the youngest female Hot Air Balloon pilot in the country and this August will represent the U.S. at the Women’s Worlds Hot Air Balloon Championship in Nałęczów, Poland. What an amazing young woman!…

Summer in my family growing up meant road trips across the country to visit my grandparents.  One of my favorite things was getting to go in the motel pool when we stopped for the night. In fact, my brother and sister and I had so much fun that we had this clever little trick.  When…

Do you remember the first time your child rode a bike all by herself?  You let go of the seat and ran alongside while she wobbled along?  It was thrilling and a little terrifying at the same time, but very shortly, she was loving the feel of riding comfortably and independently. Learning to Read Is…

On a recent radio interview, the host asked me if there was one thing that parents should watch for that would tell them that their child is struggling in school? The Conversation Parents Have With Themselves There are actually many things, not just one, but the first thing that came to my mind was the…

My favorite teacher growing up was my 4th grade teacher, Mr. Baird.  Mr. Baird had a way of making every student feel like a million bucks and he made things kid-friendly.  We did a lot of really interesting hands-on science activities and he turned boring things like memorizing all of the prepositions into fun contests.…

The tenacity and resilience of dyslexic children and adults never ceases to amaze me!  I was doing a radio interview this morning and the host, Christina Nitschmann said, “If only I’d known you when I was in school!”  She went on to say that she was dyslexic and couldn’t read when she entered junior high. …

Last weekend I saw a mom and her two little boys at the counter of an ice cream shop trying to decide what flavor to choose.  And there were so many choices!  The little guys were so excited! It made me think about a breakthrough that one of our students had a few years ago. …

Several years ago, my wonderful friend and mentor, Dr. Joan Smith and I were standing around “solving the world’s problems” with learning challenges.  As we talked about what could be done and what techniques to use, I said, “But what about kids with Autism?” Joan said, “Jill, we’re teaching kids.”    Her message was, it’s not…

Weak underlying mental tools cause smart students to struggle in school My husband is fond of saying, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”  But the bottom line is that even though a hammer may be an excellent tool, it isn’t the right tool to do all jobs.…

Raquel was a third grader reading at a first grade level when she was diagnosed with ADHD.  Her parents were not sold on the diagnosis or the suggested “solution” of medication so they kept searching for answers. What Testing Showed About Raquel When we tested Raquel, we found that she actually had dyslexia.  Her weak…