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Okanagan ChangeUp December 3, 2015 

12/13/2015

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I had the privilege of attending #OKChangeUp December 3, 2015. 
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Six (6) organizations were chosen to present their passion to a large audience at the Kelowna Community Theatre. The presenters were competing for a cash reward and in-kind services; the biggest reward for all was to raise social awareness of their efforts to “do good” and to make a difference in our community. 
Twenty-two (22) organizations and business applied to present. The applicants were judged on four  levels of criteria:
Positive Social Impact
Innovation
Financial Sustainability
Revenue Generated and Given Back to the Community

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I applied to represent LETTERS© as a presenter and although LETTERS© was not awarded the opportunity to present we were given the opportunity to showcase our positive social impact at the ChangeUp Tradeshow. 
​As the representative for LETTERS© I was given a ticket to watch the presentations and vote for the organization that I thought met the criteria best.   I learned so much throughout the entire evening! 

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David MacLean was a phenomenal host. As MC for the evening, he reminded us that our goal is “prosperity for purpose – financial success in business provides a means to get involved in the betterment of our community. It offers us the ability to increase the level of our contribution to society.”  
David MacLean at LinkedIn

Mickey McLeod of Salt Spring Coffee was the first of two inspirational keynote speakers.  
Mickey shared the story of how he and his wife Robbyn started Salt Spring Coffee.

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Their motto of “Believe in Being Better” emerges in their lives, in the way their care for their farmers, and in every cup of coffee they serve. 
Thank you, Mickey and Robbyn,
​for “
Doing Good” in our global community!
Salt Spring Coffee

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Laurence East of Metro Community Church participates in the ministry of social development through innovation and compassion. 

Laurence challenged the ChangeUp audience to develop social change 
​
by striving for excellence through B Corporation  enterprises that have the social presence and power to "Do Good" in our communities. 
Advocate for change!
“At the heart of our community – most treasured among us –
are those most vulnerable in society, the homeless, excluded and addicted. Metro is a place where the stranger is the treasured guest.” 
Metro Community

Just when I thought the evening was as inspiring and as encouraging as it could get, the presentations started; and I was even more convinced I was in the company of passionate organizations dedicated to making a difference in our communities. 

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​“Shoe Bank Canada collects shoes from warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you.” 
This organization offers support at the most foundational level of physical needs … footwear. New or gently worn shoes can mean the difference between fitting in and being left out in the cold. Most people take shoes for granted but to a person in need a good pair of shoes is a step in the right direction towards changing their lives for the better. 
Sort through your gently used shoes 
and donate them to Shoe Bank Canada.
This organization is "Doing Good" in our community!
Shoe Bank Canada

The dynamic young trio from Enactus OC (Okanagan College) voiced their passion to collaborate with local organizations that are already working in our community to make a difference in the lives of those vulnerable and isolated citizens. 
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One of their chosen charities is  “Chandler House which is Inn from the Cold’s residence and is home to eight chronically homeless men in Kelowna. The residence is a safe place for the men to rest, take a shower, and have a hot meal. In short, it’s a place for them to call home.
In 2014 “After receiving a large donation of soaps, Inn from the Cold connected with the College’s Enactus team and a unique opportunity emerged - a chance to generate income for the not-for-profit, while giving students a chance to put their business skills to the test by developing a plan for a legitimate social enterprise.  After months of planning and hard work, the team from Enactus and Inn from the Cold  launched InnSpire. The students have created a business plan for selling the donated soap, and this has included marketing, packaging, advertising, and sales.”
Partner with Enactus OC by contacting them
through the online submission form on their website.
Enactus OC

 “Big Brothers and Sisters of the Okanagan offer social emotional learning programs in the classroom, to students aged kindergarten to 
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grade seven, that increase empathy, self-awareness and self-regulation, and therefore enhance cognitive function, personal success, friendships and resiliency in students and their communities.” ​
This program reaches children in the familiar space of their classroom while surrounded by the peers they collaborate with each day at school. Children learn the value of caring for themselves in order to function as respected participants in their school community and in society. 
Contact Big Brothers and Sisters of the Okanagan
to find out how your classroom
​can experience these highly beneficial programs.
Big Brothers and Big Sisters

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Metro Moving

“Moving People Not Profits” 
Metro Moving gets involved by filling a need at a crucial time in most people’s lives. Moving is complicated and can be emotionally messy but Metro Moving supports those in the midst of upheaval to provide assistance and services to individuals and families in ways no other moving company offers. 


The 
next time you need to move, choose Metro Moving.
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Metro Moving

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“The Clubhouse Farm program was created to allow our children to play, relax, and exercise in a natural environment.” 

In this day of technology how often do we hear the statement that children need to get back to nature and experience childhood the way we did? 
The Clubhouse Farm is providing safe and enjoyable opportunities for urban children to experience the realities of life on a working farm. From exploring the great outdoors, to participating in lessons on planting and caring for the environment, children who attend the Clubhouse Childcare Farm are sure to build skills that will benefit every aspect of their lives now and in their future.
Give a young person
the opportunity to experience childhood
​the way we remember it.  
Clubhouse Childcare Farm

“I’m scared.”
That's how SoilMate’s representative began his first-place presentation. What scares him is the fact that most of us don't know where the food on our plates came from.  
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“SoilMate is an organization looking to push forward the local food and drink message. We believe that it is essential to all aspects of health, community and sustainability that we reconnect with the origins of our food and drink, and understand how and where it is grown, and by whom. The message is simple: know your farmer, know your food.”
“Why buy an apple from Argentina when you can buy one from BC?”
Local Farmers, Local Food. Find your SoilMate. 
SoilMate

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Michelle Kapelle ~Instructional Designer for LETTERS©
I wanted to share everything I learned at this amazing #OKChangeUp evening.

​I discovered many people and organizations striving to "Do Good" in their communities.
I was educated through their stories and the sharing of knowledge and information.
I am more inspired than ever. There are good people doing good work all around us!
Here are four (4) things I have been challenged to change through the #OKChangeUp evening: 
Reach out - people won’t know what you’re doing if you're working from dawn to dusk within the four walls of your office.
Partner - join with organizations within your community, whose vision embodies the same goals you pursue. 
Tweet  - increase your social awareness and your community impact by educating and inspiring people regarding the good being done by you and other local organizations.
Surround - take advantage of opportunities to be with like-minded people;  especially for those days when the barriers to moving forward seem too enormous to overcome. Be reminded that others have walked these similar roads and can be a source of support and advice. Walk alongside them and learn by their example how to "Do Good".

Thank you to everyone who was involved in #OKChangeUp! 
​
Your commitment
to making a difference in our community
is inspiring! 

Discover.     Educate.     Inspire.
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Learners Carry 'b' and 'd' With Them Where Ever They Go

12/11/2015

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Reversals are very common for many young learners even up to the age of seven (7). This needs to be taken more seriously when reversals also accompany signs of an individual who is struggling with other aspects of learning as well.

LETTERS© has designed a strategy to help all learners with their 'b', 'd', 'p', and 'q' reversals.  

Do the "thumbs up" sign with both hands. Turn your hands to face you.
Notice the left hand "thumbs up" forms a 'b'.
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Notice the right hand "thumbs up" forms a 'd'.
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Learners can use their own 'b' and 'd' "thumbs up" to form words, like the example shown for the word 'bat': 
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Now turn your "thumbs up" into "thumbs down".
Notice your left hand "thumbs down" forms a 'p'
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Notice your right hand "thumbs down" forms a 'q'.
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Learners can use their own 'p' and 'q' "thumbs down" to form words, like the example shown below for the word 'pit':
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Remember that no matter what you are teaching ... 
"Don’t tell the dyslexic what to learn,
Let them tell you and then work with that.
"
~Martin Camp
Martin Camp
Individual learning styles and multisensory learning
are the keys to a successful education.

Thank you to Emily Rose Duncan
for the hand-drawn and
digitally-coloured illustrations! 
Emily's Illustrations
Emily's Photography

Discover.     Educate.     Inspire. 
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"Dear Teacher, Love From Dyslexia." by Martin Camp

12/11/2015

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I recently discovered Martin Camp through a group I belong to. This article directly addressed the way we should educate students of all abilities but specifically those with Dyslexia. Martin knows how to inspire a struggling student, "Don’t tell the dyslexic what to learn, Let them tell you and then work with that."
Martin, thank you for another insightful article!
 
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Following my last article I am amazed and truly grateful that I have touched so many people and that I have received such positivity from everyone who read it. All my life I have always wanted to inspire people it has been a dream of mine for many years. I never in a million years expected that form of inspiration to be presented through a article about my dyslexia. If you have not yet read my previous article then here is a link to it I would suggest taking a look before proceeding on to this article.
Martin's last article

To read Martin's article "Dear Teacher, Love From Dyslexia." from the original site, click the button below:
Dear Teacher, Love from Dyslexia
Continue reading below for the full article:
Dear Teacher, Love From Dyslexia.

​
I wanted to write about the teachers who are meant to be assisting dyslexics in processing school and education with ease. I apologise if it goes of subject my mind will tell me to write what ever I need to get out. I have had teachers asking me what they can do, how they can help the children they work with. I guess this fits parents and partners too.


When I was at school I hated every moment of it even now I look back and my feeling never change. When I say I hated or I hate school what I am saying is The teachers, the educational system these people do not have a clue so lacked the correct tools to help someone like me. Dyslexia is stereotyped popped in a box and never played around with and that is sad for me to see. If you read my previous article I expressed everything that I struggle with and judging bye the response everyone that read it also has the same problems as me so I speak for all of us here:-

  • I struggle with reading
  • I skip lines
  • I loose the plot
  • I could read a entire page and not know what we have just read
  • I struggle with spelling
  • I get confused and angry when we cant put the rite word together
  • I don’t have a clue when to use a full stop, or a comma, or brackets, or speech marks, or a underscore, or the little line that’s not a underscore you know it’s a little bit higher this one here –
  • I see this :- in a lot of things and think its cool so if I am going to do bullet points I put that at the end of the sentence leading up to the bullet points because I think it looks cool and at least I am making a effort to put some special things in my text.
  • I was made out to be stupid
  • I was made to feel inadequate and “special” – That one is like dr evil stuff there isn’t it? Pulling 2 fingers down as you say the word so people know you think it’s a bunch of poop?
  • I cant hold down a job
  • I struggle with basic social skills
  • I can be extremely awkward at times saying all the wrong things. Its like someone gives me a spade and tells me to stop digging but I just keep on going because well, that’s what I do.

The list is just continuous the problems that are attatched to dyslexia it is never ending and as my last article sed all these issues attatch a chain of events that progress to cause trauma in some instances. You can see from the bullet points that I don’t have a clue about some of the symbols on my computer god knows what some of them are for I mean when would I use this ^ or § or ± and what on earth is the point of | its just the letter I.
Anyways On to the subject matter. If I had control of the educational system the first thing I would say is “sort it out you cheeky monkeys”

The next thing I would say is that I struggle with reading so I would really love for you to help me find a new way of learning about this book you want us to take home and study. Is there a audio book version of this book? If so please can I have a copy to listen to, is there a online version of this book so that I can zoom in and make the letters as big as I want or as small as I want, could you show me some really good videos on youtube of people talking about this book, interviews with the auther talking about his book. Could you help me take in all the information that is on these pages in the easiest way possible because trying to teach me to read better isn’t going to work. I may end up reading better but im still not going to have a clue what I have just read.

A spelling test will not improve my spelling all that is going to do it increase my fear of judgement and my fear of failure. I am struggling to comment on spelling because I can put on a “I don’t care” attitude when I need to. Everyone has a message o put over if you ever write anything and if you don’t get a job because of poor spelling, or your friends make fun of you because you didn’t spell anything correct in your facebook post, it doesn’t matter. Correct spelling is not important to me at all I don’t care if I spell stuff wrong the only people that do care are the grammar nazi’s. Why do I need to impress you with my spelling? The answer is I don’t. I have a message and I use words that I can get close enough to the actual word that everyone else has no problem getting my point. So the assistance I would have loved when it came to spelling would be help me get some basic stuff help me understand the conversion of sounds to text My granddad always used to say say it how it is spelt and spell it how it sounds. That was his argument for many words that just don’t make sense. So if I cant work out a word then I do my best to translate the sounds. Pre school stuff rite there! I would focus on reassuring the child that its ok, that it doesn’t make them stupid, I would want to learn how to manage my emotions. I think management of emotions would be a extremely important thing to involve kids with in education.
WHEN ON EARTH WILL I NEED TO LEARN LATIN? NO ONE SPEAKS THE DANG LANGUAGE! Teach me about my emotions. Teach me about how its ok to feel my emotions everyone has them and its ok.

You know, because I was part of the special needs bunch at school when it came to the finale 2 years of school where we prepared for finale exams or GCSE’s if you are from the UK. I could sacrifice History/Religeous studies and then a Language so 2 classes I could cut out to replace it with GNVQ Leiure and Tourism and what a joke that was. We spent generally about 4 lessons a week in this class and all we ever did was cross words, and random little puzzle games that the teacher had printed out before hand and if the teacher hadn’t done that then we just watched a movie. This was only offered to those who are part of the special needs program. WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO ME? Why couldn’t you give me something usefull? On top of that I took IT as one of my subjects and that was a pile of poop I wanted to learn about computers but all we ever did was lean the ins and outs of Microsoft word imagine how much a dyslexic like me loved that. I spent months trying to get of IT in the end it took a practice test for me to get kicked of. I answerd every question in the practice test with a insult towards my teacher and finished it of with a drawing of him on the back. They got the hint and I was told I still had to go along to IT but I would spend that time working on homework and other stuff so I thought that’s cool. I spent 3 lessons a week sat on youtube and New grounds watching video’s and playing gaes that would probably get me suspended from school. On top of that the leisure and tourism classes. The school really had my best interests at hand here they really did.

What I really think schools should be doing what they should be integrating in to the dyslexic program or any “special needs” program.

  • Emotional development
  • Career development
  • Social skills

Scrap the list emotional development would be a huge improvement teaching kids that its ok to talk. I never told my parents anything because I feared that it would get me in trouble or I would be seen as wrong or the bullies would find out and get me again. I didn’t want all my energy focused on negative stuff.

Every class I would have the students write a gratitude list a list of everything they are grateful for I would have them do stuff that makes them happy, find out what makes them happy and set them a task related to that every week. I would base one class a week working on emotional development encourage the children to open up in a group get to know about each other and feel comfortable opening up to encourage them to want to open up and feel comfortable doing it at home to parents. One of the biggest things I learnt from my time in rehab is opening up and being honest about my problems and what bothers me. This is a strong way of doing it and I will always carry it with me.

Encourage the children to pass information in an way possible give them a camera and see if they are able to go of and make a video of themselves talking about what they love. Video blogging is fantastic. I do voluntary work on a hospital radio station witch is stupid for someone that struggles to translate his thoughts in to words. One thing I have learnt is how to waffle. I can yap on for half a hour making you think I am giving you all this magical information but at the end of it I know that all I have really told you is what im having for dinner. Doing stuff out of my comfort zone is my way of challenging my dyslexia it is only recent that I have done that as it has taken me a long time to get in touch with my emotions get in touch with what is inside myself. It has taken that for me to write these articles im still not 100% there is stuff I would love to do I would love to break my comfort zone and give acting a go! I would love to break my comfort zone and present a documentary. It takes time. And you as the teacher can help with that. Don’t let these children get to the point where they are scared to go out the front door don’t let them hate school give them something to look forward to. Educate them but in a way that makes them happy don’t choose the subject they work on let them choose something they are passionate about. Let them tell you about them things let them educate you about them things and discuss them with them. Give them reason to want to go home and find out more.

If I could I would go in and do things like this but im done with education I wnt do It anymore I will get where my journey is taking me the long slow and hard way because I will learn a hell of a lot more living at the bottom and working my way up to the bottom haha. I spoke about supplying for my family in the last article and I would like you to understand what I mean by that. My family live of about £150 a week that is for me my partner my daughter and step son, We are up to our eyeballs in debt, we are stuck in a 1 bedroom property with me and my partners bed in the living room so that we can sleep in peace, we cant move home due to the rent arrears being so high, I cant get a job as I havnt found a way to earn more than minimum wage witch on its own is slaves rates. If I get a job we earn less than what we already get witch means we cant pay of our debts. So we are trapped unless me or my partner get a well paid job that can cover everything. But even with all of this rubbish im happy I am comfortable and adjusted to how my life is at the moment I want the best for my family and hopefully one day I can supply that.

What help can I offer to you? Mothers and fathers teachers anyone tell your child these things:-
  • You are beautiful
  • You are worth it
  • You are amazing
  • You are intelligent
  • You are good enough

Every single day every time someone is down repeat the above and I promise you that a bond will form and life will take a turn for the better.
Anoher thing I suggest that I used to do and oh dear god it is the most awkward thing you will ever do and possibly one of the hardest things you will ever do but I promis it works and after a few days you will be fine.

The second you wake up before you pu any cloths on you stand there in your birthday suit in front of a mirror you make eye contact with yourself and you say “I Love You” three times you do this everyday and you will tart to really feel it. When you are walking make a effort to look up never look down never create tunnel for your eyes keep eyes forward the bigger picture is beautiful and amazing and you will feel so much happier seeing everything around you.

Don’t tell the dyslexic what to learn, Let them tell you and then work with that.​
~Martin Camp

                                      Discover.    Educate.    Inspire.
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Best Infographic yet ...

12/11/2015

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I belong to several groups dedicated to Dyslexia, homeschooling, and education. A member of one of the groups recently posted an insightful infographic on the many sides of Dyslexia and I wanted to share it here.
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Thank you to TES Resources for developing the infographic! 
TES Resources
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"What Dyslexia Really is" by Martin Camp

12/11/2015

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Thank you, Martin Camp, for writing this article! You have been raw and real and shared what so many others experience but cannot verbalize for themselves. This is brilliant and needs to be shared worldwide so that people understand the education system HAS to change. We need to discover, encourage, and inspire all of our global citizens as early as possible so they feel like the valued members of society that they are.
Well done, Martin!  
​What Dyslexia Really is!
Updated on December 5, 2015
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In this article I would like to make it as true as possible to my personal experience with Dyslexia. I have left the article the way it looks to me as a Dyslexic the spelling the grammar all where to me looks and feels correct. The only assistance being that of the corrections word offers me. If it is a struggle for you to read then you can understand how I felt writing it.
Click the button below to continue reading Martin's article
from the original site:
Martin Camp's article
Otherwise, you may continue to read his full article here:
According to the British Dyslexia Association Dyslexia is about information processing: dyslexic people may have difficulty processing and remembering information they see and hear. This can affect learning and the acquisition of literacy skills. Dyslexia is one of a family of Specific Learning Difficulties. It often co-occurs with related conditions, such as dyspraxia, dyscalculia and attention deficit disorder. On the plus side, dyslexic people often have strong visual, creative and problem solving skills and are prominent among entrepreneurs, inventors, architects, engineers and in the arts and entertainment world. Many famous and successful people are dyslexic.
Dyslexia to most people means you can’t spell you doesn’t know how to use grammar and you don’t read very well. To some people it is a frustration; it is a desperate need to correct us. But what is it really? Let me tell you: Dyslexia is the biggest pain in the arse, it is hard work and it is one of the biggest life effecting problems I have. How does it affect me? I cant sit and read a book because I will read the first line then I will read the first line again and then I will read the first line again and then I will be in the middle of the page somewhere wondering what the hell just happened. The words I read in a book they don’t sink in they don’t go anywhere and there for have no use to me witch is hard. The next problem is spelling, I have no understanding of some words I cant see or hear the difference between to and too or their and there and witch and which, I post on social media and rather than a response to what I am discussing you get the “Grammar Nazi’s” correcting my spelling. I will sit trying to work out how to spell a word and no matter how I do it I cant make it look rite, I go on Google to find the correct spelling but even that thinks my spelling is so bad it cant even identify the word I am looking for.
So that was spelling and reading. The 2 bits you expect o hear about when people discuss dyslexia or hear about dyslexia, But now lets get on to the next part.
Dyslexia makes understanding hard if you tell me something there is a high chance I will not remember it, if I am asked to do something I will not remember to do it. Even my mind is hard to understand. If you question me about something I have a huge amount of knowledge about but expect me to be able to tell you any of that when you ask me then you are out of luck. Translating my thoughts to vocal language is next to impossible. This doesn’t seem to bad but try being in a situation where you need to talk about yourself you need to think of a discussion to keep things going smooth you need to justify yourself to someone who is doubting something you have done or said, you need to stand up for your beliefs in a debate, how do I do this? My response or the words that come out of my mouth are uh eh um hhmmm with a couple of big words I heard on TV to make it sound a bit better.
How has this lead to affect me? This is the area that fellow dyslexics I hope can relate to in some ay shape or form, and this is the area you none dyslexic people will learn what it is really like to have dyslexia.
I put up with years and years of bullying, my school life set in the “special” class for stupid people! School was the worst experience in my life. I hear so many people say how they wish they could go back and do it again. I just think I wish I could go back and make it never happen. I had “friends” at school but even they played a part in what I would experience. Suffering from the symptoms I have mentioned previously it lead to me being treated like I was a idiot who never said the rite things never said anything funny. Never being able to justify myself meant I got beaten up on many occasions for stuff I had no involvement in. Being asked if I did something and me trying to explain how I didn’t do something makes me appear the same way someone does when they are lying the stuttering, the thinking and the sounds between words. Being incapable of these things have a chain of events all these chain of events start at the beginning of education where you are tested on the dyslexic symptoms. You start reading writing spelling understanding grammar and you begin to feel inadequate.
My story starts with the above, I struggled my way through school years. I have a copy of every school report from every year at school and it upsets me when I look back at it. I had always had extra support things didn’t seem to bad but come year 9 of school when you begin getting tests ready for the last 2 exam years. Having a set amount of time even though I was given extra time to read the questions and come up with a good answer is so hard because you spend most of the time reading the same question over and over again trying to make it sink in and make sense to you. Then you need a answer. How does someone come up with a answer when they struggle to translate their thoughts how do you read a question and remember it when even the slightest sniff will distract you. Every time I had to do something at school I felt inadequate I felt useless I felt stupid. When other pupils catch on to this they begin treating you like you are stupid. I knew other people who had dyslexia and they could stand there own they would get bullied for being “stupid” but they would defend themselves. They would still get bullied after but they had some defence. How does a pacifist like myself do this? So being “stupid” lead to bullying, bullying lead to more bullying because I became a easy target. I would and don’t defend myself and I most definitely have never and will never fight back I became a punch bag for damaged people used to relieve there frustration. At the end of my time at school a group used this power over me and it lead to me having a group of 20 people taking it in turns punching me running away was not a option after my first attempt. How does it feel having someone hold round your neck whilst he punches you in the stomach whilst another threatens to put a cigarette out in your eye then having the rest of the group take turns hitting you until the last guy asks you to kiss his shoe with the intention of kicking you in the face, Witch no one around to help no one to stop it not one to make it go away. I walked away from that event laughing to myself the only emotion I could express was laughter. Covered in blood and bruises thinking about how being “stupid” being unable to express myself properly has lead to me living like this. I used to go home wishing I was dead. I used to go of for the day instead of going to school until my parents thought the best way to teach me that lesson was to take me to the police station and have a officer scare me. But even then after what I had experienced after friends and strangers both bullying me in some way shape or form it came to me that I had been alone for some years I had aquantenses friends didn’t exist in my life because even the “friends” I had treated me life dirt.
I know bullying isn’t a symptom of dyslexia but it’s a example of how dyslexia can effect your life. After school I hid away I went to college far from home so I didn’t need to spend time in the area but even at college dyslexia had the upper hand it made it hard for me to progress so I dropped out since then I have made 3 more attempts at education and all end with me dropping out. The pressure of learning is too much for me to handle it agitates me. I spent a few years wasting my time and wasting my life I would steal money from my parents I would steal from acquaintances I would steal from work I became someone I hated. I hated eating I used cannabis to calm me and make me feel separated from the problems in my life. I became a mess of a person absent to the world, UN sociable and unable to function like a normal human being. In the end a visit from the police being arrested and interviewed about some theft I had been up to was a bit of a eye opener for me. 2009 I took a trip to a rehab in South Africa. I worked on my problems around food but mostly what I got out of it what I wanted to change was I hated myself and I needed to learn how not to be a dick. I learned to accept my problems and I learnt how to handle life when it is hard.
For any years I blamed how I was and who I was on the people that bullied me but I learnt that it wasn’t them they did it because they have there own problems like any other human does. What caused me to be a target what caused me to be the person they came to was my dyslexia. Dyslexia made me feel useless, lonely, inadequate, stupid and worthless. So the next time you think its just poor spelling think again because it is a hell of a lot more than that. It is shit!!! It is a lifetime of hell!! It is something that can grab you and never let you go unless you learn ways to deal with it.
What do it do now? How do I manage my dyslexia? I do what I can to avoid conflict with my dyslexia sometimes that is unavoidable. Even writing this it is near impossible and a hard job. I have my daughter screaming and I have my partner talking I have lights flashing and every time something happens I loose where I am and I am then faced with dyslexia making me read what I have written over and over again until I remember or work out what the hell I was talking about.
I am a creative person a trait that is common in dyslexics I play guitar, drums, sing, piano, any instrument really give it to me and I will have the basics down in a day or 2, I like to produce music, I like photography, drawing, animating, writing music, filming, designing, and Skateboarding. As a dyslexic if I struggle I start the feeling useless and feeling rubbish stuff again so I am lucky enough to have a love for so many things that if I am writing a song and think this sounds great we are all good but then it starts to sound rubbish in the past I would get angry take it out on myself or any objects around me but now I can go away from it and just do something else. If I have idea it must be done there and then. I have got out of bed at 2 in the morning and been up writing a song all night because I had to get the idea out of my brain. This article I thought about writing it and I have to do it now or it will never happen. If I need to write anything and I get stuck with a word at the point I would generally get angry I re word it all in a way I can get close to spelling. A high majority of my dyslexia I manage to avoid. My memory I manage until it becomes a problem in the household then I don’t know how to explain myself. The almighty “grammar Nazi’s” are unavoidable and they continue to upset me. The smallest correction can send me on a downer for the day. I don’t like getting help because the thought of being corrected pains me. But most of all, the thing that helps me the most is acceptance. Dyslexia isn’t curable people think they can help you with it but it will always be there. By accepting I can’t spell accepting I cant read accepting I can’t translate my thoughts accepting I cant read a book that everyone is raving about. I handle this if the book is worth reading then they will most probably bring out a movie, if you don’t like my spelling then that is not my problem you can get the gist of what I am saying and you understand what I am saying. I don’t need to justify myself I can avoid conflict with people by not arguing my beliefs. They are my beliefs no one else has a requirement to agree with them or know them. Dyslexia is a constant struggle even today and recovering from it is not an option but learning how to avoid it effecting you is possible. I struggle to work I cant hold down a job because dyslexia holds me back somewhere down the line and either ends with me getting fired for some rubbish reason to justify not being good enough to fill the roll. The current issue with that is I have a family to think about, a soon to be wife, a daughter and a stepson all in witch I have a duty to supply for. Dyslexia has help me back from progressing in a career I have skills but they are all in a area that is very hard to earn a living from. I feel destined to be stuck in low paid work destined to work in retail. I do not want this as it will not help me become the man I dream of being. Dyslexia makes my dream hard. A lot of very well known people have the same issues as me some are capable of putting full focus in to success other in the rite place at the rite time some mild some extreme. I like to see my dyslexia as quite a extreme case and I hate it I hate having it I hate being help back because I know I could be something great I could be a icon a hero to my family but I know it is incredibly hard to get out of the place I am currently.
Writing this article has forced me to face everything I hate about dyslexia and I have tested my temper a few times in the process. But in the end has it been worth it? Some will relate some will judge some may go through and correct every error in my writings, but as long as 1 person gets something from it then it has served its purpose. I want people to know what dyslexia involves what we need to struggle through and even when things are great it still causes problems for us. There is a lot of negativity in this but the focus for me is relating what it causes. I would have liked it to be like most things the person writing it has fixed the problem and writing about the up rise of how good things are now but I would be lying dyslexia was shit it is shit and it will always be shit and it will always be there to get me. Dyslexia is like its own form of depression but with dyslexia it will never go.

~Martin Camp
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LETTERS© Customized Curriculum and Resources - The Process

12/8/2015

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LETTERS© is unique because we customize
curriculum and resources for individual needs and learning styles. We know the most memorable learning takes place when a person has all five senses engaged in the learning experience. We also know learning is most relevant when it is partnered with individual interests and learning styles.
The best way to customize learning is to discover as much about the learner as possible. 
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This is the process:
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1. An educator/parent connects with us to learn more about LETTERS© curriculum and resources. The educator/parent decides to meet with LETTERS©.  We send an email with questions that must be filled out prior to the meeting. The responses will provide us with detailed information which will enable us to serve you better in the initial consultation. 

2. We meet with the educator/parent to discuss the student’s need. We show the curriculum and resources we have designed and developed and we make note of what would be best for their student’s program.
This is a free 1 hour consultation. 

3. Then we put together a LETTERS© lesson plan for the educator/parent and LETTERS© lessons for the student. Once this is completed we arrange a show-and-tell meeting. 

4. We show the program we have developed, offer explanation, and a mini-teaching session, if requested.  
 
5. Once the student is using LETTERS© curriculum and resources we remain in close contact with the educator/parent via phone and email to continue to fine-tune the program.
This initial feedback is imperative to the student’s success with LETTERS©. We offer continuing support for the educator/parent as an equally important part of our services.

Discover. Educate. Inspire.
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A Client's Review of LETTERS Curriculum and Resources

12/6/2015

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We have had the privilege of designing and producing curriculum and resources for two young girls with low vision. Their mom, Yvonne, took  pictures of the girls using our products and wrote a wonderful testimonial for us. Thank you, Yvonne! 

“We want to thank you, Michelle and Stephanie! 
LETTERS© has been a brilliantly put together multisensory curriculum tool!  Our two youngest girls, being visually impaired, have had incredible success learning their alphabet sounds and recognizing the letters while having fun through touching, matching, tracing, building, and saying their alphabet names and sounds.  The LETTERS© Discovery Kits have made their letter recognition a meaningful way to connect and understand the foundation of language and how to begin to read and build words whether on paper with pencil, dry erase, or with the letter pieces.
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​Well laid out LETTERS© lesson plans allow me to pick and choose how to present each step to the girls and gives them ample opportunity to experience language rather than just look at it. Thank you for all your extra time and effort making Hannah’s learning from left to right, to putting her words together, an exciting and personal thing.
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Hannah absolutely loves her uppercase and lowercase letters and LETTERS© Letter Boards and it has moved her completely into a place of loving to learn language!”    —Yvonne Geleynse
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    Author

    I am Michelle Kapelle. I have been an educator for over 29 years.

    I have learned a lot through my experiences in tutoring, parenting, and observing; I look forward to sharing what I have learned  with the hope that you will find helpful information and encouragement within these posts.

    ​You are welcome here!

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