Success Story:
After Countless Failed Interventions, Young Boy Learns to Read at Sylvan

Leslie Gluckman was at her wit’s end. After having completed the second grade, her son Willie still couldn’t read—despite several interventions. Having ADHD only compounded his difficulties. "I tried tutor after tutor," Willie’s mom says. Even her own tireless efforts at tutoring Willie proved futile. "I worked with him all summer—he didn’t want to work with me," she says. Then a friend told her about Sylvan.

After looking into Sylvan, Mrs. Gluckman registered Willie for an evaluation and tutoring lessons. Shortly afterwards, it was as if a light bulb had gone off in Willie’s head. He finally learned to read. How did Sylvan manage to take a child like Willie, whom countless tutors and teachers were unable to reach, and teach him to read? Here’s how.

In September of 2004, Willie started his eight-month tutoring stint at Sylvan. Initially, the intensive sessions consisted of hour-long instruction periods, three times a week. Because of Willie’s short attention span and seeming inability to stay attentive to a given task, his mother braced herself for a battle of wills. But it never materialized. "Willie never once balked at going to Sylvan three times a week," she says. In fact, just the opposite was true.

"Willie was so excited when he came home with tokens, "Mrs. Gluckman says. The tokens were part of a reward system that Sylvan uses to recognize work done well. Every time Willie received 100% on a quiz, he got a token. It soon became clear that Willie, like most other children, responded positively to this type of reinforcement system. The reward system wasn’t the only thing at Sylvan to which Willie responded favorably.

The way the instructors interacted with Willie gave him the confidence to try to read. "They showed him respect," says Leslie Gluckman, matter-of-factly. And they didn’t let his behavior interfere with his ability to learn. "They seemed to get past all his goofiness," she says.

Now, nearing the end of second grade, Willie has caught up to his peers. He’ll be well prepared to enter third grade in the fall. His mother admits that reading still is not Willie’s first choice of leisure activities. A ball of energy, he prefers to do things that require of lot of physical movement. But now, when Willie does sit down long enough to read, it’s a positive experience. "He likes reading now. And when he does read, he reads well. He can read fluently. He can pretty much sound everything out, and his comprehension is good," Mrs. Gluckman says.

It now seems like ages ago that a friend suggested to Leslie Gluckman that she take Willie to Sylvan. Since then, she’s returned the favor many times over. "I’ve recommended Sylvan to several friends. It was wonderful," she says.

If your child could benefit from receiving individualized tutoring lessons, contact Sylvan Learning Center to find out more about our programs. Call 1-800-31-SUCCESS or log onto www.educate.com.