During the day, Sandi is a paraprofessional at West Fargo High School. But that’s not all. After the school bell rings, she walks across the street to her next assignment as a dyslexia literacy coach at Haley’s Hope. She’s been at it for five years and has already graduated seven students. “I’m just as excited as they are when they ring the bell in the hallway signifying completion of all 10 levels of Haley’s Hope. It makes my heart happy.”
Working at Haley’s Hope is different from her job at the high school; certainly, there are similarities being an educator. Yet, students with dyslexia learn differently. “There’s been a lot of ah-ha moments through the years. It’s a learning process for me as much as it is for them,” says Sandi.
Most coaches come to Haley’s Hope without an official teaching background; instead, they bring a passion to help kids learn. After extensive training, a coach is assigned with a Level 1 student. Using ‘nonsense’ words – like COV, BAF, RIN – the student learns the sounds of letters first, then moves onto forming real words and learning sentence structure. “When a student masters a level, I can see it in their eyes that it just clicked. That, in itself, is gratifying – for both of us.”
“Haley’s Hope has trained me beautifully in the Barton System. Yet you have to work with the student in front of you and modify when needed,” explains Sandi. “Most students come to Haley’s Hope after a long day at school. They’re sometimes exhausted and tired. As a coach, I need to motivate each student to learn. I understand sometimes it’s difficult. Together, we try it once and see how it goes. Then the next time it’ll be easier.”
And on that graduation day? “I see a student every week for 3-plus years and get to know their family too. So, it’s bittersweet,” says Sandi. “Yet, more than anything, there’s no feeling quite like it. It’s truly an overwhelming feeling of pride, excitement and joy.” – Indeed it is, Sandi. Indeed it is.