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Why Oakwood: Trusting the Team
Sarika Anderson

Why Oakwood: Trusting the Team

Sarika Anderson, Oakwood Parent

Ayaan has always been an exceptionally kind and intelligent boy. We were super excited for his school journey to begin. When he started in public school, we noticed he was not keen on drawing or writing but liked being read to. We also noticed he would write letters backward and thought it was age-related.

His first-grade year was interrupted by Covid-19. And he languished in the online environment. Our attempt to supplement online schooling was always met with resistance and slowly Ayaan began to hate school. Our instinct told us he needed help and perhaps he had learning differences. Thus began our saga of IEPs gone wrong and public school teachers that were well-meaning but grossly underqualified to provide equal access to education for Ayaan.

Developing Trust with School Administration

The public school system would always tell us "he's such a sweet boy and he tries really hard." While the school thought that this was comforting to us, we knew they were missing the point and Ayaan needed help. After receiving his dyslexia diagnosis, we went in search of alternative education specifically for children with dyslexia and that is how we found Oakwood. 

Coming into another school environment we were exceedingly cautious and untrusting of the school administration. Oakwood from the start was different. When we met with Dr. Autry and Ms. Jedlicka, they told us to bring a toy that Ayaan likes. When they greeted him they asked about his favorite legos he had brought, immediately putting him at ease. 

While his testing commenced Ms. Jedlicka came out to ask us if he had a vision or tracking issue. We had neglected to add this information to our package and she had picked up on it right away. We were shocked and very impressed with the obviously knowledgeable staff we were already dealing with, and this was just the interview. When Ms. Jedlicka called us to tell us they wanted to help Ayaan she stated something like, "The testing showed that Ayaan can definitely use the help." It was a relief to finally find an educator that could tell us there were issues and yes they would help us deal with them. 

The Oakwood Difference

Since starting Oakwood, Ayaan is thriving. He LOVES his teachers, Ms. Plump and Ms. Heflin. Gone are the days when we were yanking him out of bed kicking and screaming to go to school. He began reading words in a matter of months when in public school he still struggled with the alphabet. Now he proudly attempts to read anything in the world around him. 

Most importantly he now has friends that are like him and that has made a huge difference in his life and confidence. Oakwood's activities and events make our introverted kid want to join in and try new things. As parents, we can say that Oakwood has removed so much anxiety from our lives and has provided tailor-made support for not only Ayaan but for us as well. 

 

Meet the team at Oakwood and discover our talented special educators and dedicated leadership. 

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