We are humbled that the parents of our students and the students themselves have shared their experiences with Empowered Readers. Here is what they have to say.
“Mrs. Grace has been so helpful for school and life. I started at a 3rd-grade reading level in 8th grade and went to an 11th-grade reading level. She was so nice and so caring to me. It meant a lot that I had her helping me. She will help you with anything you need help with for school (like essays or understanding class texts)..”
— Malcom (11th grade student)
“Grace Sharma has mastered the use of technology and teaching methods for online Orten-Gillingham tutoring! My daughter is seven and struggles with Dyslexia and ADHD. With the right technology combined with her tutor’s explicit and concise directions and engaging personality, online tutoring has been remarkably successful. In an hour, they can review previous lessons, reinforce acquired skills, learn new skills, and play a few fun games in-between. It breaks the intensity up nicely for my daughter. What is more amazing, is that this all happens during my daughter’s school day, while she still has the energy to learn; she is pulled out of class for OG tutoring five days per week.
Assessments are performed regularly to understand which skills my daughter has mastered and which skills still need reinforcement. Empowered Readers has been the most efficient and successful path for my daughter’s dyslexia remediation. I am beyond thrilled with my daughter’s growth in reading and spelling, along with her blossoming confidence. I never thought this possible online, but Empowered Readers has figured out virtual Orten-Gillingham tutoring and is reaching students who would have never received this support in a traditional school setting.”
— Emily Adams (Parent)
“Grace is an extraordinary Orton-Gillingham tutor. She has advised us, and our daughter, from the assessment process through 4 years of tutoring. As a result of Grace’s tutoring skills, our daughter has improved her grades, organizational skills, and time management. She has also gained confidence through the skills that Grace has taught her. Every lesson is personalized for each student and the curriculum is not a one size fits all approach. She is engaged with each student, knows what works best for each individual, and deeply cares for every one of their success. She does not only have great communication with her students. She keeps the students’ parents up to date with the progress, offers resources, and offers support to the parents along the journey. I cannot say enough about the difference Grace has made in our daughters’ life. I highly recommend her as an Orton-Gillingham tutor.”
— Cindy Florkey (Parent)
“My son, 17 yrs old, started with Grace about three years ago and was reading at an elementary grade level and hated school. Today my son is reading at his grade level and is getting A’s and B’s in school. It is a great feeling to see the confidence building in my son.”
— Sandy Green (Parent)
“Our daughter has worked with Grace for a while. Grace is no-nonsense but patient and kind. She is a leader in her field and can motivate her students to unlock their unique path when learning. Lastly, our daughter has meaningfully improved her reading and become a confident and conscientious student as a direct and unmistakable result of working diligently with Grace.”
— Linda Stoick (Parent)
“Keely has changed my son’s life and helped him make real progress in 4 months, after years of him floundering. She is creative, engaging, patient, and persistent. She communicates with my son’s teachers at school and is an integral part of his educational team. Virtual tutoring saves us hours of driving each week and has been a wonderful experience. I highly recommend her to anyone with a struggling reader.”
— Denise Selph (Parent)
“I feel incredibly lucky to have found Shanda through Empowered Readers this past spring, just as our family was about to relocate to a part of the country that has limited resources for dyslexics. My daughter was at the beginning of her dyslexic remediation. I was extremely skeptical about finding an effective online tutor who could work with a young child with ADHD—I thought it almost impossible without tutoring in person. However, what once seemed impossible, evolved quickly into an inspiring collaboration between tutor and student. Amazingly, Shanda has turned what my daughter once dreaded into a time that she actually looks forward to! She has even named a beloved stuffed Panda Bear after Shanda: “Shanda Panda”.
The frequency of the sessions, along with Shanda’s OG expertise and creativity has proven to be a magic combination. This is working. With four months of tutoring under her belt, my daughter has made such strides in reading and spelling and gained great confidence In her skills. I know this, despite Shanda’s assessments—which are handy, because they provide concrete evidence of improvements —but also because my daughter voluntarily reads signage throughout the day, and blows me away with her decodable readers when she reads to me at night. Consistency is key: meeting 3—5 times a week has been instrumental in my daughter adjusting to intense OG work online; there are more opportunities for reinforcement, and the sessions are a natural part of my daughter’s routine. Most importantly, my daughter is happy and loves working online with Shanda. Shanda has a passion and a talent for OG, and my daughter is extremely lucky to have her as a tutor.”
— Emily Adams (Parent)
“Keely is simply amazing! She has taken our two dyslexic children from struggling readers to enthusiastic, skilled readers. My daughter went from avoiding books at all costs to being a girl who would stay up into the wee hours of the night reading if I let her. Keely is incredibly knowledgeable and a true expert in Orton-Gillingham methodology. She teaches with kindness and patience, and my kids love her. I am so grateful we found her, as I can’t imagine where our family would be without her!”
— Katie Hickerson (parent)