36 students and teachers graduate from Scottish Rite Dyslexia Learning Center in Amarillo
One of the best kept secrets in the Panhandle is the Scottish Rite Learning Center of West Texas nestled in the heart of Amarillo. The Learning Center is where hundreds of teachers and students learn better ways to handle reading difficulties, specifically Dyslexia.
The program’s director, June Hoffman, said, “We can offer our services free-of-charge because of the generous support from the Freemasons and local philanthropist, Glen Ashton.”
On May 5th at River Road High School, the center hosted its annual graduation of its students and teachers. Yes, that’s right! Teachers also attend lessons at the center to become licensed Therapists and Qualified Instructors. While the younger students are more local, the teachers come from all over the Texas Panhandle, New Mexico, Colorado, and Oklahoma. Over 250 people were in attendance to celebrate the graduiates.
The program is an after-school program; it is one hour each day, four days per week for two years.
One student, Seth Davis, has gained tremendous confidence in his reading ability and is now even reading aloud in front of his classmates. Seth’s mother said, “Everything that the Learning Center has done for Seth and my family is nothing short of a Blessing.”
To enroll your child into the Amarillo Learning Center, contact Carla Parker at (806) 350-7669 or visit the school at 211 SE 17th Ave, Amarillo, TX 79102.
In the words of Seth’s mother, Tenaya Davis, “Once we finally found the school, getting our son accepted was a smooth process and Mrs. Parker was so helpful.”
The faculty at the Learning Center has a century’s worth of experience with helping students learn and build confidence. Hoffman, is a retired elementary school teacher with nearly 40 years of experience and Carla Parker is a retired Dyslexia teacher who is graduating as a Qualified Instructor.
Additional faculty at the center are Melissa Espino from Dumas, Katrina Hughes from Spearman, and Kristin Watson from Amarillo.
Graduating Therapists were Heather Hall of Lefors ISD, Gloria Mason of Dumas ISD, and Misty Wilkins of River Road ISD.
To date, there have been approximately 40 teachers who have graduated from the Amarillo campus. They are now helping students in many school districts better learn how to read, bolster their confidence, and gain self-esteem. Any teacher or administrator who wants more information on how s/he can become better trained, is encouraged to contact Mrs. Parker.
The Scottish Rite Learning Center in Amarillo is an outgrowth of the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, which was established in 1921. Since 1965, the hospital has been an active research center for reading disorders. Both the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children and the Shriners Children's Hospital are fully supported by Freemasons. If you know a child in need, ask your doctor or call Khiva Shrine or the West Texas Scottish Rite Learning Center.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: 36 graduate from Scottish Rite Dyslexia Learning Center in Amarillo
