Story of Victory - written by parent of a third grader from Crofton

Dear Synap2it,

We would like to share our story of victory. It begins on a warm autumn day when our beautiful, intelligent little girl, Angela, started pre-school. Before the age of three Alex had already traveled on 100 airplanes and won the hearts of many adults and children alike. She was inquisitive. She was mature. She enjoyed learning , life and new challenges. Like the adults in her toddler years, the pre-school teachers pampered, inspired and motivated Alex to be the best she could be. She received top marks for coordination, reading comprehension, patterning, and socialization. By the time Angie was in the four-year-old pre-school class, her pre-school teachers told us she was one of the brightest and most pleasant children they had ever had in their school. the teachers told us that Alex would always be at the top of her class because of her intelligence and love of learning.

Then came kindergarten. During the first few weeks she loved school. She was the first child to raise her hand when the teacher asked a question and one of the last children to leave school everyday. The teacher reported at Angie's first parent-teacher conference that she had to stop calling on Angie because she always wanted to be the center of attention. My husband and I liked at each other with amazement that Angie's enthusiasm was being discouraged, but we told ourselves that it would be okay. But it wasn't. Things just got worse. By November, Angie no longer loved school. We kept her stimulated through extra-curricular activities and prayed that first grade would be better.

But first grade wasn't better. An over-crowded classroom in a four-class pod seemed to be a constant distraction. The teacher was busy dealing with disruptive children, and Alex started to dislike school and learning even more. A beloved teacher left mid-year and a progression of substitutes followed. Angie frequently mentioned her pre-school days and how much she missed the fun of learning and the undivided attention of her former teachers. Again, we helped her at home and prayed for a second grade miracle. We bought books about learning. We talked to other parents. We saw a child development expert, but by the end of September of second grade, Angie was frequently complaining about school and constantly stressed out by the "one-minute math" test. We received frequent calls from the school that Angie was in the nurse's office complaining of a stomach ache. Then, in November of that year we learned that her teacher was leaving and Angie was about to have her sixth teacher since entering kindergarten. Angie had lost her drive for learning and seemed to struggle with everything from organization to simple math facts. We realized that the constant teacher turnover combined with the methods used by the school were not reaching Angie.

We talked to the school and they didn't seem all that concerned because "Angie is an average student." We knew from our pre-school experience that Angie was much more dynamic than "average." She hated the label "average." she wanted to be the best and she told us this on a daily basis. We asked the school for help in developing a learning program that was designed for Angie, but they looked at us with puzzlement. We were near the end of our rope when we saw an advertisement for Synap2it Learning Center. The advertisement seemed to describe Angie's symptoms.

That was when our journey to victory began. During our meeting with Nancy our spirits began to lift as she explained the Synap2it philosophy. She told us that intelligence is not fixed at birth and that each child learns in a different way. She assured us that Angie was very bright and promised us that Synap2it could help our child regain the love of learning that she lost along the way. Within two short months a miraculous transformation began to occur in Angie. She started looking forward to school. She seemed to have more confidence. She was positive and inquisitive and carefree. Our enthusiastic and stress-free Angie was back. By month three and four, Angie was independently finding solutions to homework and excelling at school. From month five on, it was smooth sailing.

By early spring, Angie was at the top of her class for reading and improving her math skills everyday. By June, alex had passed rigorous entrance exams to be accepted into a wonderful independent school with a 7-to-1 teaching ratio. I am thrilled to report that Angie's third grade teacher says our child is one of the brightest students she has ever had the pleasure to teach. We would not have discovered Angie's need for a more creative, yet structured learning environment without Synap2it.

In summary, the Synap2it team saved Angie from a life of academic struggle. They reversed the emotional and intellectual damage before it was too late. By strengthening the learning links in Angie's brain through everything from jumping on the a trampoline to completing workbooks in a methodological manner, Synap2it brought our girl full circle. Nancy, thank you for everything your team did to help Angie. We feel so much comfort knowing that Synap2it is available to in the future. We are supporters for life and will be a cheerleader forever. By the way, Angie told us recently that she wants to be a teacher when she grow up. I asked why and her answer was "Nancy and Anthy."

With Warmest Wishes and Gratitude,

Renee, Dan and Angie

writetous@synap2it.com