Last updated on November 26, 2023
Podcast Episode 0075, Season 5, Episode 6; 2 November 2021
Literacy Problem Solver
From the Press Kit:
Lois Letchford’s dyslexia came to light at the age of 39, when she faced teaching her seven-year-old non-reading son, Nicholas. Examining her reading failure caused her to adapt and change lessons for her son. The results were dramatic. Lois qualified as a reading specialist to use her non-traditional background, multi-continental experience, and passion to assist other failing students. Her teaching and learning have equipped her with a unique skill set and perspective. As a teacher, she considers herself a “literacy problem-solver.”
Reversed: A Memoir is her first book. In this story, she details her dyslexia and the journey of her son’s dramatic failure in first grade. She tells of the twist and turns that promoted her passion and her son’s dramatic academic turn-a-round.
Lois Letchford: Literacy Problem Solver
Reversed: A Memoir
https://www.loisletchford.com
Transcript
Hello, and welcome to The Autistic Me Podcast. I am Christopher Scott Wyatt and on this episode I ’m pleased to be joined by literacy and reading specialist Lois Letchford.
Many of the Neurodiverse individuals I consider academic colleagues became professors, teachers, and educational reform advocates to change the systems that caused us misery and trauma.
As a parent and educator, I’m painfully aware that our systems continue to fail many students. Some failures are obvious, such as crumbling access ramps and out-of-service elevators. Other failures, however, aren’t as obvious. These are failures of curriculum design, teaching methods, and classroom policies.
If you’re Neurodiverse, you become accustomed to policies and practices that obstruct your learning.
Before the pandemic, my daughters were acutely aware of the competitive nature of reading at their schools. There were book lists, wall charts, and rewards for reading specific numbers of books. Reading was a race through pages, not a pleasurable activity.
Lois Letchford is an educator, author, and speaker who earned a master’s degree in Literacy and Reading from the State University of New York at Albany.
Lois is also dyslexic. Her memoir, Reversed, recounts the experiences of Lois and her son Nicholas as they learn together about literacy… and the failings of educational systems.
Again, I welcome Lois Letchford, a literacy problem solver, to The Autistic Me Podcast.
Lois Letchford: Thank you for having me here Chris I’m delighted to be here.
Transcription in the Works!
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