Backwards sdrawkcaB

Last week #6, my struggling to read first grader, came home from church with a picture he'd drawn. At the top was a sticker picture of Jesus, next to it he had written,

sezej evol nac I.

My Mom is his primary teacher she called not to long after church ended and told me that #6 was backwards/mirror writing. She wasn't sure if it was the angle he was sitting at while copying off the chalk board or if it indicated something more serious. My Mom was a certified teacher until she up and quit to have eleven children. Years of working with eleven children many of whom had some learning challenges, like backwards writing, has made her quick to notice children who struggle and imbued her with a passionate desire to help.

Currently she tutors at the Missionary Training Center. There 19 year old boys training to serve full time missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints fill out papers indicating that they struggle with reading. The boys(I know, I know they aren't boys they think they're men) are evaluated and assigned a tutor to work with them for the three or so weeks of their stay.

When my Mom gets one of these boys assigned to her the first task is to let him know that it's OK that he can't read well. This is difficult. After years of schooling which rewards and labels students as GOOD if they pick up easily on certain skills and has little or no help and plenty of labels for those that don't, these boys are hurt, feel unworthy of love and hopeless.

My Mom loves them, she teaches them that it's not their fault that the teachers didn't have the skills or knowledge to teach them in the way they learn and too give them the foundation and fundamentals so that reading makes sense. She bears testimony that God can teach them in exactly the way they learn and that He always lays a foundation of fundamentals that will help us clearly read His will for us.

No matter how many people tell me that believing in Jesus Christ is crazy or backwards, No matter how backwards my life may be at times.

!em sevol suseJ wonk I dna suseJ evol nac I wonk I

Thanks Mom for your example and your love.