News

by Jennifer Even Melton

To understand how Hindman Settlement School's dyslexia program was an answer to our prayers, journey with me back to the year 2000 for a typical afternoon of reviewing spelling words with our son, Robert Melton.

“The first word is ‘duck’,” I said as I uneasily glanced at the weekly list of 20 second grade spelling words.

“k... u… c… d?” Robert said hesitatingly.

“D…D… Duck,” I said, scarcely hiding my exasperation. “Pay attention, Robert!”

“I’m trying Mom,” he growled. “Duck… K... U… Oh I don’t know!” He slammed his open hands on the table.

“Robert,” I sighed, with my last ounce of patience, “Just listen… D…Uh…CK…”

He jammed the point of his pencil into the table, splintering the entire pencil. “I just can’t do it!” he screamed.

“Fine.” I barely managed to choke out the word as I got up and left the dining room table, my eyes filling with hot tears.

This scene is indelibly etched in my brain. Why this day, I don’t know. It was much like every other afternoon when Robert was in second grade and we devoted hour after hour to trying to master the week’s spelling words. Perhaps I remember this day because it was the day I wrote the note to his teacher explaining that I was no longer going to help Robert with his spelling words because the ordeal was tearing our family apart! I wasn’t being overly dramatic. Day after day, the results—or lack thereof—from this fruitless process literally put our whole family on edge!

Robert was very bright. Everyone seemed to recognize that. So was he just not trying? Was he just trying to make me mad? After hours of testing and evaluation, the school system’s report to me was brief and unhelpful: “Robert has a very high IQ. The highest we’ve seen in this kind of testing. We think he is just anxious.” Well, he wasn’t the only one who was anxious!

Fast forward three years. We had moved from Massachusetts to southeastern Kentucky to be closer to my husband’s family. Robert was now in fifth grade. I was sitting across a desk from a woman at Hindman Settlement School. She had a folder of test results in front of her as she explained to me that the evaluations clearly showed that Robert had dyslexic tendencies—something I’d long suspected, but could not get anyone to confirm. Feelings of relief and tentative optimism filled the room as the woman explained the summer program and after-school tutoring options available through the Hindman program.

Robert eagerly dove into the process or relearning all the letters of the alphabet, how to write them, and the sounds that each letter made—not an easy pill to swallow for an intelligent fifth grader. But after spending six weeks of his summer in Hindman with a group of like-minded kids and warm-hearted tutors, Robert had a new understanding of how and why he learned differently.

So did I. The informational sessions for parents had given my husband and me new insight into how Robert saw the world; and with that new insight came new patience and understanding. One morning at Hindman Settlement School, a speaker stood before a group of parents, holding up a pair of scissors with the points toward the ceiling. “What would you teach your child to call these?” he asked. “Scissors,” the parents murmured. He turned the points of the scissors toward the floor and asked, “Are they still scissors now?” “Yes,” we responded, wondering why he’d ask such a question. “And now?” he said, holding the point of the scissors out to the side. “Are they still scissors?” We all nodded. Then he held up a lower case “b”… which of course became a “d” when turned around and a “p” when inverted. “So,” he concluded, “we teach our children that scissors are scissors, regardless of how we hold them. But the same is not true for the letter ‘b’? How do we explain that to our children?” He had us there.

I think the biggest “ah-ha moment” occurred when another speaker told our group of parents: “Your children are like an Apple computer and teachers are trying to put an IBM PC disk into them. There’s nothing wrong with the computer and nothing wrong with the disk. They are just not compatible. Your kids need a different kind if disk—a different approach to learning.”

This theme pervades the atmosphere at Hindman Settlement School. Everyone Robert encountered in his three summers at the school and in his years of after-school tutoring in our home county helped to instill in him the belief that being dyslexic—learning “differently”—was far from a bad thing. He came to see that dyslexia means he has to do some things differently and work harder at certain tasks. However, he also came to believe that dyslexia was not something to be ashamed of or hide. He never shied away from telling people he was dyslexic. In fact, he often wears his dyslexia like a badge of honor!

Robert at Falling Water, the famous house that Frank Lloyd Wright designed in Pennsylvania.

Today, in 2011, Robert is nearing the end of his senior year in high school. He’s taking five AP (advanced placement, college-level) classes. He will graduate near the top of his class at North Laurel High School and has been awarded a substantial, merit-based scholarship to attend Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan in the Fall. He’s enrolled in a challenging five-year Architectural Engineering Program in which he will earn both a bachelors degree and masters degree upon graduation. Just this week we learned that he earned additional scholarship money in an out-of-state scholarship competition to which the university invited only a dozen of the top out-of-state freshman applicants.

When I told Robert I was writing this article, he told me, “Most of my teachers don’t even believe me when I tell them I have an IEP (an individualized education plan) for dyslexia. And one of my teachers was so amazed when she found out that I was dyslexic that she told me I should become a motivational speaker!”

Robert still misreads words and reverses letters. But today he laughs about it. “I’m dyslexic, Mom,” he says with pride, “I’m allowed to read it that way!” And thanks to Hindman Settlement School, he’s been taught the skills and instilled with the self-esteem to thrive with his dyslexia.
 

Hindman, KY--Susan Barton, the founder of Bright Solutions for Dyslexia and one of America's leading dyslexia experts, will conduct a professional development seminar in Hindman on Monday, May 23 from 6-9 pm at the Hindman United Methodist Church. The event, sponsored by Hindman Settlement School, is free and open to the public.

Barton has developed the Barton Reading & Spelling System, a 10-level system of teaching reading using the Orton-Gillingham methodology. The Barton Reading & Spelling System teaches people from all walks of life how to tutor people with dyslexia. Hindman Settlement School uses the Barton Reading & Spelling System with some of the students in its Summer School and in the Reading Lab Partnership with Knott County Schools.

“Learners with dyslexia struggle with language and it’s related to how the brain is wired,” said Ola Pigman, Director of the Settlement School’s Dyslexia Program. “Our goal is to help parents and teachers identify and work with students who have dyslexia at an early age so they become more successful in their learning experience,” she said.

Susan Barton is trained in seven different Orton-Gillingham-based programs and teaches several graduate-level courses through the University of San Diego.

Register for the free program. For more information, contact the Settlement School at 606.785.4044.

At the recent Kentucky Society DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) state conference in Lexington, State Regent Jessieanne Wells presented a check for $8,300 for the Settlement School’s Reading Lab Partnership with Knott County Schools. An additional $1,000 gift from a generous donor was given to the Settlement School’s executive director, Mike Mullins at the conference, bringing the total for the State Regent’s Project to $9,300 so far.

“We truly appreciate the commitment Kentucky Daughters have made to Hindman Settlement School during the past several years,” Mullins stated. “More children are able to read and excel at learning as a result of your good work.”

During the luncheon on Friday, Knott County student Gracie Thompson and Folk Arts Education program director Randy Wilson performed a couple of songs. Here is Gracie singing "Coal Miner's Daughter."

The DAR Connection
Settlement School cofounder, May Stone was affiliated with the school until her death in 1946. She was among the first generation of women to be active in the DAR. According to a ledger kept by Stone, Hindman Settlement School was receiving gifts from DAR chapters as early as 1904. In 1921 the National Society DAR officially approved the school to receive ongoing support. Daughters have been partners in supporting the school ever since.

This year’s Family Folk Week is dedicated to the memory of photographer and filmmaker George Pickow, who passed away December 10, 2010 at the age of 88. George and his wife, folk singer Jean Ritchie, have been an important part of Family Folk Week since its inception.

Originally trained as a painter, George photographed artists and musicians including folk singers like Josh White, Pete Seeger, Judy Collins and, of course, Jean Ritchie, as well as jazz and pop artists like Little Richard, Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong and Lena Horne. His photos graced the covers of many albums.

Some of his most striking photographs, in stark black and white, depict an array of artisans and ordinary people around the world plying their trades. You can see a gallery of some of George's photos of Hindman Settlement in the 1950s that Jon Pickow posted recently. George and Jean spent more than a year in Britain and Ireland in 1952-53 collecting original folk songs and documenting folk culture.

George produced films about the Newport folk festival and the American folk revival. His “Oss Oss Wee Oss,” which documented a Cornish folk custom, remains an important ethnographic record. Excerpts were shown recently on a BBC television documentary Still Folk Dancing After All These Years. George also started a small-scale dulcimer making business that supplied the burgeoning folk market and ran Greenhays Recordings.

Jean and their sons, Jon and Peter, survive George.

Available from The University Press of Kentucky--April 2011 152 pages • 5.5 x 8.5 $21.95 cloth 978-0-8131-3372-0 Fiction

Chinaberry
James Still
Edited and with an Introduction
by Silas House

Afterword by Carol Boggess

Celebrated as the “Dean of Appalachian Literature,” James Still has earned the appreciation of audiences in Appalachia and beyond for more than 70 years. The author of the classics River of Earth (1940) and The Wolfpen Poems (1986), Still is known for his careful prose construction and for the poetry of his meticulous, rhythmic style. Upon his death, however, one manuscript remained unpublished. Still’s friends, family and fellow writer Silas House now deliver this story to readers, having assembled and refined the manuscript for publication.

Chinaberry, named for the ranch that serves as the centerpiece of the story, is Still’s last and perhaps greatest contribution to American literature. Chinaberry follows a young boy as he travels to Texas from Alabama in search of work on a cotton farm. Upon arriving, he discovers the ranch of Anson and Lurie Winters, a young couple whose lives are defined by hard work, family and tragedy. Still’s entrancing narrative centers on the boy’s experience at the ranch, highlighting the importance of home, whether it is defined by people or a place.

In this celebration of the art of storytelling, Still captures a time and place that are gone forever and introduces the reader to an unforgettable cast of characters, illustrating the impact that one person can have on another. A combination of memoir and imagination, truth and fiction, Chinaberry is a work of art that leaves the reader in awe of Still’s mastery of language and thankful for the lifetime of wisdom that manifests itself in his work.

James Still (1906–2001) was the author of several works of fiction and poetry, including River of Earth, The Wolfpen Poems and From the Mountain, From the Valley.

Silas House is the bestselling author of Clay’s Quilt, The Coal Tattoo, Parchment of Leaves and Eli the Good. House is National Endowment for the Humanities Chair in Appalachian Studies at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky.

“Chinaberry is the capstone of James Still’s extraordinary career. It is brilliant—dark and hilarious by turns, beautiful and chilling, perhaps the most original coming of age story ever written, with a mystery lodged right in the heart of it.” —Lee Smith, author of Saving Grace
 

Hindman Settlement School mourns the passing of former board member and advisory board member, Charlene Farrell, who passed away October 11, 2010 at age 79. Charlene and her husband, Dudley H. Farrell, have been generous supporters of the Settlement School’s dyslexia program. They have not only provided financial support but they’ve opened up their home on many occasions to Settlement School students by hosting field trips to the Cincinnati area. Charlene was a passionate volunteer and she will be greatly missed.

Board member Emeritus, Loyal Jones recently received the Folk Heritage Award as part of the 2010 Kentucky Governor’s Award in the Arts. The Commonwealth’s most prestigious arts awards honor Kentucky individuals, businesses and organizations that make significant contributions to arts in the state. The Folk Heritage award is presented to an individual or organization that has made an outstanding effort to perpetuate and promote Kentucky’s unique artistic traditions.

Debra K. Reynolds and Jack B. Combs stepped down from the board of directors in November. Reynolds is President of Forcht Group of Kentucky and cited time constraints associated with her position. She has served on the board for three years. Combs, who lives in Santa Fe, NM served on the board for 26 years and has been an avid supporter of the Settlement School’s Literacy Through Photography program during summer school. Mike Mullins expressed appreciation for their services.

New Board Members
Multidisciplinary artist Frank X Walker, a native of Danville, KY and Dr. Sherry W. Powers of Bowling Green, KY were elected to the board of directors in November.

Frank X Walker is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, and has an MFA in writing from Spalding University. He is a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets and is a well-respected writer, poet, speaker and teacher. His works have appeared in numerous publications and have been adapted for the stage. Walker has served as founder/Executive Director of the Bluegrass Black Arts Consortium, the Program Coordinator of the University of Kentucky's King Cultural Center and the Assistant Director of Purdue University’s Black Cultural Center. The University of Kentucky awarded Walker an honorary Doctorate of Humanities in 2001 for his collective community work and artistic achievements. Transylvania University awarded Walker an honorary Doctor of Letters degree in 2002.

Walker regularly teaches in writing programs like Fishtrap in Oregon and SplitRock at the University of Minnesota. He currently serves as Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Kentucky; and is the proud editor and publisher of PLUCK! the new Journal of Affrilachian Art & Culture.

Dr. Sherry W. Powers is Director of the School of Teacher Education and Associate Dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Western Kentucky University. She has an Ed.D. from the University of Kentucky in Instruction and Administration Reading Specialization with special emphasis in sociolinguistics and multicultural education. She has an M.A. from the University of Kentucky in Elementary Education with a Reading Specialization and a B.A. from Asbury College in Social Work and Elementary Education.

Powers was a teacher at Hindman Montessori School at Hindman Settlement School from 1983-1987. Her dissertation topic was “The examination of teacher discourse with four Eastern Kentucky fourth-graders during writing conferences.”

Alexis Williams is a 16-year old tutor who works with Hindman Settlement School’s dyslexia program. Alexis has been involved with the Settlement School’s tutoring programs for seven years. She is currently a junior at Sheldon Clark High School in Inez, Kentucky and a tutor in the Floyd County After School Program. We sat down with Alexis last summer to talk about her involvement in the Summer Tutoring and After School programs and to learn more about her experience with dyslexia.

How did you learn about the After-School and Summer Tutoring Programs here at Hindman?
My teacher recommended the program. My mom was familiar with dyslexia because both my father and uncle are dyslexic. She began to research it looking for help. I have been a dyslexic for as long as I remember. I was diagnosed when I was seven. My mother is my biggest supporter.

How would you describe dyslexia to someone who doesn’t have it but wants to understand it?
People need to understand it isn’t something I can control. I am normal I just learn differently. I am not stupid or lazy, despite what people may think. I have learned to live with the fact that I am dyslexic and I can't change it. I don't think I would want to. It has made me who I am.

You’ve been on both sides of the tutoring. What have you learned that has stuck with you the most?
Eleanor Roosevelt said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent!" That is my favorite quote by her. She was so right in saying this because with dyslexic kids they tend to feel inferior with most everything they do. They feel as if they have done something wrong so they get intimidated and shut down.

It helps being a tutor to these kids, because I have seen through the same eye's they see through. But I now get how hard it is. I never knew the pain it has caused so many children.

I understand that being dyslexic is hard, but these kids think they are horrible because everyone jut says they are lazy. I can see the pain in their eyes as they try to learn new things and when they get something wrong how much it hurts them. What I don't understand is who gave them this idea about themselves! I would love to talk to a person with the wrong conception about dyslexia, because I want to understand their point of view.

What are your plans for the future? Has this program influenced them?
I want to join the military to pay for school, and then major in Child Psychology or possibly nursing. This program has increased my confidence level. It has helped me to understand that I can do anything I set my mind to.

How would you assess the public schools approach to dealing with dyslexia?
The public schools approach is horrible. They either ignore it or put the child in Special Education. The schools have 504 plans but there are no provisions to specifically address the needs of children with dyslexia.

What techniques have helped you the most?
The “Say, Spell, Say” method (which has the student say the word out loud, spell the word out loud, then repeat the word out loud again. For example: “Rita. R-I-T-A. Rita”) and the use of kinesthetic learning. In the summer tutoring program, they provide boards with a rough surface to rub while you say the words. I use my jeans when I’m in a classroom during the school year.

Do you identify with the students you work with? How?
I understand their struggles. I know what it feels like to be called “stupid” or “lazy.” I also know the empowerment of overcoming your struggles and surfacing as one of the top students in your class.

Has tutoring others helped you?
I am tested for gains as well as the students at the end of the program and I make better gains as a tutor than I did as a student. So tutoring is benefiting me as well as the students.

Are there ways you would improve the tutoring program?
No. I think it is amazing. It is life changing. I think it is an awesome program.

If you could say something to the people who fund this program, what would it be?
This program helps kids. Period. Small gains or big gains, both are helping children. It is life changing for them and builds self-esteem. The kids incorporate all this into their everyday life.

What could schools do to reduce or eliminate the need for such a program?
I believe all children, ages 5-7, should be exposed to these teaching methods. If the child is dyslexic, they learn in the way they need to. If they are not, they learn anyway. I believe if this were done in elementary school, there would be no reason to address it in higher grades. The children with dyslexia would already have the tools they need to succeed in the classroom.

Or at least have all elementary teachers certified in knowing how to teach dyslexia so you can incorporate it in the everyday classroom structure and help both dyslexics and the average student. I truly think it would change our world.

Research suggests that people with dyslexia often excel at certain things. Have you noticed this? Do you have any special talents?
I love to write and have won some awards for my writing.

Anything else you want to add?
There is a need for more people to learn about the program here at Hindman Settlement School and a need for more awareness about dyslexia. To help with this, I started my own blog at www.dyslexiaforme.webs.com.

Editor’s Note: If you think your child might benefit from this program, contact Hindman Settlement School Dyslexia Program at 606.785.4044 to arrange an evaluation.
 

by Gail Young
As a retired teacher, watching my grandson struggle with reading has been a difficult experience. Seeing him overcome that struggle has made me a true believer in a unique and powerful program, which has operated right here in Hindman for the past 29 years.

Ryan’s journey took several years and included two very special summers enrolled in Hindman Settlement School’s Summer Tutoring Program. I want to share his story to provide hope for other parents and grandparents.

From the beginning, Ryan was a highly intelligent and capable child. He was always smiling and seemed both happy and well adjusted. However, by the first and second grades, Ryan started experiencing problems. He often complained of headaches and stomach aches. The school’s frequent calls to his parents suggested Ryan was not a happy student.

A triumphant Ryan with his aunt and mother

Ryan’s parents met often with his teachers and the school guidance staff. They recommended he be tested to help determine what services would best meet his academic needs. The results of the testing indicated Ryan needed special accommodations with classroom work. These accommodations were made, but he continued to struggle with reading.

In spite of his own difficulties, Ryan readily showed empathy and understanding to classmates with special needs. According to his teachers, he was not only aware of the needs of other students, but he offered to help them, both socially and academically. Ryan participated in after school sports, 4H club, community football, and other activities with his father and older brother. He was often successful at hunting and fishing exploits.

Although Ryan was progressing in grade level, there was talk of retaining him or requiring remedial classes. By the end of the 5th grade, he was required to take summer classes. It was then that his parents decided to have him evaluated by Hindman Settlement School’s dyslexia program. The evaluation consisted of a series of tests, which gave a more concise picture of his academic needs and learning differences. A decision was made to enroll Ryan in the Settlement School’s Summer Tutoring Program.

Much to our delight, Ryan stayed with us in Hindman while attending the 2009 Summer Tutoring Program. After just a few days in the program, he was engaged and enjoying the experience. As the summer progressed, Ryan’s attempts at reading increased. He often read road signs with pride. He also expressed pride in the math skills he was developing. By the end of the five-week session, he had made significant progress in reading and was awarded “most improved” at math problem solving.

Back home in Georgia, his teachers were impressed with Ryan’s progress. His 6th grade year was easier than schoolwork had been for him and, as the year progressed, he began planning to return to Hindman the following summer.

When he came to stay with us for the 2010 Summer Tutoring Program, his attitude was different. He started the summer by declaring that he would work for the “biggest award” presented at the end of the program and everyday he was up and “rearing” to go. He worked hard, determined to finish certain levels in reading work. His tutors helped by providing extra instruction and encouragement.

Sitting in the assembly on the last day of the Summer Tutoring Program, Ryan’s hands became damp and his knees bounced as he waited for his name to be called. Finally, there were only two names left. You could see the pride on Ryan’s face when his name was called last as the recipient of the award for greatest improvement and highest gains. Tears streamed down the faces of his family and tutors. Later that evening, Ryan’s mother found him ready for bed and reading a chapter book!

Ryan is currently a 7th grade student attending public school in Thomasville, GA. He is but one of many students whose lives have been changed by the “gift of reading.” Learning to read is but one step along the journey but it will enable Ryan and others like him to face and conquer future life challenges. We owe a great debt of gratitude to all who make this gift possible.
 

Dana Louise Ivancevich, the daughter of the late John and Pegi Ivancevich, of Spring, Texas, was a very special young lady. Having majored in education, she was looking forward to a career in teaching. Through her classes she had been exposed to children who learn differently. Being very perceptive, she recognized how special these children are.

In one of her papers Dana wrote,"Children do not have learning disabilities, we simply lack the key to their ability to learn." Very tragically, Dana was taken from us while undergoing minor surgery. Dana's Children Fund was set up in 1994 to help the children in Hindman Settlement School's Dyslexia Program. Dana's mother, Pegi, grew up in Central Kentucky and is a long-time supporter of Hindman through her DAR-related work. 

Hindman Settlement School recently welcomed two new members to its board of directors: Donna Raymond, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) School Chair from Kerrville, Texas and Jessieanne H. Wells, the newly elected Kentucky State DAR Regent, from Bardstown, Kentucky. Both serve on the board by virtue of their respective DAR positions. Raymond is a past state regent of Texas. She replaces Beth Garner, who is past national school chair and Wells replaces Sharon Withers, who is immediate past Regent of Kentucky State DAR and one of seven newly elected Vice President Generals at NSDAR. Withers received the honor of having the greatest number of votes among all the Vice President Generals who were elected. 

NSDAR Schools Chair	Kentucky State Regent
Donna Raymond	Jessieanne H. Wells