Hard Work Leads to Success: Jake’s Transformation
Like so many students before they came to Swift School, young Jake Kramer didn’t want to go to school. Starting in preschool, he struggled to remember letters and distinguish their sounds.
“Jake got very frustrated with school,” shared his mother Stacey. “He had a hard time verbalizing this to us since he was so young.”
Seeing their normally sweet and lovable child get upset and act out of character, Stacey and her husband Jeff were concerned. In first grade, they had Jake tested for learning disabilities, and the following year, they enrolled him at Swift School.
Jake (far left) with his family
“Swift School is where we thought Jake could excel,” Jeff mentioned.
Swift was just what Jake needed. “His teachers gave him so much support that his self-esteem flourished and he became a successful learner,” Jeff stated. “He learned how to use the strategies that they gave him to read and understand new material.” Jake also worked with Swift’s speech and language pathologists, which helped him with auditory processing.
Orton-Gillingham Fellow Natalie Felix was Jake’s math teacher in fourth grade. “Every Monday we would have sports chat about football,” sports lover Jake remembered of her class. Mrs. Felix recalled him as a “great kid.” “I enjoyed challenging him in math!” she said.
Jake played on the varsity basketball team at nearby Roswell High School.
Jake knew early on that he eventually wanted to return to public school, and he worked hard toward that goal. The summer after third grade, he told his parents he thought he needed one more year at Swift and then he would be ready to return to public school. “We were leary [about] sending Jake back to public school, however he truly felt he was prepared to move on to public middle and high school,” Stacey said.
Jake returned to public school in the 5th grade. Although school is still challenging for him, he relies on the confidence he first gained at Swift to help him succeed. “[In] each grade I have run into different obstacles, and my hard work has always gotten me by,” he said. “Because of the staff, strategies, techniques and environment [at Swift School], Jake has met with a lot of success [in public school],” his father mentioned.
When he is not working hard at his schoolwork, Jake enjoys time with his friends. In high school, he played on the Roswell High School’s varsity basketball team. In the summers, he works as a camp counselor at YMCA’s Camp High Harbour.
Jake offered this advice to Swift students: “Always work hard and never be afraid to ask a question when you are confused. Always volunteer to read during class as this will give you confidence when speaking in public.”
Jake called attending Swift “the best choice I ever made” and his parents agree. “We can honestly say that Swift gave Jake the proper tools to achieve success and reach his potential as a lifelong learner,” said Jeff.
Click below to learn more about Swift School’s remediation and the Orton-Gillingham Approach. Interested to know how Swift can help your dyslexic learner? Email admissionassociate@theswiftschool.org