Becoming a Problem Solver: Teagan's Story

Teagan, now an eighth-grader, spent fourth through sixth grade at Swift School. From the first day in fourth grade, she noticed a change in herself and her confidence.

Before enrolling at Swift, Teagan sat in the back of the classroom, and her classes contained nearly 30 students. As the lessons flew by, unable to keep up, she raised her hand and asked the teacher for assistance. Sadly, that’s where the heartbreak began.

“When I raised my hand, I didn’t get much help from my teachers,” she said. “One time, I had my hand up for the whole class, and the teacher never came to me or called on me to help. I ended up crying; I felt ignored and invisible.”

When Teagan’s parents, Todd and Jennifer, enrolled her at Swift, her classes were smaller, and the teachers were trained in the Orton-Gillingham Approach. Over three years, her instructors helped provide successful remediation. “I felt a change the first day,” Teagan said. “My teachers were very nice and helped me immediately when I had questions. I felt like I fit in and belonged at Swift.”

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) is now a full-time program under the direction of Mr. Ken Cressman. When Teagan was at Swift School, the program was a pilot program, and she was able to participate. In the STEAM Lab, she learned to problem solve.

When the students built a miniature golf course with an obstacle, Teagan’s problem-solving skills were tested, as Mr. Cressman did not provide an answer to simply allow here to advance to the next step in the process.

“I struggled with how to get the power working and connect the wires so that my obstacle would move,” Teagan recalled. “Mr. Cressman did not tell me how to do it or fix it, but he asked me questions until I figured it out.”

During her days as a Swift Spartan, her confidence soared, and she learned to self-advocate and speak up for her learning needs. In math, Teagan used manipulatives, specifically blocks, to visualize problems. Additionally, her teacher allowed the students to draw a line on their desks when they had a question so that students could avoid unwanted attention. Teagan no longer felt embarrassed to ask for help and is having incredible success at her current school.

At the end of sixth grade, thanks to successful remediation, Teagan transitioned to a local private school. Currently enjoying her last year of middle school, she represents her school on the basketball court and soccer field while also playing club soccer for NASA Tophat (NTH).

Armed with confidence from her Swift school days, Teagan plans to become a physical therapist and encourages current Swift students to keep pushing forward, even when things are difficult.