Throughout my years in education, I have seen students struggle with reading and writing, and grow frustrated. Over time, that frustration can change how a learner feels about themselves, as a student and as a member of their school community. I want to give these students the skills and the confidence to share who they are and what they know, and to see themselves as valued members of that community.
I have also observed students who spend their early school years learning how to be a student: how to sit with a group, follow a routine, feel safe in a classroom. That is important work, and those skills matter. But while a child is working hard at becoming a confident student, the foundational skills of reading and communication can quietly slip by.
I have worked with other students, especially those with complex communication needs, who understand far more than they have ever been able to show. They simply haven't yet found the way of communicating that lets their knowledge shine through.
And I have watched students transition out of high school without an opportunity to keep growing their literacy and communication skills. They may take a pause before college or enter a transitional work program, but they still have so much capacity to learn to read, write, and communicate what is important to them.
None of this is anyone's fault. Classrooms are busy places, teachers give everything they have, and every child's path is different. But these learners deserve the chance to fill in the gaps, and it is never, ever too late.
That is why Hill Education Services exists: so that every learner, whether in elementary school, in high school, or transitioned out of formal education, can fill in the gaps and keep growing as a reader, a writer, and a communicator, with plenty of laughter along the way. So that every learner can share what they know, and take part in their community, in the way that's meaningful to them.
