Stories from Parents
The greatest reward I have is seeing my students soar. I love helping my students grow in their reading and spelling skills and watching their confidence blossom in all areas. Stories from parents and the smiles and growth of my students fuel my passion every day!
“Transformative”
I am writing to wholeheartedly recommend Annette Bannister as an exceptional educator. I have had the privilege of witnessing her remarkable dedication and expertise in teaching, particularly in the context of assisting my children, who were both diagnosed with dyslexia prior to the pandemic.
Annette’s impact on my children’s education has been transformative. When they initially began under her guidance, they were struggling with reading, writing, comprehension, and their self-confidence was low. Through Annette’s unwavering commitment and exceptional teaching skills, my oldest child has progressed to Level 7 Barton, and devouring chapter books, while my youngest has recently embarked on Level 6 Barton.
One of Annette’s remarkable qualities is her exceptional organizational skills. She is a consummate professional who adheres meticulously to the requirements of the Barton program, integrating additional technologies such as Koloa Classroom and Google Classroom to create an engaging and effective learning experience for my children. Annette’s incorporation of IEW and Fix IT grammar has further enriched their education, leading to both of my children becoming competent and confident writers.
Perhaps most impressively, Annette has achieved all of this in a virtual teaching environment. Her adaptability and innovative teaching methods have transcended the challenges of remote learning, delivering exceptional results while maintaining the personal connection and support that are integral to effective teaching.
Beyond her professional skills, Annette’s character shines brightly. She genuinely cares for her students, always prioritizing their best interests. She is open to feedback and input from her students, creating a collaborative and supportive learning environment. Annette’s ability to find moments of joy in her interactions with her students is a testament to her compassionate and kind nature.
In conclusion, I cannot recommend Annette Bannister highly enough. Her exceptional teaching skills, dedication, and genuine concern for her students make her an invaluable asset to any educational setting. If you are seeking an educator who can bring about transformative change, inspire confidence, and foster a love for learning, Annette is the ideal choice.
— J. L., Parent of two dyslexic children in middle and high school
“Her Confidence Has Rocketed”
We are so very grateful to have found Annette to help our daughter with her reading difficulties. Our daughter, S., had struggled in reading and spelling throughout primary school to the extent that her self confidence was undermined. She was feeling frustrated as her endless efforts were not yielding any results. Though S. felt tired of trying, she immediately bonded with Annette, who has a very calm, patient and friendly personality. After over two years of encouragement and weekly lessons with Annette, S.’s reading level is almost at grade level and her confidence has rocketed. With the gained confidence and reading skills, S. has achieved A’s in almost all her subjects this year (Y8). We are forever grateful to you, Annette! Thank you!
— E.K., Parent of a dyslexic child in high school
“He Loves It!”
As an elementary teacher with my master’s degree, I should have been able to tutor and help my own second grade son who was seriously struggling in reading. At the time, I had 18 years teaching experience and I was really good at my job. I felt like a failure. With so many questions I reached out to our local children’s hospital. After being on a waitlist forever my son was tested.
The results came back that he had a reading disability/dyslexia and he was diagnosed with ADD. After many long chats with the doctor, she said your son needs explicit reading instruction in OG. I knew what explicit reading instruction was and I knew what OG was, but only from a public-school teacher lens. Let’s be real–teachers are not taught how to properly help students with dyslexia. I was determined to learn everything I could about dyslexia and in-depth explicit reading instruction in OG. I would read 3-4 hours a day–everything I could get my hands on. I researched and came to the conclusion my son needed to be taught OG through the method of Barton Reading and Spelling System.
When I set out to find a Barton tutor, I was extremely prepared. I knew exactly what I was looking for in a tutor and my expectations were extremely high. I interviewed many tutors and many were not adequately prepared or knowledgeable. My first interaction with Annette Bannister was messaging on Facebook and then I started emailing her. We had many long phone conversations. She was extremely knowledgeable and passed my interviews with flying colors.
I still wasn’t sure how actual tutoring would go. Many people can talk the talk, but can they walk the walk? Plus, I had a son who had no confidence and was reading in a first-grade level in the third grade. He had been to the best of the best tutors who were personal friends, and I know they gave 100 percent. How could I be sure Mrs. Bannister and Barton would work?
Tutoring was a huge investment for my family. I needed the best bang for my buck and I needed it to work.
Mrs. Bannister started tutoring my son in June of 2021. I was so impressed with how she didn’t waste one second of his tutoring time. She worked with him the entire hour he was online. We are in Michigan and Mrs. Bannister is in Pennsylvania, so all tutoring sessions are online. I would sit at the table with my son and listen to Mrs. Bannister tutor. Her voice is so calming; she is always kind and encouraging yet she is very good at explicitly teaching my son to read.
In researching I knew my son needed Barton but I was hesitant because I often read it is extremely boring and very long. After listening in on my son’s tutoring sessions, I didn’t feel that way. Mrs. Bannister has incorporated the Koloa Go tutoring platform, and it is very interactive.
My son is a very active, on-the-go 11-year-old boy who has ADD. His attitude about tutoring still blows my mind. He loves it! He often gives me a really hard time about everything in life except tutoring. He enjoys his tutoring time with Mrs. Bannister. He is always looking for jokes to tell her. My son is truly invested in tutoring because for the first time in his life he sees the benefits. He knows it is working. He is no longer struggling every single time he sees letters in print. He has just recently finished level 4 and I can’t even express to you the difference in his confidence, reading, fluency and spelling. It is actually mind blowing.
Remember those high expectations I told you I have. Well, I still have them and Mrs. Bannister is meeting them each step of the way. She sends me weekly updates. My son’s school is amazed at his progress, I am astonished, and my son is so proud. You can trust Annette Bannister to give your child explicit OG reading instruction. It has truly been life changing for my son. I will forever be grateful to Mrs. Bannister and the gift she has been to our family, especially my son.
— A.W., Parent of a dyslexic child in middle school
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