Empowering Future Innovators: How White Oak Supports Student Success Through Creative Learning

In the 8th grade I began attending White Oak School. I had a Tutorial class that began teaching me strategies how to decode. Over time I covered all of the syllabication patterns and I finally began to be able to read. My teachers worked tirelessly with me teaching me at a pace and in a way I understood and could relate to. I began reading books, discussing them, and enjoying them. I learned step by step how to write essays, organize my time, and follow directions. Oral Expression class taught me how to speak in public. Science and Social Studies class taught me how to read and understand narrative text and write about it. Math taught me more than numbers but also how to solve problems. By the 10th grade my confidence really started to grow and I became a great student. When I graduated in the 2014 I knew that all my hard work and time at White Oak had paid off and given me the tools I needed to move to the next level. Today I am a member of the United States Air Force. The skills that I learned at White Oak have enabled me to successfully navigate through this experience. I am so grateful for my time at White Oak. I could not have made it where I am today without the strategies they instilled in me.

From the first day I entered White Oak I knew things were going to be different. The classes moves at a pace I could follow, there were breaks built into the schedule so I
never felt overwhelmed, we had a Tutorial class everyday that broke reading up into strategies I could relate to, and we had Oral Expression class which focused on the oral language skills that I needed to communicate in the real world. The classes were much smaller and I could get a lot of one-on-one attention. The teachers taught the same strategies like essay writing, research skills, organization, and time management in every class. Socially I felt like I fit in and made a lot of friends. The other kids learned like I did so there was no ridiculing from others. I played on the soccer team and participated in so many after school activities. As time went on I learned to read and how to comprehend what I was reading. I learned step-by-step how to write essays and edit them. I learned what my disability meant and how to advocate for myself. I learned how to organize my time and plan ahead. I learned study skills and how to take a test. As many seniors at White Oak do, I took a college course at Springfield Technical Community College. My Tutorial teacher worked with me every day helping me to read my assignments, discuss the material, and guided me on generating my written assignments. It was an amazing experience. I got an A. I knew then how far I had come. The strategies that I learned at White Oak were total different then my experience in public school. I am certain that attending White Oak changed the course of my life.

[My son] has grown so much in the past year and this year has been one of the best in terms of how much he has grown and is succeeding.  I truly believe if he was anywhere else that he would be lost or fall through the educational cracks. The White Oak community is small and I think this is why we feel as if we are a tight knit family. The staff never feel obligated to help, instead they all offer what services and talents they have. At first he felt forced by staff to participate in an Audio/Video Club but he loves it and the staff knew he would.  They push him to do his best. Even math is going great. He is enjoying cooking even if the acts as if he isn't. Thank you to all the staff! I do not always say it or show it but we appreciate all of you.

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The best description or image I can share about White Oak School, their amazing, talented staff, and the feeling of community found there, is one of moving from utter frustration and darkness and finding light and comfort. Truly. I think the educational system will beat down the spirit of a child with a learning disability in such a way that families get lost and wonder what will become of their child that cannot read, or write, or remember information, or have sadly reached the point in their young lives that they give up.  I have had a unique view of this heart-wrenching process; as a mother and an adult basic education literacy teacher. Perhaps I can sum it up best with a quote from my son. Just 2 weeks after he started at White Oak I asked him how he felt about his new school. I have carried the moment of his response with me every day since. He paused and then responded "You want to how I feel? I feel triumphant!"  And there it was, the light.  White Oak is transformational.

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"When I started White Oak I was really quiet, struggled to read chapter books, and now I’m a much stronger writer, I enjoy reading, and have more of a voice in the classroom. If it wasn’t for my parents pushing me to come to White Oak I wouldn’t have been able to get my license, get my first job, or attend college this fall because White Oak has significantly changed who I am as a person and given me the confidence to go after things that are hard." 

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“The years of being at White Oak School have benefited my whole life because here I have come to understand my learning disability better. I never knew that my reading could get better and that I could love to read, but that is what has happened. My goal throughout the years has been to become a better reader and thereby come to believe in myself that I am intelligent. Being at White Oak School has caused me to love learning even more, because I have come to recognize what my strengths and weaknesses are and how to work more effectively with them.”

“The first time I discovered I had a disability was in the 3rd grade. I realized I was different from everyone in my class. I felt like I did something wrong and I wasn’t sure what was going on. I struggled with the ridicule from the other kids and had a hard time doing the work I was given. I felt like I was sinking faster than I was swimming. I believe I was fourteen when I found White Oak School. That day, Pat showed me around the school and let me know that the teachers really care about the students and just don’t pass them along. By the end of the year, I made many friends and had better grades than when I went to public school.”