A Certified Barton tutor who recently attended an Advanced Certification session gave me a packet of letters her Barton students had written to me.

I hope these touch your heart as much as they touched mine – and will help you realize that with the right type of tutoring, students with dyslexia can bring their skills up to – and beyond – grade level.

From Matthew, age 10

Thank you for writing the Barton System. You have helped me grow. Thanks to you, I’m now a better speller. I was at below basic on my second grade CST. Now I’m above average on my fourth grade CST.

Gabe, age 17

When I first started tutoring, I could barely read at all. I am now reading high school level textbooks, websites, movie reviews, and more.

Thanks to this program, I passed the high school exit exam the first time – which I thought would never happen.

Samantha, age 12

Tutoring has helped me because I am not in Special Ed anymore.

I used to have trouble reading, but now I can read really good. Last year, I even got a ribbon for reading because I got 100 AR points.

I can now spell words and no longer have to ask someone else how to spell a word.

From Elysia, age 9

My favorite thing about tutoring is reading. Even if I was sick and missed school, I would still want to go to tutoring.

From Chloe, age 9

I used to hate reading, but now I don’t. Now I can catch up in reading with the class, so I’m not the last to finish.

From Aidan, age 9

Barton has helped me in my spelling and reading. I no longer have to pass when the teacher calls on me to read out loud.

Alina, age 12

I am currently on Level 10, Lesson 2, and love it. English is now my favorite subject.

I was so pleased when my teacher decided to have a class spelling bee and I won! I even asked for the origin of the words. I was then picked to represent my school for the ACSI spelling bee.

Scottie, age 15

School has become amazing now that I’ve learned so much. I don’t feel bad anymore when I read or write. I can spell right, and it’s a wonderful feeling.

Bryce, age 25

My aunt was a teacher, and my mom thought she would be able to teach me to read. So she enrolled me in her class.

My aunt had this horrible way of posting grades after every assignment. She would write your name and the grade you got on the board. There were 32 names, and mine was always at the end with a big F – every single week.

I loved my aunt, so that just made it worse.

Then I was put in special ed, and even there, I was at the bottom. People with autism and other disabilities could read better than me. What’s worse is I could comprehend and understand the scope of their disabilities, and I knew I was not like that. But everyone there could read better than me.

I began to think, “I can’t do this. Perhaps I was not meant to learn how to read.”

Now I am 25 years old, and to find a program like this . . . is just amazing. I only wish I could have started this as a child.