Testimonials (from 2011-1999)
November 11, 2011
Dear Iris,
Dreamcatcher has been a tremendous blessing for my son, Michael. Since pre-school, he has struggled because his learning style is different.
Michael is six years old and has Asperger's Syndrome. He has had difficulty learning for a long time. You tested him and then made sure to find the right teacher for him. Pat is his teacher and there couldn't be a better match. I have watched Michael's abilities and confidence grow with Direct Instruction. I knew Dreamcatcher and Michael were the perfect match when after a week of working with Pat, Michael was actively sounding out words. (Something he had never done before.) After almost 30 hours, my son has gone from barely knowing the alphabet to a confident first grade reader.
I cannot recommend Dreamcatcher enough. If your child is struggling in school Dreamcatcher is the place to turn to. Iris and her team meet your child where they're at, select a compatible Dreamcatcher instructor, and nourish and guide them so that they can truly flourish.
With many thanks,
Joyce Welch
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September 7, 2011
Judy,
I am writing in appreciation of your time and effort spent with our daughter Sophia.
As you are aware Sophia spent the first five years of her education struggling with academics and in particular she had difficulty developing her reading skills. Through this time Sophia went through multiple evaluations and received individualized interventions through the school district. Despite all of these efforts she continued to struggle. It was heart breaking to see Sophia’s frustration, then resistance and finally decreasing intellectual self confidence as her classmates reading skills progressed and she seemed to be impossibly “stuck” and falling further and further behind. As parents we began to expand our search for effective assistance for our daughter. Our search included obtaining evaluation for learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, and looking for proven, tutoring services that utilized teaching strategies with measurable outcomes.
In the fifth grade Sophia’s reading evaluation showed significant lag in comprehension, fluency and decoding. Her spoken language was discordant showing vocabulary and comprehension consistent with a 15 year old though she was only ten. The school counselor and the special education teacher recommended special education track and intervention to address Sophia’s “poor” performance. However the recommendations were very general and did not address, or even clearly identify what her specific reading deficiencies were. As parents we felt this was a critical juncture as our daughter transitioned from elementary to middle school. Our research for an effective intervention led us to discover the direct instruction method and Dream Catcher tutoring services.
Sophia simply bloomed under your guidance. Her frustration and resistance towards reading tangibly evaporated. This was particularly evident when driving from Lyons to Boulder to attend a tutoring session one day and Sophia read OUT LOUD for the whole thirty minute ride. We just about cried. She was now eleven years old and had never before read like this. She was completely engaged for this extended period, focused, comprehending, working through words that were difficult for her, exhibiting minimal frustration that she was able to easily self re-directed. Upon testing as she entered middle school her lexic score jumped to 809 and this is consistent with the mid-range for her grade level.
Above and beyond all of the academic improvements Sophia gained as she worked with you, she is confident in her ability to succeed—AND she LOVES TO READ!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!
Sincerely,
Greg/Colleen
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August 30, 2011
I am writing a quick note to say that I am very pleased with the progress that my daughter has made after working with Judy Houlihan over the summer. Judy was patient, kind, gentle, positive, hardworking and determined. She encouraged Sophia to work hard and to feel proud. Sophia enjoyed her time with Judy and always looked forward to seeing her despite the rigorous 3/week, 2 hour/day tutoring schedule. Last fall Sophia scored 371 on the Lexile test. In the spring she scored 430. ((The benchmark for 5th grade is between 800 - 900.)) THIS fall she scored 801. Wow! The 6th grade Lexile range is from 665 - 1000 according to the Lexile website. Judy was always very positive and gave me a nice summary of the sessions' events every time I picked up my daughter. I observed Judy working with Sophia two times and was impressed with the structure of her lessons and with Judy's demeanor. I highly recommend Judy Houlihan as a tutor for students with dyslexia, ADHD and other learning issues. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
Warmly, Dawn Lundell
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August 29, 2011
My daughter came to Dream Catchers in second grade not able to read. With Judy's gentle, loving and upbeat approcach to teaching today Bodhi now in 4th grade is at above grade level and has tremendious confidence in learning. She loves to read and the library has become her favorite place to go every Saturday for her new book. Thank you for encouraging my daughter to move forward with a gift she will have for a life time. Thanks for all that you do!
We appreciate you deeply, Kate
—Kate and Mark Mills
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"Both my husband and I feel that the instruction our son received at Dreamcatcher is primarily responsible for his turn-around at school. He seemed to study hard, but each semester his grades, confidence and happiness seemed to diminish. Before enrolling, I must tell you I was skeptical as to what results we could expect, because we had seen Zach put forth good effort at two other instructional facilities, but with no change in his academic records.
We send you our heartfelt appreciation, because we saw him become increasingly confident, sure of his abilities and intellect, and prepared to excel. Because of Dreamcatcher, his recent report card had six A's and one B, and we are convinced that your continued encouragement and commitment has made it possible for him to pursue his dream of attending a Service Academy."
—Karen and Scott Decker
"I am thrilled with my daughter’s success at Dreamcatcher...She is almost ten years old. The first testing showed that she was about two grade levels behind. After only six months in the program, she had advanced over two grade levels in reading. I cried!"
—Lisa Gerstacker
"I would like to complement you and your staff for the great environment you maintain at your center. It is upbeat, caring and very positive. Other parents I talk with agree. My son was barely passing any of his classes in his sophomore year. Both of his teachers helped him fill in the missing gaps in his learning, which changed his ability and his attitude. He learned that he could learn, and be successful. Thank you, Iris, Ralph and Nadia."
—Valerie Solheim
"I can’t thank the staff at Dreamcatcher enough for all their hard work with my son. I feel like Dreamcatcher h as given him a new start in life. I know he will go on to college and be a successful person in society."
—Dianne Campbell-Ostdiek
"As a teacher (former public school and Montessori school and current homeschool) and parent, I unconditionally recommend Dreamcatcher for any child needing a boost in academic skills and confidence."
—Susie Beiersdorfer
"The research and my daughter’s academic results indicate that the Direct Instruction curriculum, which Dreamcatcher utilizes as their method of teaching, works really well. The instruction method coupled with the awesome, caring staff at Dreamcatcher has greatly helped improve my daughter’s life."
—Win Cady
The people at Dreamcatcher are really nice. They helped me a lot and always listened. It was fun because I had only one teacher and I liked learning that way."
—Kelsie Cady, age 9
"Dreamcatcher has been a miracle! Within weeks, my son began reading, and now he looks forward to each session he attends! I just wish more people could know there is help available that can and will guarantee the children lifelong success."
—Colleen Evans
"My son was given phonic skills to break down the mystery of reading. Dreamcatcher made the lessons challenging, yet not overwhelming. They celebrated every milestone with as much enthusiasm as we did."
—Laurel McKown
"I stood in the office with tears in my eyes, questioning if the program could really help my daughter. She is now reading at grade level. There are days she would rather go to Dreamcatcher than play with her schoolmates!"
—Jeanne Ryan
Our Very First Testimonial (June 1999):
"I turned my son Andrew over to you for tutoring a year and a half ago. I was tired of the wrestling, the arguing, the resistance, the fighting, and all the pain that goes with a severely dyslexic and severely ADHD child. After twelve years of constant struggle, I wanted to try having a "normal" mother-child relationship with him. I decided to let you do the tutoring for a while so I could drop just that little bit of the struggle.
As you know, the pain of seeing your child struggle never goes away. It is the pain of seeing him try to hold his own against his peers who all think he is stupid; it is the pain of seeing embarrassment on his face when he is called to read aloud in class; it is the pain of seeing his fleeting successes work against him as teachers expect that if he can do it once, he can do it consistently. It is the pain of seeing a child, so sensitive and intuitive, so bright and funny and so endearing get hammered down a bit more each day as his failures outnumber his achievements.
Iris, you did two things for my son. You believed in Dreamcatcher and you believed in him. You told me you would teach him to read and you did. It is not easy for him and it is not his first choice when he has free time! But he has crossed over the hump from not having a clue about reading to reading fluently and he did it with you. As he continues at Dreamcatcher, I feel that reading will get easier and easier for him.
Andrew would probably never come out and thank you for teaching him to read. However, I felt his gratitude one day while discussing this letter with him; a letter that I thought he would not want me to write because of the embarrassment of "going public" with his disability and his struggle. I told him I didn't have to write the letter. He thought for a minute and said, 'Mom, if it helps other kids learn how to read, I think it would be worth it.'
From the bottom of my heart and his, thank you."
—DeDe Beardsley
References and Complete Letters Available Upon Request