2 Ratings / 1 Comment
My son, Willie, is a third grader at Meadowview School in Mesquite, Texas. Our story is unique but familiar to many other families in the school. Willie attended a private Catholic school for two years. He passed with flying colors, got all A’s and B’s, however, got disciplinary notes home almost every single day in first grade because he was not doing his work and not completing assignments in a timely way. He was failing to complete his work not because he was being a bad kid, but because he was unable to finish. He could not read! He was a popular and well-liked student in school by his peers, but his teachers often expressed frustration with him but they never bothered to test him for any learning difficulties. They just labeled him the class clown and passed him through to second grade! We had him tested privately and found out he processed language differently than most, so we had to seek alternatives for our boy to learn.
My brother-in-law met Mrs. Beverly Presley at a Mesquite Chamber of Commerce meeting the summer before last. Mrs. Presley was the founder of Meadowview School which provides a quality educational foundation for children who learn differently. Meadowview School is a small, private, non-denominational, Christian school for kids who have dyslexia, ADD, ADHD or related language processing differences. The curriculum is designed to enable each child to break the cycle of failure and labeling they have often experienced in the traditional classroom.
The initial drive up to the school was a little discouraging because the outside of the school was run down and has little curb appeal. But I took a deep breath and decided that the universe had put Mrs. Presley in our path for a reason, so I went in. Mrs. Suzan Meyer, in her 26th year at the school, talked with me for two hours about the school, it’s successes, it’s works, and it’s faculty and students. She related to me as a parent as well. Then Mrs. Sharon Renner, the second grade teacher at Meadowview, introduced herself and she would soon become my son’s bright beacon of hope. She talked to me for about an hour and the people of Meadowview convinced me that that was the place for my son. And it is.
The campus is bright and full of life and love and activities for the kids to do. My son is truly loved and cared about by the teachers and faculty as well as the other parents at Meadowview. He feels a sense of belonging, he learned to read in no time flat with the wonderful phonics program Mrs. Aliscia Long utilizes for all. The teachers and staff have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make the school a home away from home for our kids. And they have succeeded in a way that no other teacher has for my child and many others. They are miracle workers for our children, and I don’t use the term “miracle” lightly.Fast forward to Monday evening of this week, when the Board of Directors called an emergency meeting of all the parents. They stated that the school was closing this year after 25 years in business and only one year after its founder, Mrs. Beverly Presley, passed away of breast cancer. It was a shock to all the parents because we had in no way been informed of the dire financial situation of the school. The decision was made and we had no say in it! Our enrollment had fallen off and we needed students to make ends meet. The parents convinced the board to give us 60 days to try to raise the money needed to stay open for next year and get enrollment up. The whopping amount we’re trying to raise is $315,000. Our school which works miracles is now in need of its own. Please contact me if you can help.
