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Sophia Greidanus
Graduate of Karen’s program

Before I started tutoring with Karen, I didn't know I was dyslexic. Karen is actually the one who figured that out, and I'm so glad she did. Up until then, I just thought that there was something wrong with me.

 

I was having a lot of trouble with school, but I did my best to cover it up. I didn't want anyone to know how stupid I felt. I worked a lot harder than my peers, trying to keep up, but I still didn't do as well as they did. No matter how hard I tried, my teachers thought I was just a slacker, just being lazy.

 

It was just the opposite. I spent hours on my own, privately filling notebooks with handwriting practice, so that my writing would look neater. I didn't want anyone to see how badly I wrote.

 

I'm very competetive, and I was always pushing myself, trying to improve as a reader. But it didn't do anything except burn me out! It was exhausting.

 

My friends would ask me, "Why don't you want to read out loud?" and I would tell them, "I'm a bad reader." They would say, "It's okay. Everyone's a bad reader." But I knew it wasn't the same. None of my friends were dyslexic, so they had no idea what I was talking about.

 

I struggled so much that it took my confidence from me. I came to a point where I was like, if this is how it's going to be, I never want to go to school again. This led to mental health problems. I was so "done" with learning.

 

But then I decided to go online and do a search, to see what was wrong with me. When I researched my struggles, dyslexia kept popping up!

 

I told my parents I needed help, and they contacted Karen. She confirmed that I have "stealth" dyslexia, which means that I am very good at hiding my struggles! Since I've managed to cope and get by, it's hindered the process of getting diagnosed.

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When I finally found out that I am dyslexic, I felt so much relief. It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders to know that I'm not dumb.

 

I started my lessons with Karen, and it immediately began improving my mood and my happiness. My grades got better, and I could read, spell and write more easily. Karen has special ways of teaching that really click for me. She has creative tricks and fun names for the spelling rules, and they really stick in my mind!

 

Now, when I'll be out in public, I'll read a sign and think, "Hey, I know those spelling rules!"  

 

I've also stopped trying to hide my struggles. I'm totally fine now with telling my friends that I'm dyslexic. When I say stuff backwards or mess up my letters, they'll be like, "Sophia, the dyslexia got you!" and we just laugh about it.

 

When I get older, I'm interested in becoming a physical therapist. I like helping people, and I think I would be good at analyzing people's struggles and coming up with strategies to help them get better. Learning medical words will be easier because of the Greek and Latin terms that I've learned from Karen in our lessons!

 

Meeting Karen was like a miracle. She gave me the kind of help I needed to succeed. It's been amazing, and I'm proud have overcome my dyslexia.

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