Center Offers Free Tutoring for Dyslexics
Thursday, August 17, 2006
By Carol Jankowski
Peoria Journal Star [IL]

Sixteen-year-old Cameron Hill of Pekin struggles with reading. But he hasn't given up on learning how to overcome dyslexia.

Words that aren't spelled how they sound are difficult for him. He tried to memorize words to read. But the English language has a lot of words. His mother, Christie, is a second grade teacher, and she noticed early in his grade school years that her son was not progressing in some areas.

"Cameron is very intelligent. When he started school, the whole reading and writing thing didn't come," she said.

Christie and her husband, Jon, had their son in a reading recovery program, but he needed more help. They heard about a tutoring center funded by the Scottish Rite Masons, but the closest one was more than two hours away. They got on a waiting list anyway. This summer, that help was finally available in central Illinois when the Masonic Learning Center opened in Peoria .

The center opened in July and offers free tutoring to children with dyslexia as well as free training for tutors.

"This is a charity. It's free for everybody. We serve children on a first-come, first-serve basis," said Gina Cooke, director for the center.

The center is among 54 throughout 15 states that are funded completely by the Scottish Rite Masons.

"We're active in charities. We're active in the community," said Nick Graff, chairman of the board of governors for the Masons.

Graff, who also is Morton's police chief, said the planning for this center started in 2004 and it was ready to open in 2005. The Masons then had to find a director for the center. Cooke came to Peoria after working for a Masonic Learning Center in Chicago .

The center tutors children ages six through 18. Children usually are tutored twice a week for about two years.

Dyslexia is a neurological condition that makes it difficult to process and decode language. It can't be cured, but students can learn techniques to help them read.

"It's a lifelong condition. It's how the brain works. It can be overcome with appropriate training," Cooke said. The Masonic Learning Centers use a method called Orton-Gillingham, she said.

For Hill, the learning center gives him a chance to learn about language, something he has struggled with since grade school.

"I don't think anybody likes things they're not good at," Hill said.

He was among the first students at the learning center, and already he is discovering new things.

"I almost feel like there's a gap. I can't believe I didn't know this stuff," Hill said.

Cooke sees the spark in his eye, too.

"He is so engaged with language today with just a few lessons," she said.

Another important part of the learning center is training tutors, Cooke said. To get this center started, she needs people to be trained. Tutors receive 45 hours of classroom instruction and then complete 100 hours of practicum at a learning center. It costs about $5,000 to train a tutor and about the same amount to tutor one child each year, Cooke said.

"The Masons raise the money to do it. I'm offering a free education," she said.

Anyone interested in getting certified must have a bachelor's degree, Cooke said, but it doesn't have to be in education. The center also offers continuing education for teachers.

The center also helps compile information for research about dyslexia.

"I have seen not just children but entire families change," Cooke said.