Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 26, 1990 TAG: 9007270425
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Willett is dyslexic.
It is rare when his disability works to his advantage.
"I think it will allow me to have a better understanding of each student. They'll understand that I've been where they are," said Willett, who replaces Mary Bane as director of the early learning center July 1.
"A director of the school needs to have a knowledge of Shedd materials and have a background in education, so ideally, he fit the bill," said Bane, who is leaving to pursue a master's degree at Hollins College.
She plans to stay at the center through the end of July in order to update Willett on the school, which has undergone some changes since Willett left 15 years ago.
It has evolved from a tutorial program for the learning disabled in 1969, when Willett first enrolled as a fifth-grader. At that time it only offered part-time instruction on Saturdays and during the summer at various schools and churches in the Roanoke area.
Two years later, Willett was no longer a student of the program, but a tutor who worked with other dyslexics ranging in age from 9-21.
He said the older students never gave him a hard time; they respected his 6-foot frame.
A year after Willett left as a tutor to enroll in college in 1975, the Shedd program was being taught at the school now located on Colonial Avenue.
Willett has a double bachelor's degree in psychology and the study of the emotionally disabled from James Madison University.
He has a master's in education and an endorsement in learning disabilities from VPI.
Willett said his primary obstacle as a dyslexic was comprehension. He could read words but had difficulty understanding what they meant.
"No one is cured [of dyslexia]. I still run into problems. I'll be reading something and going, `Why doesn't this mean something?' "
Every day, Willett tackles his disability with the skills, tricks and techniques he learned through the Shedd program - the same tools he shared as a teacher of the learning disabled in Montgomery County schools for the last 10 years.
His wife, Elizabeth, is still a special education teacher in Montgomery County Schools. She works with high-level autistic children.
The Willetts have two daughters and one son: Kristen, 5; Erin, 3; and 10-month-old Ryan.
Willett said he is glad public schools are now helping parents make the distinction between the mentally retarded and the learning disabled through testing and special education programs.
"I know firsthand that without parental support a student doesn't learn," said Willett, adding that he is impressed with the center's parental support.
Willett said he is also affected by "the fact that the teachers and supervisors that were there when I was a student are still there and faithfully standing by the school."
Once a school for learning disabled students up to the 10th grade, the Shedd Early Learning Center today offers individualized curricula for normal, gifted and potentially learning disabled children ages preschool-third grade.
Bane said the center's student population was reduced in the early '80s, when public schools began offering programs for the learning disabled.
"The change was economically feasible," she said.
Willett said his goal is to keep the school running.
"I am very interested in going along with the status quo because I want the school to keep running as effectively as it has," he said. "However, I am not above exploring other avenues if the parents and board wish to do so.
by CNB