Reading Tutor Testimonials
Dear Jo-Ann, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for all of the hard work you did with our son, Wyatt. When he started first grade he was struggling to read anything beyond basic site words like “and” “I” and “dog”. He was very discouraged and we recognized that his frustration was just compounding the situation. He was losing confidence and often ended up in tears when we tried to read together. Right away, I knew you would be able to help him. Your firm, but fair approach was just what he needed. You taught Wyatt reading and writing in a way that helped “unlock” these skills for him. I am happy to report that there is very little that he can’t read now. Just the other day, I was working on some emails for work and he leaned over my shoulder and began reading every single word while giggling to himself. I cannot thank you enough for turning around a very tough situation. We will always appreciate your skilled approach and its wonderful effects. With gratitude, Amanda
My son has been working with Ms. Kalb over the last year and in that time we have seen incredible growth in his academic work and his confidence as a reader and writer. Ms. Kalb has a clear and supportive way of working that my son responds to. I know this because we have tried another tutor in the past and it did not go well. I also know that Ms. Kalb has been taking workshops in order to have an additional specialization in the Orton-Gillingham Method of instruction. We appreciate the time Ms. Kalb has taken to discuss my son’s learning issues. Although he has undergone a series of tests with an Educational Psychologist, Ms. Kalb has given us insight to his learning issues that we did not get from this extensive testing. We have the highest recommendation for Ms. Kalb -Kristi
Jo-Ann Kalb has been my son’s reading tutor for the last 6 months. She is an OG trained tutor. Her commitment and dedication to teaching my son to read has been incredible. She has transformed my son from a reluctant reader into a happy, confident boy who loves reading. At every session, Jo-Ann came prepared and eager to work with my son, while making it fun. It is without reservation, that I recommend Jo-Ann to work with your child. She will do a fantastic job, and your child will be a successful happy reader, as my son.-MHB
We have been working with Jo-Ann Kalb for 3 months and what a blessing she has been!! We are so fortunate to have found her. Our son has worked hard and become a good sight reader, however, he needed help with decoding basic phonics and improving his strategies on how to attack those words he hadn’t ever seen before. She has helped our son develop the confidence to use his toolbox to navigate the reading & writing world. Her patient, firm and well structured sessions are delivered with a warm and welcoming demeanor. Our son works hard to prepare for his session and hugs her tightly when time their done. We cannot thank her enough for her work and dedication. What started with a little boy feeling downtrodden about his reading skills and assigning demeaning monikers to himself, has turned around and given him the drive to do better and the confidence to believe that any setbacks are merely opportunities to find new ways to overcome his challenges.-Melissa
Jo-Ann Kalb has been working with my seven year old son for a year now, and not only has she helped with his reading ability, but she is wonderful for his self esteem as well. She is very positive and has boundless energy, both for my son and for me. She is very responsive and takes the time to discuss my son’s progress, new ideas, or any concerns I might have. I really appreciate the role she has in my son’s life.-Faithe
I can't recommend Jo-Ann Kalb highly enough. My daughter Eliza was struggling in reading and none of her teachers understood what her issue was. We were totally confused and frustrated and felt like we kept hitting a brick wall. Then we met Ms. Kalb. She really heard our concerns, was quickly able to pinpoint exactly what was making reading difficult for Eliza and worked with us to design a plan to specifically address her issues. With Ms. Kalb's support, Eliza is now reading at grade level and also LOVES to read. Ms. Kalb also helped me to navigate the public school system so Eliza gets the support she needs. It has been such a relief to have someone who was responsive to our concerns, partnered with us and really cared about our child's success. Ms. Kalb has really made all the difference in our child's academic path. Jill Gandel
I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. - Anna Quindlen
My son began working with Jo-Ann at the beginning of 1st grade, now the school year is coming to end and I am amazed at all the progress he has made. Before we met Jo-Ann, my son was struggling tremendously with reading in spite of all the help I tried to give him at home. His confidence was shaken and he had gone from loving and enjoying books to avoiding them to the point that he didn’t even want bedtime stories. As a parent, I was starting to feel disheartened and overwhelmed as I everything I tried seemed to have no effect in helping my child progress in learning how to read. Now my son is actually reading, and this is why: Jo-Ann is knowledgeable and she shares her knowledge with the parent. When we started working with Jo-Ann, the first big change was that I no longer felt at a loss about how to help my son. She immediately included me by inviting me to participate in the tutoring sessions and explained her methodology. I was now an empowered parent, I could sit down with him at homework time and actually be effective in helping him. Jo-Ann is methodical. Before we started tutoring with Jo-Ann, my son had no phonemic awareness. So Jo-Ann started from the very beginning: she used a multi-sensory approach to teach him the sounds he could not hear on his own. Soon he was decoding! I could hardly believe it. She built on each progress step-by-step, creating a solid foundation that now my son is building upon. Jo-Ann is persistent. When we went through a period in which my son seemed to stall and frustration was getting the best of him, she stayed patient and firm. I believe she is able to stay persistent in the face of these rough patches because of her “never give up” attitude and because she is confident in her knowledge and experience as a teacher. This is extremely reassuring to a parent or child that is feeling ready to throw in the towel. I am deeply grateful for the help Jo-Ann has given my son, not just because of the obvious reason – he is reading – but because he wants to read again. Because his confidence is back. Because my confidence in my ability to help my son is back.-Paloma
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