Dear Teacher / Administrator /  Parent:

Many teachers and parents have experienced the frustration of trying to help a student who is very bright, but struggles in a demanding curriculum.  A specific language difficulty (SLD) may be the cause.

SkillSmith teaches SLD students.

We at SkillSmith teach students with specific language difficulties (e.g., dyslexia) on a private, contract basis.  We are clinical teachers.  We design a skill-based, sequential, highly structured program to respond to the student's neurological profile using multi-sensory techniques.  We continually assess and reassess student progress.  While our most fundamental approaches are derived from Orton-Gillingham methods, we employ other techniques when appropriate.

SkillSmith teaches skills.

We teach a variety of skills to students of all ages one-on-one and in classroom settings including Reading and Phonological Awareness, Academic Study Skills, Memory, Oral Note Taking, Organization and Time Management, Reading and Reading Comprehension, and Word Study.  SkillSmith arranges the teaching of skills in sequence so that the student has an appropriate background and can approach a new skill with confidence rather than stress.  The ultimate goal is to foster independence by enabling the student to use metacognitive strategies to attack language-based tasks.

SkillSmith works with teachers, schools, and parents.

While we are usually paid by the parents, we often work in and, more importantly, with the schools.  We prefer coordination to be continuous and specific.  Reinforcement of skills through practical application in the classroom and at home is one of the most important ways to create success.  SkillSmith teachers are not homework tutors; we develop skills and then work with the student, teachers, and parents to apply those skills to the challenges at school and home.

SkillSmith reaches out.

SkillSmith travels to your child without an additional travel fee, and there is no initial fee.

Tell Parents about SkillSmith!

The first step is to tell the parents of your students that help is available.  We love our work, and we would be pleased to answer their questions.  We'd also be delighted to meet with you to arrange for teaching, workshops or other efforts that can help you do your job.

Sincerely yours,

Gary Hoag         
President          
  SkillSmith, LLC

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