Isabella’s mother shares the story of her daughter, who blossomed as a result of Edublox.
Shocked by daughter’s learning difficulties
The first indication that I had that Isabella was experiencing difficulties at school was about three months into her Grade 3 year.
It came as quite a shock to me as I had scrimped and saved to ensure that she was afforded a private school education that promised individualized attention and a personal hands-on approach. Surely a child could not have progressed to Grade 3 without any sign of educational difficulties; none of her reports indicated a problem, and I had never been advised by any of her teachers that I had anything to be concerned about.
I was in complete denial, so when I met with her Grade 3 teacher and she showed me a paragraph my daughter had written about a book we had read, my heart absolutely broke. I could not discern her words, and it made absolutely no sense — there was clearly a very real, very big problem.
Starting down the learning difficulties road
I then started down a road that parents of children with learning difficulties will understand too well: educational psychologists, psychologists, remedial school meetings, and a score of tutors and learning programs. When your child battles, your first impulse is to try and fix the problem, and you search frantically for anyone that can offer you an answer or at least a possible solution to the difficulty that your child is facing.
All I could find was numerous experts telling me everything that was wrong with my child. It was so disheartening. How could I allow my beautiful, witty little girl to be placed in this box labelled with so many negative words. This surely could not be the answer. I had all but given up, and then, by accident, I stumbled across the Edublox site.
Not sold at first, but then …
I read the introduction pages and the products offered, and I will admit I was not really sold on the idea. I then made a click that changed our lives forever: I navigated to the section that included the testimonials from parents who had been part of Edublox. For the first time, I felt like I was seeing people I could relate to. They had the same problems I did; their children were struggling in the exact same way my daughter was. I could feel their pain and frustration. More importantly, I found myself basking in the joy of their children’s accomplishments and successes as if they were my own.
I cried as I read their testimonials. It was very difficult to realise how many beautiful little souls have been lost along the wayside of our education system and how many of our children have been failed, but for the first time in months, the sorrow was accompanied by the very first feelings of hope.
I was blessed enough to meet our Edublox angel, Marj Arslanian. It takes a very special individual to do the work that Marj does. I firmly believe it is a labour of love. Marj and the Edublox team took a little girl who had lost all her confidence and believed she was incapable of educational achievement, and they allowed her to shine.
Isabella blossoms and flies
Isabella blossomed. Her reading, writing, and maths changes became extraordinary. The best part was watching her confidence grow, and I attribute it fully to Edublox. I always believed in the potential my daughter had, but it was trapped and buried, and without the skills and teaching that she received at Edublox, she would never have had the opportunity to start achieving towards her full potential.
I now have a daughter who loves to learn and share her knowledge because she now believes she can. My only wish is that more schools make parents aware of Edublox so that their children will have the opportunity to be part of the life-changing experience that Edublox was for my daughter and my family.
Our children all deserve the chance to fly – Edublox and Marj gave my daughter her wings, and for that, no words of gratitude will ever suffice.
Melanie Meiring
Edublox offers cognitive training and live online tutoring to students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and other learning disabilities. Our students are in the United States, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere. Book a free consultation to discuss your child’s learning needs.
