In this episode of Stress-Free IEP®, Frances Shefter speaks with Sara Gallagher, Founder of Rising Tides Educational Services. Sara has extensive experience as a learning specialist and reading expert, and has dedicated her career to providing personalized educational support to students, particularly those facing learning challenges like dyslexia. Rising Tides provides custom educational services for bright students with dyslexia, ADHD, and organizational challenges for grades pre-k, elementary school, and middle school.
Tune in for these key takeaways:
Sara’s journey to Rising Tides — After 25 years of being in pre-k-8 schools as a learning specialist, reading specialist, and director of student support services, Sara left schools last year to launch
Focus on one-on-one intervention work — why the one-one-one piece is particularly important in diagnosing students with dyslexia
Understanding Dyslexia and Effective Teaching Methods — the different teaching methods for reading specifically
Helping Families Through the Educational Assessment Process — explaining why it’s important to get it, what they’re going to learn from it, and how to help them process an overwhelming report
Strategies for Parents — what parents can do to help their children with their learning process at home
Frances Shefter is an Education Attorney and Advocate who is committed to helping her clients have a Stress-Free IEP® experience. In each podcast, Frances interviews inspiring people to share information, educate you, empower you and help you get the knowledge you need.
Voice-Over: Welcome to Stress-Free IEP®. You do not need to do it all alone. With your host, Frances Shefter, Principal of Shefter Law. You can get more details and catch prior episodes at www. Shefterlaw. com The Stress-Free IEP® video podcast is also posted on YouTube and LinkedIn, and you can listen to episodes through Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts, Stitcher, and more.
Now here’s the host of Stress-Free IEP®, Frances Shefter.
Frances Shefter: Hello everyone and welcome to the show. For those of you that have watched my show frequently, um, you notice I have a little bit of a different background. I am doing live from home today, uh, because my. Whole family has COVID. Um, and I still wanted to put on the show because I know people look forward to it.
Um, I will tell you, we [00:01:00] might get interrupted by my children. I’m trying the strategy of not telling them I’m in an important meeting because as soon as I do tell them I’m in an important meeting, they always bother. They always, you know, have something and come knocking on the door. So I kind of, if I don’t tell them, maybe they won’t.
So we’ll see what happens. But as you all know, I’m a mom too. And you know, we got to do what we got to do. Right.
Meet Sara Gallagher: Rising Tides Educational Services
Frances Shefter: So today’s special guest is Sara Gallagher and Sara has her business rising tides educational services. So Sara, that seems so broad. Tell us a little bit about rising tides, educational services, how it came about, what services you provide so forth.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Absolutely. Thanks for having me on. Nice to be here. Um, So after 25 years of being in pre k to eight schools as a learning specialist, a reading specialist, a director of student support services, I left the schools last year and just launched Rising Tides this past year. My main focus is I’m a reading specialist by [00:02:00] trade, and so my main focus is doing one on one intervention work with students.
Privatized, meaning, um, I Sometimes I do push into the schools, which is great to get those daytime hours in. But, you know, certainly for the summer, I go to people’s homes. I’m in a school library at the moment because I just worked with three kids here that I see during the school year. And so that one on one privatized intervention work and then certainly the assessment piece, I’m able to assess children academically.
I’m not a psychologist, and so the academic side, I can certainly tell you if your child’s dyslexic after 25 years of working with those communities, um, but a lot of it’s just that one on one piece, which I find is really important to helping students, particularly students who are either, um, Um, are looking like they may be dyslexic, um, or who already have that diagnosis.
It’s just really important to, um, strengthen their ability in a, in a really small setting. That’s really specific to them personally.
Frances Shefter: Right. [00:03:00] I understand that. Definitely. Um, so. You’re in a school right now. Are you hired by the school system or by parents or do you do a combination?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: No, I’m hired privately by the parents.
And fortunately we’ve got schools who want to do the best thing for their kids and allow me to come in and use their spaces to do that.
Frances Shefter: That is wonderful because I know not all schools do that. Where, where are you located? Are you
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: So my base is Annapolis, Maryland. And so that pretty much anything within 30 to 40 miles of that.
Uh, so I do still see some folks in Bethesda. I’m currently in Pasadena. Um, kind of that route 50 corridor there.
Frances Shefter: Got it. That’s great to know because, um, a lot of schools, I’ve found a lot of schools don’t like to let outside people in. Um, what have, like, what have you done to get over that hump of, like, letting the schools allow you in?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Sure. So a lot of it is really helping them understand that, [00:04:00] I’m an ally, that I’m not against them, that I’m there to coordinate and to collaborate with their teachers and with their administrators to help the child to get them where they need to be. Um, and it’s not a slight on them as a school. It’s not saying you’re not doing your job.
It’s saying that this child has a specific need that I can really help target and improve so that They do better in your setting, right? And so it’s really, it’s taking that idea of being an ally that I’m here to help. I’m not here to. To go against you or whatnot, just because the parents paying for it privately,
Frances Shefter: that makes sense.
And I guess that also makes sense. Um, I’m sure you, you, you tell them you’re a former teacher to help put them at ease a little bit, right? Because anybody can say, well, not totally, but, you know, anybody can say they’re a tutor and a specialist. With or without experience, right?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Yes. And the experience makes a difference.
Uh, certainly if you’re looking to hire a tutor, you want to, uh, you want to [00:05:00] vet them carefully because you’re right. Unfortunately, it’s a term, there’s not a certificate that says you’re a tutor, but experience definitely leads the way there.
Frances Shefter: Yeah.
Understanding Dyslexia and Effective Teaching Methods
Frances Shefter: And especially with dyslexia, cause I know that’s such a huge thing.
Um, with how, you know, everybody says, Oh, it has to be Orton Gillingham. But I know there’s there’s Lynn. Uh, what is it? Linda Moon
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Bell.
Frances Shefter: Yeah, Linda Moon Bell. And there’s Wilson that are all different. Um, And there it’s O. G. Is like one type, but it’s aren’t they all like kind of the same philosophy?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: We’re in Gillingham’s and methodology.
Um, so and depending who you were mentored under depends on kind of how you tackle that. So I worked under Fran, had the blessing to work under Fran Bauman for many, many years. Um, she did a lot for Maryland and particularly for dyslexics in Maryland and getting programming into schools. Um, so I was [00:06:00] really blessed to have her as a mentor back in the day.
But, um, The progression of sounds and syllables that Fran taught me, if you talk to an Orton Gillingham, uh, you know, instructor in California, they might introduce, I don’t know, open syllables before silent E. Whereas, you know, Fran’s book’s a little bit different. Ultimately, it’s how you’re teaching it as opposed to the progression.
I mean, they’re never going to be too far off, right? The reason there’s progression is because we’re following that science of reading. We know how kids learn. We understand that first you got to teach them that M says, um, and that A says, ah, when it’s a closed syllable before we get into long vowels. So, I mean, they’re never too far off, but there might be little.
Little nuances, but everything with Orton, it’s the idea of phonemic awareness runs everything. It’s the base of our language. So of course that’s part of every lesson and then building through teaching them [00:07:00] to read and then reading turns into writing, writing turns into understanding, um, and kind of building up, but really starting in small incremental isn’t teaching to mastery.
We’re not just giving a big overview. You’re teaching the mastery before you give them another skillset to take in.
Frances Shefter: And pacing at the child’s pace. Absolutely. Not, not like, okay, we need to do A’s this week and B’s next week and C’s next week. Exactly. Which makes me crazy, even though that’s how I used to do it, because that’s what we, when I taught way back when, that’s how we were told to do it, right?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: We were told to do.
Frances Shefter: Exactly. Um, although it was the whole language learning that everything was based around a book and stuff like that.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Uh, yes, I was, I am fortunate. I am an unfortunate victim of whole language learning. Um, well, I, Personal story. I was highly dyslexic growing up. Um, and was a product of, you know, eighties education in elementary and middle school and whole language was the thing and they [00:08:00] thought, well, just read faster and you’ll get it.
Well, I can’t read the word faster cause I don’t know what it says to begin with. So I needed an Orton Gillingham model. I needed somebody to say. This is what the sound is. This is what it does when it’s next to this letter. I was that kid.
Frances Shefter: Yeah, no. And I definitely understand that. You know, it’s funny that you say it’s not funny, but like that you say a victim of whole language learning, because some kids learn
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: better
Frances Shefter: with the whole language learning, right?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: hundred percent. Everybody’s brain is wired differently. And so it very much depends. Some kids, it’s kind of a joke to some degree, but you know, They say about two thirds of the population, you can probably stick in a closet for first and second grade, pull them out, and they’re going to be reading with no exposure.
Their brains are wired that way for the, for the language. They, they were able to visually make connections, um, to figure out how to read. But if you don’t have that visual connection initially, then you need direct instruction. And the [00:09:00] reality is too, direct instruction benefits everybody. It’s not just good for one, it benefits all, because unfortunately some of those whole language learners, they might read beautifully, they don’t know how to spell.
It doesn’t, I don’t spell. Doesn’t necessarily connect, you’re just memorizing groups of words, but then you get to a big word you don’t know, and they don’t know syllabication to break that out.
Frances Shefter: Yeah, it was, it’s always the biggest joke, because I can’t spell. My spelling is tremendous. Yeah. You know, well, you know, I still, I still went to law school.
I’m still on law review. So clearly it doesn’t really matters, but like today’s day, there’s spell check. When I was growing up, there was it, but like, you know, but yeah, that’s another thing I probably had a learning disability, but. Again, school in the 70s and 80s for me. Um, you know, like we didn’t do special ed back then, you learned the way everybody else learned.
That’s one of the things I think like the school systems are really failing our kids these days is we know so much [00:10:00] about styles of learning and styles of teaching and they’re not matching them. You know, like there’s so many times I’ve had cases of clients or even my own kids or friends, kids that clash with the teacher.
And it’s like, Hey, can we just switch to another classroom and see if it just works better? And we’re always, you know, they always come back with, well, they’re going to have to learn how to work with people they don’t like, or they don’t get along with. I’m like, okay. Yes. When they’re an adult. When you’re now learning the basics,
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: like,
Frances Shefter: you know,
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Yeah, I always tell, tell kids and parents school is tough, um, in many ways, but a large part of that is somebody else is telling you what to do, how to do it, when to do it, where to do it, and when it’s due.
You don’t get any choice in the matter, right? So until we’re adults and we can choose our environment to put us through school, ourself, like where we can use a learning modality or a teaching modality that’s best for us. Yeah, in school it’s, yeah, [00:11:00] it’s all about the teacher. You’re right. Um, which is tough and particularly with I guess what disheartens me is that the brain research has been around for years and years.
This is not new. It’s not new information that we all learn in different ways. And so why is that? I feel like education just takes so long to embrace anything, right? It shouldn’t take 40 years to embrace.
Frances Shefter: You know, that you say that, and, you know, looking back at the history is always interesting because like ADHD.
was never an education issue. It was always no, that’s a medical issue. You go on medication. That’s not something that needs an IEP or services. Um, you know, and finally it is. And then the same with autism, they went to Asperger’s and now it’s the spectrum. It doesn’t have to be before the age of three. It can be at any age.
Navigating Educational Assessments and Personalized Learning
Frances Shefter: Um, So, yeah, so with different learners and stuff, like, how can you help [00:12:00] families like with with getting like the assessment? So, so somebody is like, I know, I know something’s wrong and I say all the time, trust your parent gut because, you know, something’s wrong, something’s wrong
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: and
Frances Shefter: figure it out, you know, um, so how do you help families get through that educational assessment process?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Sure. Um, I know that it’s a big scary world, right? You’re making not only a commitment of your time of your child’s time, but financially it’s not cheap to do. A lot of families can’t afford to go do that full psych ed. Um, so a large part of my job is a, um,
how do I want to say that? Um, well, while holding your hand, walking them through the process, right? Helping them understand. why it’s important to get it, what they’re going to learn from it. But more importantly, you know, you get this document and it can be anywhere from 30 to 50 or 60 pages. And that’s totally overwhelming.
And it’s using all kinds of technical terms that aren’t [00:13:00] part of your world, unless you’re an educator. And so I’ve often had many parents are like, I’m a lawyer. I have no idea what this is, right? I don’t know what this means. Um, and so what I can do is help apply that information to your home and to school and to help prepare and make that path for them.
So particularly for students who rarely are you going to get a full psych ed and it’s going to say, okay, you need this one thing. Go do this one thing. Everything’s going to be solved. Yeah,
Frances Shefter: I wish.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: It’s my job to help prioritize. Those documents are already are made for a three year term. We can’t do all of those things in the first six months, right?
You can’t get a language pathologist and an OT and a reading therapist. therapist and, um, you know, whatever else may be on the docket. Um, so helping to prioritize, here’s what we can do now, and then helping the family find the right resource, because it’s also, it’s one thing to know, here’s what I need to do, but how do I get that done?
And so just being in the [00:14:00] area now for, well gosh, I’ve been in Maryland over 20 years now, um, just having that bank of resources, the whole little Rolodex, and making sure that people, whether it’s with me or not, uh, I don’t, um, I often, Send people to other people because I’m not an expert on anything on everything either.
Um, so if it’s not my wheelhouse, I just want to make sure that they get where they need to be. Um, but really it’s that planning and then the little things within the home. So the one thing, you know, your psychologist, they’re going to sit down, they’re going to meet with you for an hour and say, you know, here’s some things to do, but they can’t go to your home and say, here’s what this actually looks like.
in your home? And that’s something I can do. So I can go to your home and look at that whole page of home recommendations and say, how does this work for you and your family? Both economically, time wise and environment and space, right? Where are we going to set up the place for your child to have a quiet spot for homework?
Because in the middle of the kitchen with four other kids running around, yeah, you’re right. She’s not going to [00:15:00] get her homework done here. So let’s, Figure out where that’s going to be and helping them plan and organize their home based on how their child learns.
Frances Shefter: Yeah. That’s so important that you say that, you know, um, because it is important to having your safe space, you know, uh, it was interesting.
I was meeting with somebody, she’s going to be on my show in September, but, um, a therapist and how she was saying why in person is so important, um, because of the environment, if you’re doing a therapy session in your office, Or in your home or in this you’re in your stress situation, you’re not taking yourself out.
And I would assume it’s the same thing with like tutoring and with, you know, doing homework, like have your space, right?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Yeah. And just that, yes. So the benefits of one on one too is that, you know, kids crave attention. And, you know, you’re in a classroom with 25, you know, you’ve got one teacher and 25 to 30 kids.
You can only give that kid [00:16:00] so much attention throughout the week, um, but also being able to work, I think you mentioned earlier, right? Working at the child’s own pace. We all learn differently. We all need different amounts of review. And so first off, um, you know, learning the child’s learning styles is so important as a tutor, but then knowing that in that one on one setting, I can take the interest of the child.
I’ve, I’ve got a child Everything is Nerf. Everything is Nerf guns. So what did I do? Well, I set up a whole shooting range for syllables in the middle of his house because that kept him engaged, right? And that’s how he learned. I had another kid who was into tractors and all he talked about was tractors, so guess what?
Everything we did was around tractors and parts and assembling and so being able to use their interest and, you know, at home, Um, it just You know, you can grab their stuffies and they’re comfortable and they’re safe, but [00:17:00] it needs to be a quiet spot where they can learn to
Frances Shefter: yeah, no. And like, I love it. I’m just hearing how you’re incorporating everything.
The school, the home, the parents, the child, because it is so important because if they’re learning 1 thing at school, and then a different thing at home, and it’s totally different, you know, yeah. Childhood is confusing enough, then start throwing all this other stuff at them, right?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Which brings us back to that, like, me working within the schools, that collaboration is so important.
If the teacher’s cueing the student, uh, for the sound of short E by rubbing the edge of the table and saying eh, and using that visual motor cue, I want to use that exact same cue. I don’t want to give the kid two different cues to pay attention to. And so that collaboration becomes really important for that because we don’t want to make it even harder.
Well, she said to do it this way and she said to do it that way.
Frances Shefter: Which is so funny because the automatic flashback and this will date me and anybody older [00:18:00] will know during COVID, when our kids were doing math at home, it was like, what the heck is deconstruct a 10 where, what happened to carry the one borrow the one, right?
We’re Googling, like, what do I do? And I called a friend of mine’s niece, who’s a fourth grade teacher. I’m like, how do I do this? You know, it
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: was seven or eight years ago. And, um, I was at a private school in Bethesda and as the learning specialist, but you know, somebody had gotten sick very quickly and we just needed somebody in the classroom.
She’s like, Oh, I’ll go in. I was like, Oh, it’s fourth grade. I’m like, Oh, what are you guys doing today? Oh, math. Okay, great. And I looked down and I’m like, uh, I got to go call the math specialist real quick. I don’t know what that was like. I needed the 10 minute lesson. So I can teach it. I’m like, that’s not how I learned it.
Frances Shefter: Right. Exactly. They’re switching. And I mean, like, and I’m, it’s the same thing with reading though, because like, again, we learned the whole language and then, you know, um, now the [00:19:00] phonics and then not the phonics and just bouncing all around, which is good and bad. You know what I mean? Like, because again, some kids learn this way and some kids learn that way.
And how do you teach to the masses, you know? Right.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: And math now. It’s not just about numbers and memorizing the equations and the factors and how to, you know, how to multiply multi digit. Um, there’s so much language involved in mathematics now, and they want you to show it in three or four different ways.
So, you know, the executive function of, Now I’ve got, you know, written words. I got to follow this four step direction. I need executive function to plan and organize. What do I need to do first? Um, and then, oh, wait. And now I actually have to do the math and I don’t have my memory, I don’t have multiplication memorized.
So now I got to go get that chart and gosh, it can be, math can be harder than reading a paragraph for some kids that struggle with in different ways.
Frances Shefter: Yeah. And it’s [00:20:00] frustrating to showing the work and I know we’re going totally off topic, but. I’m just thinking about like the showing the work. It’s like, but if the kid did the problem and got the right answer, like, I understand we need to show the work because we want to make sure you’re doing the right process.
But for some kids showing the work, they don’t know how to explain it. They just know. And I
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: would, yeah, I do. And what I would say is I would argue that showing your work is different for every child. For some kids that might be physically writing out, here’s what I did. And they can do that in sentence form for another kid.
You know what? Give them your phone and let them videotape how they did it and use manipulatives and let them show you that way, or let them just verbally say, I did this, then this, instead of putting it on paper, because they’re dysgraphic and that makes it, they can’t. show it because that’s really difficult.
Um, so like everything else, differentiation is the key there and showing what you know needs to be different for [00:21:00] different people.
Frances Shefter: Yeah. And you know, it’s interesting that you say that because it’s just so important that what is the skill you’re actually teaching and what other skills have to be incorporated for that, for them to, for kids to show what they know and taking all of that into consideration.
Cause like, as you said, with a math word problem, you have to be able to read, you have to be able to comprehend, you have to be able to use your executive functioning to plan it. Then you actually have to do the math and all of that other. And so there’s all these other skills. When you’re just testing technically math,
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: right?
Frances Shefter: But if, you know,
Mentoring Teachers: The Importance of Lesson Focus
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: no, it’s a great point, Frances. When I, in my past, in my past lives, when I was mentoring teachers, um, as they came in, I’d often say, you know, we’d be looking at lesson plans or it’s the middle of lesson and they’re doing some corrections. And I’d say, What’s the main point of the lesson?
Because something like writing, right, what are we, you have to tell kids what you’re [00:22:00] concentrating on today and right now. So like writing, it’s called a writing process because there’s multiple steps. So you can’t expect them to write a finished product on the first paragraph. Well you need to make sure they know, like right now we’re just looking, like It’s just brainstorming.
Get your ideas down. If you can spell it, great. If not, sound it out. And then the next round, okay, here’s exactly what we’re doing today. Today, I just want you to go back and look for connector words.
Scaffolding and Executive Function in Education
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: And then, right, this is the scaffolding. You’ve got to scaffold it, break it down into individual things.
But as a teacher, Been there, done that. I know I made the mistake many times. You’re just trying to put out fires, do, do, do, do, do. And it’s easy to forget sometimes. Oh, wait, what are we like? We had to focus as much as the kids do on what is my point. What’s my lesson. Mathematics, the same thing. Right. And I’m, am I looking at the full thing today or.
What am I grading it for? What’s the rubric today? Um, but we also have to make sure and tell [00:23:00] kids that, that they don’t, they need to know they’re not expected to know it all, all the time.
Frances Shefter: Right. And you know, I’m remembering an IEP meeting and where. There was a writing assignment of some sort and the child at the IEP meeting went into what he thought it was.
And the teacher’s like, no, no, no, no, no. I didn’t need you to do all that. We just needed to do this. And he’s like, Oh, But nobody told him that. So he went down the rabbit hole and so didn’t get it done because he was all over here when he needed to be over here. And why, like taking that step back and I’m sure it should be on the IEP, but this is just teaching skills, you know, like to, to take that step back and really break it down and explain to the kids.
Um, because people are like, well, they’re in fifth grade. They should know that. Well, guess what? They’re in fifth grade and they don’t know that yet.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Right. And maybe they should,
Frances Shefter: but they don’t. So why not? We teach it, you know,
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed:[00:24:00] it’s not fully formed yet. It’s not even close by that age. Right. Exactly. Push back on frontal lobe.
First it was like 18, then 21. Now they’re saying 25 or 26. Um, driving at 16 is scary. You think about making fast decisions.
Frances Shefter: Exactly.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: It’s all about executive function though, and being able to break things down and. Yeah, I’m scaffolding it, making it into tiny steps for sure.
Frances Shefter: Yeah.
Parental Involvement: Strategies for Home Learning
Frances Shefter: So what can parents do like to help with this whole process of learning?
Like, you know, they have a child that’s dyslexic. Cause I know, like, I know for me, one of the biggest things and both my kids have dyslexia. Um, the biggest things is like, I don’t want to do too much at home because I want home to be the safe, fun place. Yeah, you know, and so like, what are some things? Yeah, that, that, and I’m sorry if I’m putting you on the spot, but you know, but to help parents like understand their learners in their home and things that they can incorporate in [00:25:00] their home that isn’t like sit down and do your homework type.
Right?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Exactly. So I’d say on the executive function end, um, Modeling is really the best that when you’re scattered and looking at your phone for an hour. Well, what’s your kid picking up when you’re doing that, that I’m learning everything by looking at this device and that I can’t do it on my own. And so I think it’s really important for parents to.
Talk to kids about problem solving that when you do sit down for dinner or you’re sitting down for that snuggle at the end of the night, whatever, you know, fits into your family schedule, um, that you talk to your kids about the problem solving you did that day, you know, when your kid says, yeah, how was your day and, you know, I had this really hard problem I had to solve and I needed to, and you know, obviously speaking at a kid’s level, right?
You’re not going to go into [00:26:00] super details about something, but the idea of, you know, I had to make this phone call and then I looked at this and then I wrote something down and then I went to this person and brainstorm with them to show that you’re not trying to do everything yourself either. And I think that takes pressure off kids.
It’s natural for kids to think that. It’s so easy. They’ve got it all the time. And I’m now expected to know everything all the time. And that’s just not true. And so speaking to them about it, show them like that’s where your phone’s great. Show them your calendar, show them how you blocked out time in order to do that task, because if I didn’t schedule it, I’d keep putting it off.
I’d procrastinate. I do this or that, or, Oh yeah, I’d rather go have that coffee than, you know, get this work done. But. I knew I had to get this done before I could do this before I could do that. And so modeling is, is a huge part of that. Um, and modeling at home can include everything, calendars and checklists.
Um, don’t just, yeah, the, the power of a [00:27:00] checklist. We live by it. Um, I’m chuckling because my husband calls me the queen of sticky notes. Um, if you talked to my colleagues in a school setting, they’d say, Oh, she’s so organized. She’s so planned. She’s always on time. Well, let me tell you, that’s a not natural for me.
Um, and if it’s not written down, It’s not gonna get done if it’s not on my calendar. I’m not gonna show up. And so that was a strategy and a skill set that I had to learn for myself. And every year I would change it right every year. I still like, Oh, maybe I’ll try this calendar system and you know, we have to find the things that work.
But modeling again is so big. Also in your home, I think, um, you know, in terms of that, knowing what kind of learner you have, So if your child has really strong auditory memory, well, great. Then you can give them those three things and ask them. To make that list and they can go upstairs and get their socks and their shirt and their water bottle and come back downstairs for the kid who isn’t going to take that [00:28:00] in auditorily.
Well, be that model, give them a sticky note with three bullet points that say sock, shirt, water bottle, and then they can go be independent and do it themselves. And so that’s where knowing what kind of learner you have in the classroom is going to take your frustration level down because you’re going to be giving them tasks that are suited for where they are in their learning.
Frances Shefter: That makes so much sense. And, you know, I never even thought about that, which is just, it still blows my mind, like, when I do my show, and like, I’m like, wow, I never even thought of it that way with all of my experience. And like, that’s the thing to the parents and to the listeners, you know, look, yeah, I have degrees in education, in special education, in law.
I’m a parent. I’ve done all this. I’ve told all this. But guess what? I don’t know it all either. You know, like
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: we’re all human.
Frances Shefter: We all don’t
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: remember it in the time that we need. Exactly. At the end of the day, emotions rule everything, right? We have to be in a good emotional state to use those strategies.
Frances Shefter: Yeah, but that makes sense is figure out how your child learns. [00:29:00] I remember way back when, um, doing a personal growth seminar and somebody had said he knew he was a learner. He was very, um, Why am I blanking on the word? Touchy learns through, um, hot, but it’s connect, connect. Um, it’s something with a K learner.
Um, yes, thank you. Can I say like learner? Yeah. So he said what he learned to do when he, when he meets somebody, he has to make sure he touches them or that person touches him when they say their name. And that helps him remember because he has that feeling that he’s, associated with the name, right? It was really interesting
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: sweater.
So yeah, he’s making an association to make a personal connection. That’s smart.
Frances Shefter: Yeah. And I mean, this was back in the nineties before we knew all this stuff, you know, as much.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Um,
Frances Shefter: but yeah, but like knowing that your child is kinesthetic learner or an auditory learner or, you know, visual learner will help because guess what?[00:30:00]
If your child is an auditory learner and visual motor is off the The chain, doing a checklist is not going to work, right? Not
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: at all. Yeah, never. So for them, you’re going to sing the instruction and they’re going to remember it and go do it.
Frances Shefter: Right. Exactly. Exactly. Um, or like do the signs for it. Like, you know, make the basket ball up the ball, you know,
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: And nobody is, we all have our preferences, but just to be too clear, like you’re never just one learning style.
We all have a preference to our learning modality, but it doesn’t mean that’s the only way you can learn. It just means that’s a, you know, it’s preferred and that the others are something we’re still working on.
Frances Shefter: And that’s why everybody says the multi modality learning style is so important.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Exactly. The more senses we use, the quicker we learn something.
Frances Shefter: Right, right. Which is so much better. Which is just like thinking, like it just brings back to me, like yesterday I made chocolate chip cookies [00:31:00] with the kids and I’m from a cooking household. So we always do it from scratch. You know, we don’t do these box stuff, you know, and I’m just like thinking about how much we did and how much of the planning of getting out all the ingredients, making sure we had enough and then the measuring and then the, you know, You know, making sure we did this and that and going through everything, how many skills we use.
It’s just something as simple as that of like helping you in the kitchen, right?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Cooking is I often cook with children. It’s a wonderful executive function because planning, organizing, there are steps in the process, right? You, yes. Can you put the sugar with the egg and then the flat, like there’s still, there’s steps that make sense, right?
Dry ingredients and then wet ingredients. And then you slowly fold it in. And you don’t. Like slap it all together because then it gets concrete, right? Um, yeah, no cooking is a great thing to do with children. Um, I often, I just was thinking a student, um, as an introduction section, I took [00:32:00] everything to make mini chocolate chip, like the one That’s chocolate chip cookies that you make in a mug, you know?
And it was great. And a, I got to know him. He got to know me. I wasn’t like coming in and being like, I’m going to assess your brain now. Okay. I can do that. You know, um, helped him feel at ease, but it also was so insightful to me because I saw what he could and couldn’t do independently in a very casual setting.
And so it helped me then plan that academic piece that later came.
Building Responsibility and Executive Function at Home
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Um, but yeah, anything, cooking, baking, um, you know, kids need chores. They’ve got to have some responsibility too. And it’s not just the responsibility piece, but it’s learning the timing, right? If I don’t walk the dog every day at five, What happens?
The dog pees in the house. Now I have to clean it up, and that frustrates me. So how do I stop having to clean [00:33:00] up? Well, I’ve got to follow a schedule, right? The dog’s not in control of opening the door, so I’ve got to do that. Um, so the, those chores are more than just Building responsibility. It’s planning again.
It’s organizing. It’s all executive function. And if I do this, oh, then emotionally I feel good because I accomplished it. All
Frances Shefter: wraps together. Right. The big thing in my house is the kids are like, well, do I get money if I do the chores? I’m like, no. You’re part of the household. You get mommy and daddy less annoyed and less tired because you’re doing some of the chores so we don’t have to do it after you, you know?
And then look, we have fun and we get to go do this instead because the dishes are all done because you helped clear the table. You know, and I’d say there’s
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: a balance of a time and a space. There’s part of just nope, you’re part of this family community. And this is how we work together. And then there’s maybe something separate of something to work towards because that’s long term planning.
And so for young [00:34:00] kids, right, they want it instant gratification. And unfortunately in the world, I think most adults at this point, we all want instant gratification. It just feels better. Um, it’s crazy, but it’s why I like cleaning because I can look at it and go, I did that. When I work with young kids, I can’t see it.
There’s no instant gratification right in education because it’s a long term effect. And so, um, but those chores for kids there, if they’re earning something, it’s what are you earning money towards, right? I’m not just getting it and spending it now, but what’s something I want to build for. And so just, you know, the idea of having goals is a long term, um, benefit for kids to that they need to work towards something.
Yeah.
Frances Shefter: Right. Yeah. That makes sense also. And I know there was something I learned. I’m trying to remember what it was, but something I learned about with saving money to teach kids, like spend a third, save a third, donate a third,
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: right.
Frances Shefter: You know, which not necessarily those, you know, but that’s the way [00:35:00] some people teach it.
But like, but that’s the idea is to teach your kids of like saving money. Spend some now, like, yes, you want to go get that lollipop now, but remember those roller skates you wanted to buy. Let’s put some away for that. And then like, just connect that.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: And then how can you help somebody else who doesn’t have it?
Yeah.
Frances Shefter: Right. Exactly. And even if it’s, you know, one of the things I do is like birthdays and stuff like that. When my kids get new toys and stuff that comes in, I was like, okay, let’s go through all of our toys and see what we’re going to give to other kids that, Aren’t as lucky as you are to get new stuff and, um, all of that, um, which is always nice.
Although, yeah, they’re like, well, mom, I just gave away five toys. Can I go get a new one? No, no, no. It’s not exactly why we do it. We do it because we’re done with that. Not just to get something new. Oh,
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: we only have so much space. So.
Frances Shefter: Yeah, unfortunately we have way too much [00:36:00] space. You know, it’s amazing how that happens is that, you know, you live in a smaller house and, you know, all this stuff and like you move into a bigger house.
Um, and like, where did all this other stuff come from? Like, how did it fit in that smaller house? You know what I mean? Like how, like what, um, although a lot of my stuff is like, You know, being an older parent that all of my friends are like, Oh, look, we’re done with all this stuff here. Take this, that, you know, and we had the room.
So like, all right, fine. We’ll put it in the basement. We’ll put it in the basement. All of a sudden we’re turned around and we’re like, wait a minute.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Yes. As long as they’re still that one kind of clutter free space for work. Yeah.
Frances Shefter: Yeah. We’re working on it. Um, so that’s always something. Um, This has been so awesome.
Like, I love it. Like, it’s just, I feel like we could keep talking forever about, you know, all this stuff, but I mean, I think like my takeaways are, is like making sure you [00:37:00] learn how your child learns. Yes. And then help make the wraparounds in school and home and find that balance.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: It goes back to that adage of, you know, the village is that yes, you’re the parent and you’re an expert in many things and many things around your child, but you don’t need to do it alone.
And, and a lot of times you shouldn’t do it alone. And that coordination and the collaboration between home and school and any outside service providers that your child may need, um, you know, make sure everybody’s really collaborating and coordinating, um, and build that consistent routine by knowing who your learners are and how to work with them at home.
It’s not just for school. They need to do that. Awesome.
Frances Shefter: And I’m in a show. So as I said, we’ll see what happens. Five minutes. Thank you. Um, she’ll survive. Um, but you know, the other thing, the other thing [00:38:00] is that, um, what you said is that is the modeling. So as parents getting help for things is modeling for our children.
That it’s okay to need help for things and to move forward, you know, um, is so important. So, I mean, what, if people want to get in contact with you, what’s the best way, how should they reach out?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Sure. Um, so my website’s risingtidesedu. com and email’s just my first name, S A R A at Risingtidesedu. com. Um, yeah, I would love anybody to reach out on the website.
There’s the little button. You can fill out a form or just send me an email. Um, would love to connect. I love having conversations with parents to help, you know, if you’re in that initial place and you’re overwhelmed, give me a call and I’m happy to talk through like at least so you would know some options and kind of where to move forward.
Um, cause there’s no need to be frustrated. There’s, there’s help out there.
Frances Shefter: Which is [00:39:00] one of the biggest reasons for this show is to. Tell parents like, look, you don’t have to, you know, here’s your community. We’ve got you, you know, so thank you so much for being on the show. It’s been wonderful.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: My pleasure. Thanks so much.
And I hope everybody gets healthy soon.
Frances Shefter: Thank you.
Voice-Over: You’ve been listening to Stress-Free IEP®. With your host, Frances Shefter, remember, you do not need to do it all alone. You can reach Frances through ShefterLaw. com, where prior episodes are also posted. Thank you for your positive reviews, comments, and sharing the show with others through YouTube, LinkedIn, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.
Providing Personalized Educational Support with Sara Gallagher
Stress-Free IEP® with Frances Shefter, Episode 66
In this episode of Stress-Free IEP®, Frances Shefter speaks with Sara Gallagher, Founder of Rising Tides Educational Services. Sara has extensive experience as a learning specialist and reading expert, and has dedicated her career to providing personalized educational support to students, particularly those facing learning challenges like dyslexia. Rising Tides provides custom educational services for bright students with dyslexia, ADHD, and organizational challenges for grades pre-k, elementary school, and middle school.
Tune in for these key takeaways:
Learn more about Sara Gallagher:
Read the full transcript below.
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Stress-Free IEP®:
Frances Shefter is an Education Attorney and Advocate who is committed to helping her clients have a Stress-Free IEP® experience. In each podcast, Frances interviews inspiring people to share information, educate you, empower you and help you get the knowledge you need.
Watch more episodes of Stress-Free IEP®:
Connect and learn more from your host, Frances Shefter:
Read the whole transcript:
Voice-Over: Welcome to Stress-Free IEP®. You do not need to do it all alone. With your host, Frances Shefter, Principal of Shefter Law. You can get more details and catch prior episodes at www. Shefterlaw. com The Stress-Free IEP® video podcast is also posted on YouTube and LinkedIn, and you can listen to episodes through Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts, Stitcher, and more.
Now here’s the host of Stress-Free IEP®, Frances Shefter.
Frances Shefter: Hello everyone and welcome to the show. For those of you that have watched my show frequently, um, you notice I have a little bit of a different background. I am doing live from home today, uh, because my. Whole family has COVID. Um, and I still wanted to put on the show because I know people look forward to it.
Um, I will tell you, we [00:01:00] might get interrupted by my children. I’m trying the strategy of not telling them I’m in an important meeting because as soon as I do tell them I’m in an important meeting, they always bother. They always, you know, have something and come knocking on the door. So I kind of, if I don’t tell them, maybe they won’t.
So we’ll see what happens. But as you all know, I’m a mom too. And you know, we got to do what we got to do. Right.
Meet Sara Gallagher: Rising Tides Educational Services
Frances Shefter: So today’s special guest is Sara Gallagher and Sara has her business rising tides educational services. So Sara, that seems so broad. Tell us a little bit about rising tides, educational services, how it came about, what services you provide so forth.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Absolutely. Thanks for having me on. Nice to be here. Um, So after 25 years of being in pre k to eight schools as a learning specialist, a reading specialist, a director of student support services, I left the schools last year and just launched Rising Tides this past year. My main focus is I’m a reading specialist by [00:02:00] trade, and so my main focus is doing one on one intervention work with students.
Privatized, meaning, um, I Sometimes I do push into the schools, which is great to get those daytime hours in. But, you know, certainly for the summer, I go to people’s homes. I’m in a school library at the moment because I just worked with three kids here that I see during the school year. And so that one on one privatized intervention work and then certainly the assessment piece, I’m able to assess children academically.
I’m not a psychologist, and so the academic side, I can certainly tell you if your child’s dyslexic after 25 years of working with those communities, um, but a lot of it’s just that one on one piece, which I find is really important to helping students, particularly students who are either, um, Um, are looking like they may be dyslexic, um, or who already have that diagnosis.
It’s just really important to, um, strengthen their ability in a, in a really small setting. That’s really specific to them personally.
Frances Shefter: Right. [00:03:00] I understand that. Definitely. Um, so. You’re in a school right now. Are you hired by the school system or by parents or do you do a combination?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: No, I’m hired privately by the parents.
And fortunately we’ve got schools who want to do the best thing for their kids and allow me to come in and use their spaces to do that.
Frances Shefter: That is wonderful because I know not all schools do that. Where, where are you located? Are you
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: So my base is Annapolis, Maryland. And so that pretty much anything within 30 to 40 miles of that.
Uh, so I do still see some folks in Bethesda. I’m currently in Pasadena. Um, kind of that route 50 corridor there.
Frances Shefter: Got it. That’s great to know because, um, a lot of schools, I’ve found a lot of schools don’t like to let outside people in. Um, what have, like, what have you done to get over that hump of, like, letting the schools allow you in?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Sure. So a lot of it is really helping them understand that, [00:04:00] I’m an ally, that I’m not against them, that I’m there to coordinate and to collaborate with their teachers and with their administrators to help the child to get them where they need to be. Um, and it’s not a slight on them as a school. It’s not saying you’re not doing your job.
It’s saying that this child has a specific need that I can really help target and improve so that They do better in your setting, right? And so it’s really, it’s taking that idea of being an ally that I’m here to help. I’m not here to. To go against you or whatnot, just because the parents paying for it privately,
Frances Shefter: that makes sense.
And I guess that also makes sense. Um, I’m sure you, you, you tell them you’re a former teacher to help put them at ease a little bit, right? Because anybody can say, well, not totally, but, you know, anybody can say they’re a tutor and a specialist. With or without experience, right?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Yes. And the experience makes a difference.
Uh, certainly if you’re looking to hire a tutor, you want to, uh, you want to [00:05:00] vet them carefully because you’re right. Unfortunately, it’s a term, there’s not a certificate that says you’re a tutor, but experience definitely leads the way there.
Frances Shefter: Yeah.
Understanding Dyslexia and Effective Teaching Methods
Frances Shefter: And especially with dyslexia, cause I know that’s such a huge thing.
Um, with how, you know, everybody says, Oh, it has to be Orton Gillingham. But I know there’s there’s Lynn. Uh, what is it? Linda Moon
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Bell.
Frances Shefter: Yeah, Linda Moon Bell. And there’s Wilson that are all different. Um, And there it’s O. G. Is like one type, but it’s aren’t they all like kind of the same philosophy?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: We’re in Gillingham’s and methodology.
Um, so and depending who you were mentored under depends on kind of how you tackle that. So I worked under Fran, had the blessing to work under Fran Bauman for many, many years. Um, she did a lot for Maryland and particularly for dyslexics in Maryland and getting programming into schools. Um, so I was [00:06:00] really blessed to have her as a mentor back in the day.
But, um, The progression of sounds and syllables that Fran taught me, if you talk to an Orton Gillingham, uh, you know, instructor in California, they might introduce, I don’t know, open syllables before silent E. Whereas, you know, Fran’s book’s a little bit different. Ultimately, it’s how you’re teaching it as opposed to the progression.
I mean, they’re never going to be too far off, right? The reason there’s progression is because we’re following that science of reading. We know how kids learn. We understand that first you got to teach them that M says, um, and that A says, ah, when it’s a closed syllable before we get into long vowels. So, I mean, they’re never too far off, but there might be little.
Little nuances, but everything with Orton, it’s the idea of phonemic awareness runs everything. It’s the base of our language. So of course that’s part of every lesson and then building through teaching them [00:07:00] to read and then reading turns into writing, writing turns into understanding, um, and kind of building up, but really starting in small incremental isn’t teaching to mastery.
We’re not just giving a big overview. You’re teaching the mastery before you give them another skillset to take in.
Frances Shefter: And pacing at the child’s pace. Absolutely. Not, not like, okay, we need to do A’s this week and B’s next week and C’s next week. Exactly. Which makes me crazy, even though that’s how I used to do it, because that’s what we, when I taught way back when, that’s how we were told to do it, right?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: We were told to do.
Frances Shefter: Exactly. Um, although it was the whole language learning that everything was based around a book and stuff like that.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Uh, yes, I was, I am fortunate. I am an unfortunate victim of whole language learning. Um, well, I, Personal story. I was highly dyslexic growing up. Um, and was a product of, you know, eighties education in elementary and middle school and whole language was the thing and they [00:08:00] thought, well, just read faster and you’ll get it.
Well, I can’t read the word faster cause I don’t know what it says to begin with. So I needed an Orton Gillingham model. I needed somebody to say. This is what the sound is. This is what it does when it’s next to this letter. I was that kid.
Frances Shefter: Yeah, no. And I definitely understand that. You know, it’s funny that you say it’s not funny, but like that you say a victim of whole language learning, because some kids learn
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: better
Frances Shefter: with the whole language learning, right?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: hundred percent. Everybody’s brain is wired differently. And so it very much depends. Some kids, it’s kind of a joke to some degree, but you know, They say about two thirds of the population, you can probably stick in a closet for first and second grade, pull them out, and they’re going to be reading with no exposure.
Their brains are wired that way for the, for the language. They, they were able to visually make connections, um, to figure out how to read. But if you don’t have that visual connection initially, then you need direct instruction. And the [00:09:00] reality is too, direct instruction benefits everybody. It’s not just good for one, it benefits all, because unfortunately some of those whole language learners, they might read beautifully, they don’t know how to spell.
It doesn’t, I don’t spell. Doesn’t necessarily connect, you’re just memorizing groups of words, but then you get to a big word you don’t know, and they don’t know syllabication to break that out.
Frances Shefter: Yeah, it was, it’s always the biggest joke, because I can’t spell. My spelling is tremendous. Yeah. You know, well, you know, I still, I still went to law school.
I’m still on law review. So clearly it doesn’t really matters, but like today’s day, there’s spell check. When I was growing up, there was it, but like, you know, but yeah, that’s another thing I probably had a learning disability, but. Again, school in the 70s and 80s for me. Um, you know, like we didn’t do special ed back then, you learned the way everybody else learned.
That’s one of the things I think like the school systems are really failing our kids these days is we know so much [00:10:00] about styles of learning and styles of teaching and they’re not matching them. You know, like there’s so many times I’ve had cases of clients or even my own kids or friends, kids that clash with the teacher.
And it’s like, Hey, can we just switch to another classroom and see if it just works better? And we’re always, you know, they always come back with, well, they’re going to have to learn how to work with people they don’t like, or they don’t get along with. I’m like, okay. Yes. When they’re an adult. When you’re now learning the basics,
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: like,
Frances Shefter: you know,
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Yeah, I always tell, tell kids and parents school is tough, um, in many ways, but a large part of that is somebody else is telling you what to do, how to do it, when to do it, where to do it, and when it’s due.
You don’t get any choice in the matter, right? So until we’re adults and we can choose our environment to put us through school, ourself, like where we can use a learning modality or a teaching modality that’s best for us. Yeah, in school it’s, yeah, [00:11:00] it’s all about the teacher. You’re right. Um, which is tough and particularly with I guess what disheartens me is that the brain research has been around for years and years.
This is not new. It’s not new information that we all learn in different ways. And so why is that? I feel like education just takes so long to embrace anything, right? It shouldn’t take 40 years to embrace.
Frances Shefter: You know, that you say that, and, you know, looking back at the history is always interesting because like ADHD.
was never an education issue. It was always no, that’s a medical issue. You go on medication. That’s not something that needs an IEP or services. Um, you know, and finally it is. And then the same with autism, they went to Asperger’s and now it’s the spectrum. It doesn’t have to be before the age of three. It can be at any age.
Navigating Educational Assessments and Personalized Learning
Frances Shefter: Um, So, yeah, so with different learners and stuff, like, how can you help [00:12:00] families like with with getting like the assessment? So, so somebody is like, I know, I know something’s wrong and I say all the time, trust your parent gut because, you know, something’s wrong, something’s wrong
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: and
Frances Shefter: figure it out, you know, um, so how do you help families get through that educational assessment process?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Sure. Um, I know that it’s a big scary world, right? You’re making not only a commitment of your time of your child’s time, but financially it’s not cheap to do. A lot of families can’t afford to go do that full psych ed. Um, so a large part of my job is a, um,
how do I want to say that? Um, well, while holding your hand, walking them through the process, right? Helping them understand. why it’s important to get it, what they’re going to learn from it. But more importantly, you know, you get this document and it can be anywhere from 30 to 50 or 60 pages. And that’s totally overwhelming.
And it’s using all kinds of technical terms that aren’t [00:13:00] part of your world, unless you’re an educator. And so I’ve often had many parents are like, I’m a lawyer. I have no idea what this is, right? I don’t know what this means. Um, and so what I can do is help apply that information to your home and to school and to help prepare and make that path for them.
So particularly for students who rarely are you going to get a full psych ed and it’s going to say, okay, you need this one thing. Go do this one thing. Everything’s going to be solved. Yeah,
Frances Shefter: I wish.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: It’s my job to help prioritize. Those documents are already are made for a three year term. We can’t do all of those things in the first six months, right?
You can’t get a language pathologist and an OT and a reading therapist. therapist and, um, you know, whatever else may be on the docket. Um, so helping to prioritize, here’s what we can do now, and then helping the family find the right resource, because it’s also, it’s one thing to know, here’s what I need to do, but how do I get that done?
And so just being in the [00:14:00] area now for, well gosh, I’ve been in Maryland over 20 years now, um, just having that bank of resources, the whole little Rolodex, and making sure that people, whether it’s with me or not, uh, I don’t, um, I often, Send people to other people because I’m not an expert on anything on everything either.
Um, so if it’s not my wheelhouse, I just want to make sure that they get where they need to be. Um, but really it’s that planning and then the little things within the home. So the one thing, you know, your psychologist, they’re going to sit down, they’re going to meet with you for an hour and say, you know, here’s some things to do, but they can’t go to your home and say, here’s what this actually looks like.
in your home? And that’s something I can do. So I can go to your home and look at that whole page of home recommendations and say, how does this work for you and your family? Both economically, time wise and environment and space, right? Where are we going to set up the place for your child to have a quiet spot for homework?
Because in the middle of the kitchen with four other kids running around, yeah, you’re right. She’s not going to [00:15:00] get her homework done here. So let’s, Figure out where that’s going to be and helping them plan and organize their home based on how their child learns.
Frances Shefter: Yeah. That’s so important that you say that, you know, um, because it is important to having your safe space, you know, uh, it was interesting.
I was meeting with somebody, she’s going to be on my show in September, but, um, a therapist and how she was saying why in person is so important, um, because of the environment, if you’re doing a therapy session in your office, Or in your home or in this you’re in your stress situation, you’re not taking yourself out.
And I would assume it’s the same thing with like tutoring and with, you know, doing homework, like have your space, right?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Yeah. And just that, yes. So the benefits of one on one too is that, you know, kids crave attention. And, you know, you’re in a classroom with 25, you know, you’ve got one teacher and 25 to 30 kids.
You can only give that kid [00:16:00] so much attention throughout the week, um, but also being able to work, I think you mentioned earlier, right? Working at the child’s own pace. We all learn differently. We all need different amounts of review. And so first off, um, you know, learning the child’s learning styles is so important as a tutor, but then knowing that in that one on one setting, I can take the interest of the child.
I’ve, I’ve got a child Everything is Nerf. Everything is Nerf guns. So what did I do? Well, I set up a whole shooting range for syllables in the middle of his house because that kept him engaged, right? And that’s how he learned. I had another kid who was into tractors and all he talked about was tractors, so guess what?
Everything we did was around tractors and parts and assembling and so being able to use their interest and, you know, at home, Um, it just You know, you can grab their stuffies and they’re comfortable and they’re safe, but [00:17:00] it needs to be a quiet spot where they can learn to
Frances Shefter: yeah, no. And like, I love it. I’m just hearing how you’re incorporating everything.
The school, the home, the parents, the child, because it is so important because if they’re learning 1 thing at school, and then a different thing at home, and it’s totally different, you know, yeah. Childhood is confusing enough, then start throwing all this other stuff at them, right?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Which brings us back to that, like, me working within the schools, that collaboration is so important.
If the teacher’s cueing the student, uh, for the sound of short E by rubbing the edge of the table and saying eh, and using that visual motor cue, I want to use that exact same cue. I don’t want to give the kid two different cues to pay attention to. And so that collaboration becomes really important for that because we don’t want to make it even harder.
Well, she said to do it this way and she said to do it that way.
Frances Shefter: Which is so funny because the automatic flashback and this will date me and anybody older [00:18:00] will know during COVID, when our kids were doing math at home, it was like, what the heck is deconstruct a 10 where, what happened to carry the one borrow the one, right?
We’re Googling, like, what do I do? And I called a friend of mine’s niece, who’s a fourth grade teacher. I’m like, how do I do this? You know, it
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: was seven or eight years ago. And, um, I was at a private school in Bethesda and as the learning specialist, but you know, somebody had gotten sick very quickly and we just needed somebody in the classroom.
She’s like, Oh, I’ll go in. I was like, Oh, it’s fourth grade. I’m like, Oh, what are you guys doing today? Oh, math. Okay, great. And I looked down and I’m like, uh, I got to go call the math specialist real quick. I don’t know what that was like. I needed the 10 minute lesson. So I can teach it. I’m like, that’s not how I learned it.
Frances Shefter: Right. Exactly. They’re switching. And I mean, like, and I’m, it’s the same thing with reading though, because like, again, we learned the whole language and then, you know, um, now the [00:19:00] phonics and then not the phonics and just bouncing all around, which is good and bad. You know what I mean? Like, because again, some kids learn this way and some kids learn that way.
And how do you teach to the masses, you know? Right.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: And math now. It’s not just about numbers and memorizing the equations and the factors and how to, you know, how to multiply multi digit. Um, there’s so much language involved in mathematics now, and they want you to show it in three or four different ways.
So, you know, the executive function of, Now I’ve got, you know, written words. I got to follow this four step direction. I need executive function to plan and organize. What do I need to do first? Um, and then, oh, wait. And now I actually have to do the math and I don’t have my memory, I don’t have multiplication memorized.
So now I got to go get that chart and gosh, it can be, math can be harder than reading a paragraph for some kids that struggle with in different ways.
Frances Shefter: Yeah. And it’s [00:20:00] frustrating to showing the work and I know we’re going totally off topic, but. I’m just thinking about like the showing the work. It’s like, but if the kid did the problem and got the right answer, like, I understand we need to show the work because we want to make sure you’re doing the right process.
But for some kids showing the work, they don’t know how to explain it. They just know. And I
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: would, yeah, I do. And what I would say is I would argue that showing your work is different for every child. For some kids that might be physically writing out, here’s what I did. And they can do that in sentence form for another kid.
You know what? Give them your phone and let them videotape how they did it and use manipulatives and let them show you that way, or let them just verbally say, I did this, then this, instead of putting it on paper, because they’re dysgraphic and that makes it, they can’t. show it because that’s really difficult.
Um, so like everything else, differentiation is the key there and showing what you know needs to be different for [00:21:00] different people.
Frances Shefter: Yeah. And you know, it’s interesting that you say that because it’s just so important that what is the skill you’re actually teaching and what other skills have to be incorporated for that, for them to, for kids to show what they know and taking all of that into consideration.
Cause like, as you said, with a math word problem, you have to be able to read, you have to be able to comprehend, you have to be able to use your executive functioning to plan it. Then you actually have to do the math and all of that other. And so there’s all these other skills. When you’re just testing technically math,
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: right?
Frances Shefter: But if, you know,
Mentoring Teachers: The Importance of Lesson Focus
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: no, it’s a great point, Frances. When I, in my past, in my past lives, when I was mentoring teachers, um, as they came in, I’d often say, you know, we’d be looking at lesson plans or it’s the middle of lesson and they’re doing some corrections. And I’d say, What’s the main point of the lesson?
Because something like writing, right, what are we, you have to tell kids what you’re [00:22:00] concentrating on today and right now. So like writing, it’s called a writing process because there’s multiple steps. So you can’t expect them to write a finished product on the first paragraph. Well you need to make sure they know, like right now we’re just looking, like It’s just brainstorming.
Get your ideas down. If you can spell it, great. If not, sound it out. And then the next round, okay, here’s exactly what we’re doing today. Today, I just want you to go back and look for connector words.
Scaffolding and Executive Function in Education
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: And then, right, this is the scaffolding. You’ve got to scaffold it, break it down into individual things.
But as a teacher, Been there, done that. I know I made the mistake many times. You’re just trying to put out fires, do, do, do, do, do. And it’s easy to forget sometimes. Oh, wait, what are we like? We had to focus as much as the kids do on what is my point. What’s my lesson. Mathematics, the same thing. Right. And I’m, am I looking at the full thing today or.
What am I grading it for? What’s the rubric today? Um, but we also have to make sure and tell [00:23:00] kids that, that they don’t, they need to know they’re not expected to know it all, all the time.
Frances Shefter: Right. And you know, I’m remembering an IEP meeting and where. There was a writing assignment of some sort and the child at the IEP meeting went into what he thought it was.
And the teacher’s like, no, no, no, no, no. I didn’t need you to do all that. We just needed to do this. And he’s like, Oh, But nobody told him that. So he went down the rabbit hole and so didn’t get it done because he was all over here when he needed to be over here. And why, like taking that step back and I’m sure it should be on the IEP, but this is just teaching skills, you know, like to, to take that step back and really break it down and explain to the kids.
Um, because people are like, well, they’re in fifth grade. They should know that. Well, guess what? They’re in fifth grade and they don’t know that yet.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Right. And maybe they should,
Frances Shefter: but they don’t. So why not? We teach it, you know,
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: [00:24:00] it’s not fully formed yet. It’s not even close by that age. Right. Exactly. Push back on frontal lobe.
First it was like 18, then 21. Now they’re saying 25 or 26. Um, driving at 16 is scary. You think about making fast decisions.
Frances Shefter: Exactly.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: It’s all about executive function though, and being able to break things down and. Yeah, I’m scaffolding it, making it into tiny steps for sure.
Frances Shefter: Yeah.
Parental Involvement: Strategies for Home Learning
Frances Shefter: So what can parents do like to help with this whole process of learning?
Like, you know, they have a child that’s dyslexic. Cause I know, like, I know for me, one of the biggest things and both my kids have dyslexia. Um, the biggest things is like, I don’t want to do too much at home because I want home to be the safe, fun place. Yeah, you know, and so like, what are some things? Yeah, that, that, and I’m sorry if I’m putting you on the spot, but you know, but to help parents like understand their learners in their home and things that they can incorporate in [00:25:00] their home that isn’t like sit down and do your homework type.
Right?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Exactly. So I’d say on the executive function end, um, Modeling is really the best that when you’re scattered and looking at your phone for an hour. Well, what’s your kid picking up when you’re doing that, that I’m learning everything by looking at this device and that I can’t do it on my own. And so I think it’s really important for parents to.
Talk to kids about problem solving that when you do sit down for dinner or you’re sitting down for that snuggle at the end of the night, whatever, you know, fits into your family schedule, um, that you talk to your kids about the problem solving you did that day, you know, when your kid says, yeah, how was your day and, you know, I had this really hard problem I had to solve and I needed to, and you know, obviously speaking at a kid’s level, right?
You’re not going to go into [00:26:00] super details about something, but the idea of, you know, I had to make this phone call and then I looked at this and then I wrote something down and then I went to this person and brainstorm with them to show that you’re not trying to do everything yourself either. And I think that takes pressure off kids.
It’s natural for kids to think that. It’s so easy. They’ve got it all the time. And I’m now expected to know everything all the time. And that’s just not true. And so speaking to them about it, show them like that’s where your phone’s great. Show them your calendar, show them how you blocked out time in order to do that task, because if I didn’t schedule it, I’d keep putting it off.
I’d procrastinate. I do this or that, or, Oh yeah, I’d rather go have that coffee than, you know, get this work done. But. I knew I had to get this done before I could do this before I could do that. And so modeling is, is a huge part of that. Um, and modeling at home can include everything, calendars and checklists.
Um, don’t just, yeah, the, the power of a [00:27:00] checklist. We live by it. Um, I’m chuckling because my husband calls me the queen of sticky notes. Um, if you talked to my colleagues in a school setting, they’d say, Oh, she’s so organized. She’s so planned. She’s always on time. Well, let me tell you, that’s a not natural for me.
Um, and if it’s not written down, It’s not gonna get done if it’s not on my calendar. I’m not gonna show up. And so that was a strategy and a skill set that I had to learn for myself. And every year I would change it right every year. I still like, Oh, maybe I’ll try this calendar system and you know, we have to find the things that work.
But modeling again is so big. Also in your home, I think, um, you know, in terms of that, knowing what kind of learner you have, So if your child has really strong auditory memory, well, great. Then you can give them those three things and ask them. To make that list and they can go upstairs and get their socks and their shirt and their water bottle and come back downstairs for the kid who isn’t going to take that [00:28:00] in auditorily.
Well, be that model, give them a sticky note with three bullet points that say sock, shirt, water bottle, and then they can go be independent and do it themselves. And so that’s where knowing what kind of learner you have in the classroom is going to take your frustration level down because you’re going to be giving them tasks that are suited for where they are in their learning.
Frances Shefter: That makes so much sense. And, you know, I never even thought about that, which is just, it still blows my mind, like, when I do my show, and like, I’m like, wow, I never even thought of it that way with all of my experience. And like, that’s the thing to the parents and to the listeners, you know, look, yeah, I have degrees in education, in special education, in law.
I’m a parent. I’ve done all this. I’ve told all this. But guess what? I don’t know it all either. You know, like
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: we’re all human.
Frances Shefter: We all don’t
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: remember it in the time that we need. Exactly. At the end of the day, emotions rule everything, right? We have to be in a good emotional state to use those strategies.
Frances Shefter: Yeah, but that makes sense is figure out how your child learns. [00:29:00] I remember way back when, um, doing a personal growth seminar and somebody had said he knew he was a learner. He was very, um, Why am I blanking on the word? Touchy learns through, um, hot, but it’s connect, connect. Um, it’s something with a K learner.
Um, yes, thank you. Can I say like learner? Yeah. So he said what he learned to do when he, when he meets somebody, he has to make sure he touches them or that person touches him when they say their name. And that helps him remember because he has that feeling that he’s, associated with the name, right? It was really interesting
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: sweater.
So yeah, he’s making an association to make a personal connection. That’s smart.
Frances Shefter: Yeah. And I mean, this was back in the nineties before we knew all this stuff, you know, as much.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Um,
Frances Shefter: but yeah, but like knowing that your child is kinesthetic learner or an auditory learner or, you know, visual learner will help because guess what?[00:30:00]
If your child is an auditory learner and visual motor is off the The chain, doing a checklist is not going to work, right? Not
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: at all. Yeah, never. So for them, you’re going to sing the instruction and they’re going to remember it and go do it.
Frances Shefter: Right. Exactly. Exactly. Um, or like do the signs for it. Like, you know, make the basket ball up the ball, you know,
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: And nobody is, we all have our preferences, but just to be too clear, like you’re never just one learning style.
We all have a preference to our learning modality, but it doesn’t mean that’s the only way you can learn. It just means that’s a, you know, it’s preferred and that the others are something we’re still working on.
Frances Shefter: And that’s why everybody says the multi modality learning style is so important.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Exactly. The more senses we use, the quicker we learn something.
Frances Shefter: Right, right. Which is so much better. Which is just like thinking, like it just brings back to me, like yesterday I made chocolate chip cookies [00:31:00] with the kids and I’m from a cooking household. So we always do it from scratch. You know, we don’t do these box stuff, you know, and I’m just like thinking about how much we did and how much of the planning of getting out all the ingredients, making sure we had enough and then the measuring and then the, you know, You know, making sure we did this and that and going through everything, how many skills we use.
It’s just something as simple as that of like helping you in the kitchen, right?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Cooking is I often cook with children. It’s a wonderful executive function because planning, organizing, there are steps in the process, right? You, yes. Can you put the sugar with the egg and then the flat, like there’s still, there’s steps that make sense, right?
Dry ingredients and then wet ingredients. And then you slowly fold it in. And you don’t. Like slap it all together because then it gets concrete, right? Um, yeah, no cooking is a great thing to do with children. Um, I often, I just was thinking a student, um, as an introduction section, I took [00:32:00] everything to make mini chocolate chip, like the one That’s chocolate chip cookies that you make in a mug, you know?
And it was great. And a, I got to know him. He got to know me. I wasn’t like coming in and being like, I’m going to assess your brain now. Okay. I can do that. You know, um, helped him feel at ease, but it also was so insightful to me because I saw what he could and couldn’t do independently in a very casual setting.
And so it helped me then plan that academic piece that later came.
Building Responsibility and Executive Function at Home
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Um, but yeah, anything, cooking, baking, um, you know, kids need chores. They’ve got to have some responsibility too. And it’s not just the responsibility piece, but it’s learning the timing, right? If I don’t walk the dog every day at five, What happens?
The dog pees in the house. Now I have to clean it up, and that frustrates me. So how do I stop having to clean [00:33:00] up? Well, I’ve got to follow a schedule, right? The dog’s not in control of opening the door, so I’ve got to do that. Um, so the, those chores are more than just Building responsibility. It’s planning again.
It’s organizing. It’s all executive function. And if I do this, oh, then emotionally I feel good because I accomplished it. All
Frances Shefter: wraps together. Right. The big thing in my house is the kids are like, well, do I get money if I do the chores? I’m like, no. You’re part of the household. You get mommy and daddy less annoyed and less tired because you’re doing some of the chores so we don’t have to do it after you, you know?
And then look, we have fun and we get to go do this instead because the dishes are all done because you helped clear the table. You know, and I’d say there’s
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: a balance of a time and a space. There’s part of just nope, you’re part of this family community. And this is how we work together. And then there’s maybe something separate of something to work towards because that’s long term planning.
And so for young [00:34:00] kids, right, they want it instant gratification. And unfortunately in the world, I think most adults at this point, we all want instant gratification. It just feels better. Um, it’s crazy, but it’s why I like cleaning because I can look at it and go, I did that. When I work with young kids, I can’t see it.
There’s no instant gratification right in education because it’s a long term effect. And so, um, but those chores for kids there, if they’re earning something, it’s what are you earning money towards, right? I’m not just getting it and spending it now, but what’s something I want to build for. And so just, you know, the idea of having goals is a long term, um, benefit for kids to that they need to work towards something.
Yeah.
Frances Shefter: Right. Yeah. That makes sense also. And I know there was something I learned. I’m trying to remember what it was, but something I learned about with saving money to teach kids, like spend a third, save a third, donate a third,
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: right.
Frances Shefter: You know, which not necessarily those, you know, but that’s the way [00:35:00] some people teach it.
But like, but that’s the idea is to teach your kids of like saving money. Spend some now, like, yes, you want to go get that lollipop now, but remember those roller skates you wanted to buy. Let’s put some away for that. And then like, just connect that.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: And then how can you help somebody else who doesn’t have it?
Yeah.
Frances Shefter: Right. Exactly. And even if it’s, you know, one of the things I do is like birthdays and stuff like that. When my kids get new toys and stuff that comes in, I was like, okay, let’s go through all of our toys and see what we’re going to give to other kids that, Aren’t as lucky as you are to get new stuff and, um, all of that, um, which is always nice.
Although, yeah, they’re like, well, mom, I just gave away five toys. Can I go get a new one? No, no, no. It’s not exactly why we do it. We do it because we’re done with that. Not just to get something new. Oh,
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: we only have so much space. So.
Frances Shefter: Yeah, unfortunately we have way too much [00:36:00] space. You know, it’s amazing how that happens is that, you know, you live in a smaller house and, you know, all this stuff and like you move into a bigger house.
Um, and like, where did all this other stuff come from? Like, how did it fit in that smaller house? You know what I mean? Like how, like what, um, although a lot of my stuff is like, You know, being an older parent that all of my friends are like, Oh, look, we’re done with all this stuff here. Take this, that, you know, and we had the room.
So like, all right, fine. We’ll put it in the basement. We’ll put it in the basement. All of a sudden we’re turned around and we’re like, wait a minute.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Yes. As long as they’re still that one kind of clutter free space for work. Yeah.
Frances Shefter: Yeah. We’re working on it. Um, so that’s always something. Um, This has been so awesome.
Like, I love it. Like, it’s just, I feel like we could keep talking forever about, you know, all this stuff, but I mean, I think like my takeaways are, is like making sure you [00:37:00] learn how your child learns. Yes. And then help make the wraparounds in school and home and find that balance.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: It goes back to that adage of, you know, the village is that yes, you’re the parent and you’re an expert in many things and many things around your child, but you don’t need to do it alone.
And, and a lot of times you shouldn’t do it alone. And that coordination and the collaboration between home and school and any outside service providers that your child may need, um, you know, make sure everybody’s really collaborating and coordinating, um, and build that consistent routine by knowing who your learners are and how to work with them at home.
It’s not just for school. They need to do that. Awesome.
Frances Shefter: And I’m in a show. So as I said, we’ll see what happens. Five minutes. Thank you. Um, she’ll survive. Um, but you know, the other thing, the other thing [00:38:00] is that, um, what you said is that is the modeling. So as parents getting help for things is modeling for our children.
That it’s okay to need help for things and to move forward, you know, um, is so important. So, I mean, what, if people want to get in contact with you, what’s the best way, how should they reach out?
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: Sure. Um, so my website’s risingtidesedu. com and email’s just my first name, S A R A at Risingtidesedu. com. Um, yeah, I would love anybody to reach out on the website.
There’s the little button. You can fill out a form or just send me an email. Um, would love to connect. I love having conversations with parents to help, you know, if you’re in that initial place and you’re overwhelmed, give me a call and I’m happy to talk through like at least so you would know some options and kind of where to move forward.
Um, cause there’s no need to be frustrated. There’s, there’s help out there.
Frances Shefter: Which is [00:39:00] one of the biggest reasons for this show is to. Tell parents like, look, you don’t have to, you know, here’s your community. We’ve got you, you know, so thank you so much for being on the show. It’s been wonderful.
Sara Gallagher, M.Ed: My pleasure. Thanks so much.
And I hope everybody gets healthy soon.
Frances Shefter: Thank you.
Voice-Over: You’ve been listening to Stress-Free IEP®. With your host, Frances Shefter, remember, you do not need to do it all alone. You can reach Frances through ShefterLaw. com, where prior episodes are also posted. Thank you for your positive reviews, comments, and sharing the show with others through YouTube, LinkedIn, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.
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