When Mia was in kindergarten, she excelled. She scored in the 95th percentile in vocabulary, made friends quickly, and was an easy child to have in the classroom. But as school work picked up, Mia began to struggle and tell her mom how much she hated school. Where she’d previously scored so well in reading and writing, she now despised doing homework.
Knowing there is a family history of dyslexia, Mia’s parents asked for intervention support and testing, but they were refused. As Mia entered 2nd grade and class sizes increased, her mom saw serious impact on Mia’s advancement. Mia struggled on the Colorado’s state assessment (CMAS) in 3rd and 4th grade, but was passed along each year. By her 5th grade year, Mia’s learning disability had put her about two years behind in several academic measures.
Mia sensed what she needed even before her parents did. Seeing other students in the Launch classroom, she knew she wanted to join. She craved the smaller class size, individual attention, and unconventional teaching methods that Launch offered. Her parents were hesitant at first, but she managed to convince them it would be a good fit.
Launch teachers noted instantly how talkative and easygoing Mia was. She made friends with other students easily and wasn’t one to draw attention to herself with disruptive behavior. They also saw that this made it easy for Mia to slip under the radar without getting the help she needed.
When given assignments, Mia would typically give a half-hearted effort and be done. She didn’t think she could push herself to do better. Plus, she didn’t see why she should perform better; everyone else in the classroom was doing the same quality work.
Launch showed Mia where she needed to be in order to succeed in middle school. More importantly, Launch teachers challenged Mia to work harder. They showed her that she was far more capable than she’d previously thought.
As subject matter became more advanced, Mia often challenged her Launch teachers. She was headstrong and unwilling to compromise. The Launch team saw that she needed more freedom than just being told what to do, so they began asking her to prove why she was correct. She’d step away to find evidence for her claims. If she couldn’t find any and realized she’d been incorrect, she’d come back to her teachers and tell them what she’d learned.
Launch teachers saw that giving Mia more autonomy than was allowed in a traditional classroom setting benefited her immensely. Rather than directly giving her feedback or instruction, they’d ask if she was open to a suggestion or if she’d considered another perspective. This gave Mia choice in how she learned and a sense of control over her education. Having this ownership, she progressed academically and her confidence grew.
After a successful year with Launch, Mia is now thriving in 6th grade. She’s fully immersed in the traditional classroom setting, her grades have improved, and she has been recognized by her middle school for academic excellence. She’s even found a love of reading! Mia is accepting of feedback and responds well when teachers push her to do better.
Mia has gained self-confidence outside of academics as well. With different interests than many of her peers, she is occasionally singled out. Rather than taking other students’ comments to heart, Mia stands up for herself and explains why she’s interested in something different. She’s learned the power of supporting her claims with evidence!
Mia’s mom reports that Launch reset the bar for her daughter’s education. She is thrilled with the supportive community both she and her daughter have found in the program.
“I came in really scared and nervous,” Mia’s mom says. But after a few weeks, she saw the potential for her family. “You gave me faith back in my teachers.”