mother and son

Helping to Demystify Dyslexia
for the Next Generation

by Brittany Kenney

It’s 11:00 p.m. and Shelley Moses-Reed P’23 is up late for the fourth night in a row, scouring the internet trying to find help for her son, Matt. Despite all the tutoring and extra hours of study, he is still struggling with reading and math. This was Shelley’s life for many years. Coming home after long days at her senior tech job in Denver, Colo., and starting her second job of searching for educational solutions for her son. One evening many years into the journey, Shelley came across an article about Landmark Elementary•Middle School’s (EMS) mathematics curriculum created by Chris Woodin, head of the EMS Math Department—and a new leg of the journey began.

A Turning Point

In the summer of 2013, Shelley, her husband, Steven, and Matt rented a home near the EMS campus so that Matt could attend Landmark’s Summer Program. “That was such an important moment for us—to see our son succeed academically and understand he just needed to be taught in a way that made sense for it to all click,” remarked Shelley. A few years later, after failing to receive the accommodations he needed in Colorado, the family decided it was time to enroll Matt at Landmark full time for middle school. 

Opting to keep Colorado as their homebase, they split their time between Denver and Manchester. Despite the transient nature of their situation, the Reeds formed a strong and lasting connection to the North Shore. Shelley explained, “The sense of community and care that we felt in Manchester was incredible. We made lasting friendships that are still going strong, most of which came from Landmark’s wonderful group of faculty and parents.” One of these new friends happened to be a Landmark Trustee who thought Shelley’s professional experience and perspective as an out-of-state parent would be a great addition to the governing body. 

Joining the Board

Shelley joined the Board of Trustees in July 2019 and has helped guide Landmark through the pandemic, 50 Forward Campaign, and recent Head of School transition. When asked what inspired her to step into this role, she answered, “I think back to where I was when I started this journey with my son. I truly didn’t know where to turn or what to do next. I want to make sure other parents don’t find themselves in my situation. My goal is to demystify dyslexia and give parents a roadmap of what to do when you learn your child has dyslexia. I want everyone to understand that dyslexic thinking can be the way of the future: connecting, exploring, communicating, imagining, visualizing, and empathizing are all characteristics tied to dyslexic thinking and are attributes employers are looking for. On a large scale, I want to take the lessons we’ve learned in Landmark classrooms over the last 52 years and bring them to people beyond our beautiful campuses in Prides Crossing and Manchester.”

In July 2019 Shelley and her family returned to Colorado for Matt to attend high school. His time at EMS gave him the tools to navigate his educational journey and prepared him for life after Landmark. This spring, Matt will graduate from high school, and the Moses-Reeds are deeply grateful to the Landmark community and the friends they’ve made along the way who helped them reach this important milestone. Shelley continues to bring her passion and perspective to Landmark’s Board of Trustees, offering innovative ideas and enterprising solutions—the embodiment of an empowered dyslexic thinker herself!  

Article originally published in The Lantern Fall 2022/Winter 2023.

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