News

On Friday, Sept. 9 more than 50 parents and guardians gathered in the Alice Ansara Athletic Center to hear new Head of School, Josh Clark, deliver his first official in-person address through a presentation entitled, Understanding Dyslexia: Parent to Parent Perspectives on LBLD.

The morning began with an informal coffee reception and the spirited crowd was clearly happy to be back on campus and reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones. 

Clark started the presentation by introducing the audience to the journey that led him to Landmark School. He shared stories of his own undiagnosed dyslexia and how his kids, both of whom also have dyslexia, see the world through an imaginative and resourceful lens that he and his wife, Melanie, encourage enthusiastically. He explained that as a child he loved to learn but hated school and never really understood why. 

He talked about dyslexia being a genetic learning difference and how people with this learning challenge are automatically put at a disadvantage due to our increasingly print-saturated world. He noted that most school structures exacerbate these learning differences as well. Quoting from a former colleague, he said,” LBLD students are made for the world though school is not always made for them.”

Clark played a recording of the late founder of Landmark School, Charles Drake who said. “We didn’t start the school for kids who couldn’t read, we started the school for kids who couldn’t reach their full potential “ Clark added, “our typical student has skills that are naturally applicable to modern life. They are strong problem solvers and capable critical thinkers. But I don’t want to sugar coat this. School is hard for students with dyslexia and other LBLDs and everything takes longer. According to Shally Shaywitz, author of the best selling book, Overcoming Dyslexia, “Our environment puts a toll on our students. Language-based learning disabilities rob a child of time.” 

Clark reminded the audience of Landmark’s Six Teaching Principles™ still being the bedrock of our method and reinforced the importance of individualization in our school which meets every student where they are in the learning process. Not enough students have the good fortune to attend Landmark School but we hope that through our Outreach Program and the professional development we provide to thousands of teachers, we are able to reach exponentially more students than can actually attend Landmark School. 

The audience gave Clark their full attention for the better part of an hour and followed up with plenty of questions to keep the conversation going. 

Landmark School will be launching a parent education series in the coming months as part of Landmark Learns. Stay tuned for more information on this virtual series of webinars featuring experts from inside and outside of the School.

View a video of the full presentation.