Owen started his kindergarten year with some differences that require a specialized learning environment that we offer away from his home campus, Tibbals Elementary. His mom Jamie shared that she was a little apprehensive to send Owen to Akin Elementary in January to get him the helped needed to succeed academically and emotionally. Change is scary for all of us.
Although Owen started that day being a semester behind his grade level, his teachers, Mrs. Patrina Polviriyakij and Mr. Frederick Johnson greeted him with an open mind and open heart. Owen could not read, write legibly, or count at the level of his peers. This picture is Owen today. He is the proud recipient of a Wylie Way Award for Grit and Perseverance for learning. Owen read 30+ sight words in 30 days. As Jamie explained, “we can’t even keep track of how many he can read now.” Owen can add, subtract and loves learning about historical figures (Martin Luther King Jr and Abraham Lincoln are his favorites). He still struggles with behavior, but he is happy, and he has grown so much!
Jamie explains that “kids in this program are treated with such care, compassion and the right amount of discipline. They don’t hold grudges when kids say the wrong things or have terrible days. Every day is a new day.” She describes Mrs. P and Mr. J as “superheroes!” We love your kids and truly want the best for them. Wylie ISD is blessed to have angels like these superheroes that have the heart for kids and a gift that can change despair into hope.
Teacher Appreciation Week in Wylie ISD gives us the opportunity to celebrate folks like Mrs. P, Mr. J and all the others that invest in our kids. Please take a moment to let these wonderful people know they matter! Thank you Patrina and Frederick, and thank you Wylie ISD teachers who love our babies, the Wylie Way!
