Lori Mikulka and Martin, Global Village Academy in Parma, Ohio

A veteran educator of more than nine years, Lori Mikulka currently teaches reading in grades K-3 at Global Village Academy in Parma, Ohio near Cleveland. “I would say about 95% of our students at the school are Ukrainian,” Lori tells the Journal. “So many of the rules [of English] that we take for granted, we just know them, but we have to teach them to our students, especially ESL students.”

To learn more about why IMSE’s Orton-Gillingham reading instruction is perfect for ESL students, check out: https://journal.orton-gillingham.com/ell-students-benefit-from-orton-gillingham-techniques/

Lori attended an IMSE training in April 2015 after her principal heard about a training held in Akron, Ohio. “I’ve been to many trainings where you go back to the classroom and you’re not really sure how to incorporate it into your classroom. And [with IMSE], it’s so different. I saw the results so quickly. If you stick with it, they’re so supportive and helpful, it just made me more confident as an educator.”

“After I took the training, I discussed taking the Practicum with my principal and she agreed it would be a good idea,” Lori says. The Practicum allows teachers to conduct practice lessons with a student over 45 hours. Many lessons are filmed and shared with IMSE staff who observe techniques and provide support and assistance. “Janice [Kohler] was great! She would help me, she would guide me.”

I saw the results so quickly. If you stick with it, they’re so supportive and helpful, it just made me more confident as an educator.

While Lori knew Orton-Gillingham involved multi-sensory instruction, she had no previously exposure to OG. “The training was very in-depth, you really learn a lot in a short amount of time,” Lori says.

IMSE training participants often find that also taking the 45 Hour Practicum provides that next, crucial step to really embracing…and more importantly, using Orton-Gillingham successfully in the classroom. “My principal and I agreed that by taking the Practicum, I could best help the students in our school,” Lori says.

To learn more about IMSE certification, click here: https://orton-gillingham.com/training/certification/

Lori’s Practicum student, Martin, moved from Ukraine to the U.S. just before he started Kindergarten. And while his parents don’t speak English, Lori reports that Martin—who is very eager to show off what he’s learned with Orton-Gillingham—has been bringing his lessons home. “He loves to play the teacher, so he told me he is currently teaching Red Words to his mom,” Lori says.

After more than six months of reading instruction with IMSE’s Orton-Gillingham method, Martin will now head into second grade with more of the tools he will need to become a confident (and hopefully) lifelong reader.