Today we’d like to introduce you to Lynda Marecic-Leckie.
Lynda, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
After teaching in the classroom for 15 years, I knew that something was missing in my knowledge of how my students learn to read. I followed my teacher’s manuals and did what I was taught in college, but for many students it just never really clicked. When it didn’t click, I really had no advice for parents except to tell them to read more with their child at home. When I left my teaching position in a public school, I moved to Toronto for my husband’s job. While there and teaching at a private school, I realized even more that a piece of the puzzle was missing in teaching literacy. With another move back to the Hoboken, New Jersey area, I decided to take an Orton Gillingham course. This way to teach reading was originally thought to be only what students with dyslexia needed to learn to read, however, I soon found out that this type of instruction is exactly what all students need to become the best readers and writers they can be. This training led to me opening my own private literacy instruction company in 2019, one year prior to the pandemic. I slowly built my business until the pandemic happened. With online learning, so many parents realized the learning gaps for their own children and what I was providing was exactly what was necessary for many to succeed. At this time, my business grew at a very fast pace. I also went back to school to further my education, receiving a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist certification through the University of Florida and accredited by the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI) and the International Dyslexia Association (IDA). My caseload continues to be full today. Even after moving again from New Jersey to Florida and now to St. Louis, I primarily work with students online from the Hoboken, New Jersey area with some other students from Florida and the New York area. In my home office, I also see local students where I live in OFallon, Missouri. I continue to educate myself and others in best practices in literacy education and in how to create your own private education business through my company I Love Learning Center, which has helped hundreds of students discover their own path to love learning through literacy.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well the first struggle was realizing what I didn’t know all of those years teaching in the classroom. It was a hard pill to swallow when I realized what a disservice I had done all of those years to students who did not learn to read easily. It is a process many teachers go through and hopefully as more and more educators and leaders in literacy advocate for changes at the college level, teachers will arrive at their first job with the proper knowledge based in the science of reading.
The other struggle happened as schools were shut down during the pandemic. I had to first learn how to provide instruction online through zoom. Now I can provide instruction in reading, writing, and spelling through zoom as if the student was sitting beside me.
We’ve been impressed with I Love Learning Center, LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
In my business I work as a private literacy educator starting with students at 4 years of age and up. I specialize in helping all students to read, spell, and write through the use of science based, evidence based literacy instruction. Many times when students are struggling to learn to read in school, the one on one, structured literacy approach is exactly what is missing. Using data from assessments in the five pillars of reading (phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension), I create a very individualized program to target gaps in their knowledge. This builds a strong foundation that allows them to grow into the best readers, spellers, and writers they can be.
The way that I have built a business through recommendations from parents without having to advertise myself makes me very proud. When I get a review from a parent thanking me for their child always wanting to read now and for making them feel good about themselves again after sometimes years of struggling in the classroom. One of my fourth grade students that I had worked with for three years wrote her own review of me and said that I “make her feel smart”. These are the parts of my work that I am most proud of.
I offer individualized reading instruction to students four years of age and up. I can work with a new reader, a reader who may be struggling a bit and a little behind, or someone who has been diagnosed with a learning disability, dyslexia, ADHD, or any other challenge that keeps them from learning to read. I also offer just a Comprehensive Literacy Evaluation, along with specific steps parents can take to help their own child.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I have learned that you may have one path for yourself and think that your life has to go on this path, but you have to be open to something totally different if it presents itself. I thought that I would retire from the public school and live in my same hometown my whole life. Through being open to opportunities life presented to me, I have been able to live and travel to many different places and create a career for myself that allows me to give back in a way that is unlimited now. I look forward to each new opportunity and am excited for ways that I can grow and learn moving forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ilovelearningcenter.com
