News

SANTA FE, N.M. — Students are handling online learning differently, and they all have different challenges. Children with dyslexia are no exception.

Amy Miller, a dyslexia therapist and co-founder of the May Center for Learning, said the learning disorder is made more difficult with remote learning.

She explained dyslexia is a neurobiological difference in the way the brain processes language. It’s not a matter of intelligence. There are many misunderstandings of the disorder.

Here we are at the beginning of a new school year. And what a year 2020 has been! For all of us, life has changed dramatically in ways that we would never have imagined last September. I am so proud of the way our May Center community responded to the unprecedented circumstances of 2020.

We're excited to announce that during our 24-hour day of giving next Tuesday, June 23 and Wednesday, June 24, we'll be going LIVE on Facebook and Youtube to share best practices, provide remote lesson tips, and answer your questions about multisensory learning, executive functioning skills, and more! Plus we'll be giving a tour of new campus!

In many ways, it feels like the world has turned upside down. Our school community, along with almost everything else we know, has been forced to pivot and adapt to a new way of being during these challenging times. And yet, what remains the same is the core of what defines our May Center community: a commitment to approaching each learning relationship with presence, sensitivity, and empathy; a belief that when each of us is truly seen by others, we are supported in becoming our best selves.

Temple Grandin, a scholar and professor who has become an icon in the autism community, gave a lecture Thursday at May Center.

Thank you for helping us surpass our goal!

Because of you, and the incredible support from our matchers, in only 24 hours we raised over $195K for May Center.

From our son’s first contact with the May Center for Learning as a tutoring student, to his 2 1/2 years in the classroom, we have experienced nothing but support and wisdom from everyone at May Center.

Thank you to all who joined us last evening at our super reception, and thank you to many of you who have already pledged your support our Calling All Superheroes 24-hour fundraising campaign on May 7th. At last night's event, it was my privilege to share the news that in August of 2019, all of May Center's operations will come together at one location: 1200 Old Pecos Trail, the current home of our elementary school.

We did it, New Mexico! SB 398 Dyslexic Student Early Interventions passed the house floor and is headed to the Governor!

The kids in his class called Francisco Sandoval dumb.

He couldn’t read when he was in the first and second grades, the 11-year-old told members of the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday.

“It was very confusing,” Francisco said.

His parents and grandparents also were thrown by the boy’s lack of progress. Then experts from the May Center for Learning determined Francisco had dyslexia.

I am pleased to share some exciting news for students in New Mexico with you. Over the last three months, I have been working with Southwest Branch of the International Dyslexia Association and members of The Reading Group of Santa Fe to make recommendations to the New Mexico Legislature regarding early screening and intervention for students with dyslexia. This work has resulted in Senate Bill 398: Dyslexic Student Early Interventions, a bill that was introduced by Senator Mimi Stewart yesterday evening.

Over the summer one of our rooms was transformed into a Makerspace. Thanks to May Center parents we have an abundance of donated materials for the students to use for their creations. This semester Elementary students have tackled a number of Makerspace challenges.

Tuesday, December 4 at 6:00 pm at the Intermediate Campus—Bring a dish to share and join us for a conversation about David Flink’s book specifically written for parents of students with learning differences. This will be a great opportunity to get to know other May Center parents and share experiences.

Our annual Poetry and Pie event will be held Tuesday, November 20 at 1:00 pm at the Intermediate campus. One of our most beloved events of the school year, Poetry and Pie is an opportunity for students to share poetry related to their learning with their families and friends.

May Center Teacher Training and Community Outreach have been busy this fall! May Center has presented teacher trainings on learning differences and executive functioning at the Results Based Accountability New Mexico Department of Public Education conference, Menaul School, Desert Academy, The Master’s Program, and the Central Regional Educational Cooperative.

The first volume of Dyslexia Justice League’s Comic Book, Dyslexia is My Superpower, was released at the student/parent conference. Dyslexia Justice League is a student empowerment and advocacy group founded at the Southwest International Dyslexia Association Conference in 2017. Student named and defined, the club’s goals are to raise understanding of dyslexia among teachers and parents, and to support students who are newly diagnosed or who might not yet know that they are dyslexic. And they decided to do it through the language of comics.

We were thrilled to co-sponsor the Dyslexia is My Superpower Conference with the Southwest International Dyslexia Association this October as part of International Dyslexia Awareness month. The afternoon conference, held at Site Santa Fe, drew over 120 parents and students from around New Mexico.

When he was 3, Jack Dunn asked his mother to write a script for him and his family to perform.

Now 10, the young actor is performing in Pandemonium Productions’ staging of Newsies: The Musical. He’s also active with the Society of Explorers at his private school in Santa Fe, the May Center for Learning. The small group studies 18th-century British explorer James Cook.

May Center Teaching Institute kept busy this summer helping educators experience more success with all learners.  Our Structuring Your Classroom for Executive Functioning Skills workshop attracted 24 teachers from across New Mexico.  In addition, we have six new MSL certification candidates who have completed the initial 54 hour coursework this summer and who will be doing their practicums this school year.