Mrs. Judy Detich, a reading specialist, wrote:
April 11,1999 Dear Ms. Gal,
Thank you for allowing us to participate in piloting your computer program . I am a Reading Specialist at the Birchwood Intermediate School in South Huntington, Long Island, New York. I have 3 computer stations set up in the Reading Lab as well as one in the Special Education class and the English as a Second Language (ESL) room. The program has been introduced to various third to fifth grade students, after they have taken the accompanying pre-test. The reading levels are as varied as the population, however the student (and teacher!!) response has been wonderful!! My staff and I have seen very positive reactions from our somewhat frustrated and negative pupils. The interaction with the delightful personality that fosters a risk-free learning "environment", along with humor has made this a most engaging learning tool for our students. Many of the staff members, not involved in this pilot, have expressed great interest in the program, for their own personal use as well as for private tutoring . Anyone who has heard anything about this program, has shown tremendous interest and is eager to follow our students' enthusiasm and progress. "Fonty" has definitely started something... I will keep you updated on the levels of motivation and performance as we join with your lovable character in enabling our students to build their reading skills as they develop their seif-esteem. "Fonty" is a "friend" that can facilitate this journey to become lifelong readers .
Sincerely,
Mrs. Judith M. Deitch
e-mail address: home: jbrjdeitch@aol.com
school: deitch@shuntington.k12.ny.us