"Kim’s only regret in getting certified in SLANT is that she did not find it early enough to intervene with her own two children who are dyslexic thinkers."
Kim Hillard is the daughter of, sister to, and mother of 2 dyslexic thinkers. She is a mother of 5, a Special Education teacher and advocate, and is currently participating in the SLANT year long practicum, partially funded by Classmates Literacy Foundation. Kim has taught at an alternative day therapy program for students with disabilities and now teaches high school in her hometown of Mahomet, IL.
These experiences led her to become involved with Project Monarch in 2021. Project Monarch seeks to further educational opportunities for dyslexic thinkers and their caregivers and offers a summer camp where students receive 1:1 SLANT instruction, small group math and writing instruction alongside large group empowerment instruction. Kim has served as both the camp’s writing teacher and camp director.
Gains experienced by students over a short instructional period during the summer at Camp Monarch are incredible! Every student made gains toward improving reading skills in only 8 or 16 days of instruction.
Kim is currently tutoring 3 students using SLANT instruction and all are experiencing outstanding progress. One student, who also participated in 1 session of camp last summer, is nearing the end of stage 4 with an average of 97% accuracy when reading.
Kim’s only regret in getting certified in SLANT is that she did not find it early enough to intervene with her own two children who are dyslexic thinkers. When her son graduates from high school in May, he will enter the workforce as an apprentice plumber after working with a plumbing company for the entirety of his senior year through the career education course at the high school. He will also have over a semester’s worth of credit in construction, OSHA certification and a welding certificate through the local early educational career academy at the local junior college.
Kim’s daughter attended Camp Monarch where she learned how to self-advocate, better understand the ways in which she learns, and gained ground in her reading, writing and math deficits. She is now a freshman in high school and earning her best grades, and is determined to stay on the honor roll and enter the medical field when she graduates. Kim has 3 other children who are not dyslexic thinkers and are thriving in their respective university, army, and junior high experiences.
Kim recommends SLANT to other educators for a variety of reasons.
The SLANT program is all-inclusive and teachers do not need to supplement or find other passages that align with the scope and sequence of the program.
Stories included in the curriculum and are fully decodable for the students at the exact level they are working.
SLANT is aligned with tried-and-true evidence based Science of Reading and Orton-Gillingham methodologies.
Stories are informative, entertaining and sometimes comical so students enjoy the content as well as their own success in reading.
The multi-sensory approach and quick-pace of the activities help to keep students engaged throughout all of the steps of the program.
The coaches are accessible and SLANT is constantly updating and upgrading the program to better align with evolving research.
The SLANT program has been ahead of its time and the proof is in the pudding. Kim has participated in many hours of professional development, including LETRS, and the information and training provided by SLANT aligns beautifully with other tried-and-true training.