Some children struggle in coping with the
"language of words" and need help learning that language, just as if
it were a foreign language such as French or Spanish.
Children
struggling to learn to read, write, and spell, who are intelligent
and have been in traditional academic settings but are still
failing to learn to read or spell or write clearly, can become
extremely frustrated learners. They may have been given all
the "tools" such as phonics, look-say, and whole language, but
still words and reading are a mystery to
them.
Sometimes it appears children are "lazy" or
seemingly "don't care." The child may have trouble remembering
what was told to him just five minutes previously, or may have a
difficult time writing down assignments from the school chalk board
and may come home with an unintelligible scribbled "homework
assignment." Gateway School is a specialized learning
environment devoted to meeting the needs of children, grades 1-12,
experiencing these difficulties.
Gateway
strives to meet the educational, emotional and physical needs of
these students with language difficulties. It offers a full
curriculum; immersing students in language usage throughout the day
whether they are studying English, math, social studies, history or
science.
The staff
are committed Christians who believe children need to be nurtured
with love and prayer. This Christian world view addresses the
needs of students with dyslexia as it is based on a nurturing
attitude. Gateway is dedicated to equipping young people to
work to their full potential, fulfill individual goals, and to
pursue the career or occupation of their choice. When a child
has 'learned how to learn' and can advocate for himself, he is able
to return to the educational environment of his choice (public or
private) with confidence of success.
The academic program, the small student/teacher
ratio, the athletic program (including basketball and soccer), the
variety of field trips, and extracurricular opportunities all have
one goal: to develop confident,
self-directed, cheerful learners.