My name is Jan Stead. I am a qualified teacher with over 30 years of experience in schools and across various education sectors, from kindergarten to adult education.
My youngest son is dyslexic, and so am I.
To find out more about me and the work I do, you can watch the following video.
As a teacher, I became very aware of the poor self-esteem and low self-confidence of so many of the neurodivergent children I taught and searched for ways to help and support them.
This took on a new urgency when my youngest son, bright, inquisitive and talented in many ways, became withdrawn when he began school and felt stupid because he couldn’t read like his friends. He was labelled lazy and disruptive but excelled in sport and art.
When he was ten and still struggling at school, I came across a book that changed everything: The Gift of Dyslexia by Ron Davis.
Reading it, all the confusing results of educational assessments and psychologist reports suddenly made sense. It was as though Ron was writing about my son. Ron Davis recognises the gifts, talents and great strengths that are part of dyslexia, so he does not aim to ‘cure’ it but rather to use the natural learning style and abilities to address the learning difficulties and enhance the positives.
This positive approach was very different to anything I had known about the learning ‘disability’ of dyslexia and turned all I thought on its head.
This explained why my 10 year old son was struggling so much at school. All the puzzling educational assesments results and psychologist’s reports suddenly made sense. It was as though Ron was writing about him. Ron Davis recognises the gifts and talents, the great strengths that are part of dyslexia, so he does not aim to ‘cure’ it, but rather to correct the learning difficulties, and enhance the positives.
I shared the book with the special education teacher at my son’s school. It resonated so much with her that she decided to use the Davis methods described in the book rather than the prescribed phonics and rote learning approach recommended. After she took him through the Davis Mastery for Dyslexia program, his self-esteem grew, and he began not only reading well, but excelling in creative writing, another area of gifting. Having watched him blossom with newfound self-esteem, I started to use the Davis methods in my teaching and was excited by the results.
Some years later, while teaching yet another class with a group of struggling students, with whom I was using some of the Davis methods, I found that it was possible to train as a Davis Facilitator. Wanting to help them and a couple I tutored, I decided to do the extensive training.
During my studies, I found I was also dyslexic, which explained so much both professionally and personally. It suddenly all made sense. I decided to give myself the gift of a Davis program. It was like coming ‘out of the fog’ I had lived in all my life. It was transformational.
You can read something of my own story here: My Dyslexic Journey
It has indeed been a journey; a rich and invaluable one. And I believe has enabled me in the work I do.
Now as a Davis Program facilitator, if a person leaves me at the end of their program feeling better about themselves, I have done my job. For with their newfound confidence, learning can become easier, fun, and success will follow.
There is nothing better than being able to give the gift of Davis programs to some brilliant and gifted individuals. It is indeed a privilege and joy, my passion and purpose.
I also have my Childsafe Environments Certificate and the ACT Working with Vulnerable People registration, as well as a National Police Check.