Deborah Helk: School Language Specialist
May 16th, 2013
Deborah Helk
Debbie in her classroom at LMS (below), and with her son Adam at an LMS picnic from 1986 (left).
Long before I started working at Litchfield Montessori, my two sons Aaron and Adam were students at our precious school. I saw them develop an amazing love of learning and saw the magic of the three-year cycle. During their time at LMS, I was president of what was then called the Parent Guild and was on the Board of Trustees. In 1992, I started working at LMS with students with special needs in the areas of reading, writing, and speech. That’s twenty years!
As a speech and language pathologist, I find great joy in helping students learn to read. Our language is very complicated and our phonics is filled with inconsistencies. I try and simplify it one step at a time. I love teaching all levels of phonics, especially the six syllable types. Once they can decode, it opens them up to the wonderful world of literature, science, history, etc.
Every student I have worked with is a memorable story because each child is so unique. I have been able to see how a love of learning and a seeking out of knowledge is fostered in all of the students I’ve worked with as well as with my two sons. The gift of a love of learning is invaluable. I had one student whose father struggled with reading as a child and never got help. He was so grateful that his son got the help he needed.
I love the uniqueness of each student and how they learn. I want my students to really understand their learning style, strengths, and areas of needs.
I have worn many “hats” at LMS and I have loved them all. I have been blessed to be a part of the family of LMS.
