President’s Letter
Welcome to summer (almost)! It’s hard to believe the solstice is nearly upon us.
Early this spring, we had a wonderful virtual event with Dr. Maryanne Wolf on April 27, discussing how the reading brain functions in a digital milieu. Dr. Wolf is always thought-provoking, and this event was no exception. If you missed it, you may enjoy her most recent book, Reader Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World, which covers this topic in detail.
While I know that this time of year can be especially busy for educators, if you are still looking for professional development opportunities in structured literacy, our calendar of teacher trainings includes several that are offered on an ongoing basis. Concerned about the price of training? Remember that if you are a member of IDA, you may be eligible for a scholarship to offset registration fees. You can find more information on eligible programs and the application process here.
We want to report the loss of one of our members, Lucille Cuttler, who was a great advocate for literacy instruction and teacher preparation. As you will see in the story below, Lucille lived to enjoy celebrating her 100th birthday this past March, and family and friends marked the occasion with donations to our IDA NorCal teacher training scholarship fund. We are saddened by her death but are grateful for her commitment to supporting literacy efforts and teachers in our area.
Lastly, many of IDA NorCal board members will be attending the National IDA Conference in Dallas, Texas from October 24-26, 2024. We have applied to once again present our popular Experience Dyslexia™ simulation during one of the conference sessions. Will you be there too? If so, let us know–we hope to connect in October! More details and registration info can be found here.
Warm regards,
Grace