My 6 year old son has always been just a little behind. He was born in a third world country and we brought him home when he was 6 months old. He has had many wonderful helps in his young life, such as, Kids Who Count and Title 1 Pre-School.

At the beginning of this school year he went in for his kindergarten testing. He was able to recognize 8 letters. Santaquin Elementary offers all day kindergarten to those who qualify. My son was put into this class which is taught by Mrs. Patty Garcia.

It is now Christmas break, not even half way through the school year, and my son is reading books! He can recognize and write all 26 letters. I can’t say enough about Mrs. Garcia. She has kept me informed weekly of his progress. One day she called me in to her classroom just to show me how far he had come. She was just as excited about it as I was. I can’t believe the confidence she has instilled in him. He KNOWS he can do it now, thanks to her help. When he wakes up on Saturday morning he is so disappointed the he can’t go see Mrs. Garcia. When I read with him at night I literally tear up just watching what a difference one person has made in his life.

There are teachers who say they care, and then there are teachers who show they care. Mrs. Garcia has changed my son’s life by showing she cares.

–Liberty Mortensen