Our mission is to help our clients experience joy in learning and life by addressing the neurodevelopmental and educational issues getting in their way
Margo Fourman
Despite working in education and being a teacher her entire life, Margo struggled with severe dyslexia and dyspraxia for most of her life. At age 50 she finally discovered how to turn her disability into a superpower. She now supports students around the world in doing the same for themselves.
Dear fellow ‘learning disabled’ student or parent,
I’d like to tell you a story that probably sounds familiar to you.
I was a very lonely child. Left out of games, failing at school and constantly judged as falling short compared to my ‘genius’ brothers. For them, success seemed to come easily. For me, everything was a struggle.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get even passing grades. Was I really stupid, like everyone told me I was?
I was mocked by my fellow students and judged by my teachers. ‘Why are you so lazy? Why don’t you just work harder? Why can’t you be more like your brothers?’
Hoping to find a better way for myself and others like me, I became a teacher. My colleagues judged me for my learning differences, but worse, they mocked their ‘disabled’ students, with the same judgments that had been piled on me as a child.
I believed that these learning ‘disabled’ students could succeed if they were taught in ways that matched their abilities. But when I suggested changes, I was laughed down by the ‘professionals’.
Then I was lucky enough to meet some experts who understood neurodiversity.
They taught me how the brain and body have to work together. How to make thinking and learning more effective through simple physical movements. As I explored this new understanding, thinking and studying became easier for me.
I went on to get a degree in psychology and a masters degree in inclusion and diversity.
There was government funding to provide one-on-one tutoring for individual ‘disabled’ students to ‘level the playing field’. There was also a dyslexia-friendly school model.
This made tutors responsible for finding ways to help each and every student succeed, instead of just assigning a diagnosis as an explanation for failure.
As the tutors grappled with this new challenge, a few gifted educators discovered something that shook the UK education system… These so-called ‘disabilities’ were in fact ‘differences’.
In fact, they found that those with these ‘disabilities’ could actually find their own ways to shine and show their own brilliance when given the opportunity.
While my studies gave me a strong technical background, it was short on practical applications that I could use for myself and my students. So I had to use what I knew of neurodevelopment to find novel solutions to each new learning challenge.
Working with young adults is amazing, since they can talk about their challenges and successes in a way younger children cannot. Those of us who are neurodiverse tend to be excellent problem solvers given the right opportunity, and I became an innovative educator pulling together my teaching experience, my understanding of neurodevelopment and my training in diversity and inclusion to help more and more students achieve their goals.
Then lock down happened, we were all working from home and parents began to notice that their children were struggling to learn. I began to get phone calls… It soon became clear that the techniques and approaches developed with the young adults were helping the younger children too.
This new approach requires a good understanding of neurodiversity and a solid grounding in education. We have assembled a team of specialists who work together to help children and adults struggling to gain better learning efficiency.
We became Oxford Specialist Tutors.
Speak with one of our experts today, and we’ll pair you with the tutor best suited for you.
