About Diane Robert
Diane has a BA in Education and a Master's Degree in Special Education. She has been trained in Montessori and Slingerland for dyslexics. She spent forty years teaching every grade level from pre-school to high school in an attempt to analyze what areas needed to be strengthened. She was an adjunct professor and trained teachers during the summer. She is a past president of her local organization for reading development.
Diane adds:
I received a copyright on this program in 1984. To date, I cannot find a program that meets or surpasses the success rate of the Rescue the Students Now program for the basic skills in reading, spelling, penmanship, and composition. I have up-dated the program with homework packets and more advanced materials to ensure a continuum of success. The material is user- friendly, affordable, and extremely effective. I am offering a FREE DVD so you can prove it to yourself.
Having watched students for 45 years, I noted that most students want to succeed. They are able to succeed when they understand the procedure. It is much easier to understand the procedure when the program is structured and gives the students a place to anchor. This means they know where to start and how to pursue the intellectual steps to get to the finish line. This was demonstrated with a set of identical twins: The twins had the same academic potential. One twin was placed in a first grade room where the teacher had taken a jiffy course with "Rescue." The other twin was in a conventional room. The " Rescue" twin tested out at 3.9 at the end of the school year; the other twin tested at 1.9 ( first grade 9th month.) The dad was not happy about the disparity , especially since he was not a supporter of phonics.
I am only a supporter of phonics if it is taught in a structured, sequential setting where the students can tell you the difference between a word that has a concept to apply and words that have to be studied- they cannot be sounded out. Students improve their reading, spelling, penmanship, and composition skills with effective phonics. They also improve their self esteem through pride of accomplishment. They no longer look for someone to bully because they feel good about themselves.
Background of Miss Rescue
Miss Rescue had her teaching certificate and was eager to teach. She noticed that the students were not making the gains that they should have been able to make. She also noticed that the students' low self-esteem was dragging them down. The unrest extended to the playground, the lunchroom, and to the specialists. Miss Rescue then embarked upon developing a program that would advance EVERYONE in the classroom, not just a select few. The program was also going to be user-friendly and extremely affordable. She started with the program that she named, Rescue the Students Now. The results were fantastic, not only academically, but with an improved attitude toward the specialists and the peers on the playground. When the students finished the program, they were anxious for more. And that is how the program kept growing. The programs encompass the fundamental elements of reading, spelling, penmanship, composition, and of course, comprehension.
Philosophy
We owe our students in the classroom the opportunity to succeed at their level of potential in reading, spelling, penmanship, composition, and comprehension. Potential should be gauged through obtainable challenges. Students learn best when they are challenged. But challenges can result in making a few mistakes. Luckily, one of the beauties of Miss Rescue's program is that the students are taught to think about what they know. They then think about what they need to find out. By using this process, students do not think less of themselves when they make an error. They focus on the known and then find the unknown.
There are many levels of abilities in every classroom. For this reason, the Rescue the Students Now program and The Seven Phases of Spelling program can be used as non-graded material. There is built-in review while the students continue advancing to their level of ability. This procedure helps students learn rapidly while ensuring excellent retention.
Students and teachers benefit from having the subject matter taught simultaneously; students learn more easily and it saves the teacher time and money. Miss Rescue reminds us that her approach can enhance the school's current curricula or be used independently. She says to look for her on the cover of the textbook where she shoots out from behind her desk and shouts, "At last. Something that works!"