“You have made the three-and-a-half year journey a positive and encouraging one for our son and have helped him develop a stronger personal base that he will appreciate all his life. The love, dedication and care that you brought to your tutoring with our son made each of his sessions something he looked forward to and enjoyed despite the frequency and the long afternoons. We are all your biggest fans Mrs K!!! Please have any potential new student parents call us anytime for a reference. You are gifted teacher and a very special person.”
K. W., parent
“I found out my daughter was dyslexic in first grade, and we struggled very very much. Then we found Mrs. K and she changed her life for the better. Through out my daughter’s tutoring with Mrs. K she was happier, much more confident (she could finally READ), and had self esteem. With out Mrs. K I don’t know were we would be today. She is very passionate about what she does and loves the kids she works with. We miss her very much but continue to work on the Barton system. There is no one like Mrs. K she will change your child’s struggles into something beautiful.”
A.B., parent
“Jolene was an amazing inspiration to my son that opened his eyes to his ability to read. He has excelled with the Susan Barton program with the assistance of Jolene. Jolene has a kind gentle spirit that engaged my son and provided him with confidence and guidance. We are thankful for her patience and love to help our son become successful.”
D.F., parent
“Our youngest daughter has Dyslexia and began working with Mrs. K in 6th grade….our daughter is now finishing 7th grade. Mrs. K came highly recommended to us and as high as that praise was, she exceeded it. Before Mrs K moved, our daughter was about 3/4 of the way through the program. Whether she recognized it or not, we and her teachers could see her improving greatly (between Mrs. K and a student’s effort, it works). She went from being frustrated, insecure, and struggling to feeling confident, happy and making A’s and B’s on her own. The system works, and Mrs. K made it possible for her to hang in there despite the anxiety she came in with as well as feel safe progressing at her own pace. Probably my favorite memories were the times Mrs. K recognized when our daughter wasn’t getting something, felt frustrated when she left, then Mrs. K would contact us to let us know she’d give it more thought and find a different way to reach her next time. And she would! She didn’t want our daughter to feel stupid or hopeless (something she had already felt for years not knowing she had Dyslexia). Mrs. K cares so much! If you’re lucky enough to find an open slot in her schedule, jump on it! Good luck!”
E.B., mom
“Our daughter had been struggling academically, & we had little hope until we met Mrs. K. JoJo was like a wilted flower, drooping from the burden & weight of her struggles with reading. And slowly, over time, she started blooming and opening up, comfortable and confident again because of Barton and Mrs. K’s dedication, diligence and gentle instruction.”
S.B., parent
“Our family had the good fortune to meet Mrs. Klabunde when our son was beginning the 4th grade. Mrs. Klabunde was the go to tutor at the school where my husband was the principal and our sons attended. Our 4th grader, was not looking forward to a new school, new teacher or new friends; especially a new teacher. Our son never really looked forward to school and would tell us frankly that he hated school. This is a hard thing to process through when your dad is the principal!We knew from an early age our son had a difficult time with language and reading. He was never interested in books and we were told he would need to repeat Kindergarten because he wasn’t on level with the other students. We looked to the school to implement strategies in the classroom to help our son. Unfortunately, teachers didn’t know how to help and he fell even further behind. Our bright, clever, fun-loving and compassionate child struggled to read and struggled to accomplish classwork. He was never excited about school and didn’t want to go. He was very quiet in class and would never ask for help.By 4th grade, our son had determined he was not smart. Classmates would say he was slow and not include him in groups. We were heart broken for him. We knew he showed classic signs of Dyslexia and continually sought help from teachers. Sadly, none of his teachers understood Dyslexia or how to accommodate the dyslexic learner, let alone how to intervene and teach to the strengths of a dyslexic learner, until Mrs. K.Our son began the Barton training under Mrs. Klabunde in 4th grade and continued through the end of 6th grade. He came to the Barton training a defeated young man. Mrs. Klabunde changed that for him. Through the Barton training and the wonderful tutelage of Mrs. Klabunde our son blossomed and came to understand his ability to learn and read. He went from never volunteering in class to raising his hand and actively participating. Where he had once hated reading, he began to actually enjoy novels! Where classwork and homework had been a struggle he began to accomplish these tasks independently with success.
Our son had received tutoring early and throughout grade school with no tangible results. Mrs. Klabunde took a sad and struggling student and gave him confidence and a smile. When he was in the 5th grade I heard a student at the lunch tables tell a group of boys about the Percy Jackson book he had just finished. Upon hearing this, our son brightly exclaimed, “I loved that book!” We have Mrs. Klabunde to thank for that!
Thank you, Miss Jolene. Thank you. With great appreciation,”
B.D., parent
“Jolene is an amazing person and educator. All of her students showed amazing progress. Many of her students reached grade level in reading after just a few years of her program. She was wonderful for my son who loved her and flourished under her instruction. Not only was she a wonderful teacher, but she made all her students feel loved and empowered to overcome their educational challenges.”
J.D., principal
Mrs. K. Tutoring 