Case study B - Samantha

Observations and information gained from the general intake

• A 24-year old female who just enrolled into the LBS program at a local college to work towards her ECE certification.
• She left school at 16 due to pregnancy - her son is now 7 and attending Grade 1.
• Samantha is highly motivated and is ready to make this step, although she is nervous since her previous school experience was not positive.
• She has a good support system - her grandmother provides daycare when needed.
• Samantha indicates she struggled throughout elementary and high school with her reading skills and often disrupted the class during quiet time when they were required to read.
• She took basic courses during her short time at high school and remembers being sent to a small group for extra help in reading during elementary school.
• Her rebellious behaviour began to interfere with her academics in Grade 7. Samantha's parents went through a difficult divorce at that time and limited attention was focused on her.
• She reports no medical history that would interfere with her learning and has had her eyes checked in the past 8 months.
• During her upbringing, Samantha recalls her mother always reinforced the need for her to do well in school and get a college degree, so that Samantha would not wind up like her mother.
• Samantha's mother worked as a cashier in a grocery store and currently is working at a major department store. Although her mother has average reading abilities, Samantha knows that her mother avoids reading when possible.
• Samantha hasn't seen her father since her parents' divorce and believes he did get his Grade 12 diploma. He was a mechanic.