The following piece is written by a young client, Ben, who humbled me as his subject for an IEW school interview assignment. I was taken aback and in tears when I read it, and I am so proud of him. Ben is a bright, kind, and compassionate person. He has incorporated the IEW techniques, and his writing flows well, is humorous and interesting — even if I am the subject. Thank you, Ben, for this wonderfully complimentary work and for choosing to interview me.

The Wonderful Kristi Davis

by Ben Hoff

Have you ever met someone who, over time, becomes almost like part of your family? I have met that person. Her name is Kristi Davis and she is my Barton tutor. I chose to interview Ms. Kristi because I thought she’d be interesting to write about. I had a fun time interviewing her and even though I’ve known her for over two years, there were many things about her that I didn’t know. I’ve chosen to write about her childhood in West Virginia, her life after high school and her ongoing tutoring career. I hope you enjoy learning about Ms. Kristi’s life.

[1]Kristi Sue Staats was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Kristi, who is the youngest of six, enjoyed being the youngest, although it meant she was very often tormented by her older siblings. [6]Poor little Kristi! [2]In her household there was much laughter, jokes and pranks. [3]Surprisingly, even her mother would join in on the fun! In Kristi’s free time she truly enjoyed reading and her favorites were Nancy Drew books and Pippy Longstocking. [5]As she grew older, she still adored mystery books and she read Sherlock Holmes and many works by Agatha Christie, her favorite being “Curtain”. Kristi went to public school, but she wishes she could have been homeschooled. [4]Growing up in West Virginia, Kristi has countless memories with many smiles and a lot of love.

[1]Kristi has had the opportunity to work in many different types of jobs. [2]After graduating a year early from high school, Kristi went to a local community college. [5]While she didn’t earn a degree, she was blessed with wonderful opportunities for on-the-job training. She did IT work for an engineering company working on the server, which managed the drawings and the drafting software. She worked as a draftsman for DuPont and did scheduling for the engineers and IT. But her ideal job was working for an expert witness for construction and engineering litigation. It was like detective work. [6]She absolutely loved i t! In 1995 she moved to Wilmington, Delaware. [4]Marrying Bob, she became Kristi Davis. Although she misses her family in West Virginia, there are many neat opportunities like museums and the beach. [3]Ultimately, her best-loved job of all was being a mother to her two daughters.

[1]Kristi started on a new path when she began homeschooling her youngest daughter, Rose. Kristi said, “I homeschooled her, but she educated me in so many ways.” Rose, who has dyslexia, struggled with reading and spelling. [5]Although Kristi and Rose tried many different phonics programs at home, none of them worked out. Then they tried the Barton Reading and Spelling System, and Rose benefited greatly from this type of l earning. [2]After seeing the wonderful benefits of the Barton program, Kristi decided to become a Barton tutor. In 2009, Rose became Kristi’s first tutoring student. Kristi said that Barton wasn’t hard to learn, but Rose“got the worse tutoring.” [4]Tutoring many more students over the years, Kristi has become very well-educated in the method of Barton. [3]Thankfully, Kristi became my tutor in 2018 and I have l earned a lot since then. It has been extremely helpful for my dyslexia in the areas of spelling and reading. I’m very grateful that Ms. Kristi chose that new career path because she has helped me and so many others with dyslexia.

Kristi Davis’s childhood, her different careers, being a mother and wife, becoming a Barton tutor - all of these have added up to who she is today. I feel blessed to know her and to be taught by her. Before I started my tutoring journey, I often felt discouraged by my dyslexia, but now with Ms. Kristi’s help, I am growing more confident. She has helped me to see my strengths even though I’m dyslexic. I hope that this report has helped you to see what a wonderful person Ms. Kristi is.