Meet Nyah  

Note. Word stock image.

Nyah  is nine years old and in the third grade at a small public school in a low-income area. Nyah’s school has a minority enrollment of 37% of the student body, with the majority Native American. Nyah is of Native American descent and lives with her maternal grandmother and sister. Nyah’s mother passed away one year ago from COVID. Her father has had no contact with Nyah since birth.

Nyah attends school every day and enjoys time with her peers. She loves crafts and playing games with her friends, especially chess, which is her grandmother’s favorite game. However, she struggles with reading. Teachers comment on Nyah’s anxiety level when it is time to read in class. She will begin to fidget in her seat, ask to go to the bathroom, or begin to cry. Reading tasks cause her a great deal of stress and bring her to tears. She excels in math, but reading and spelling seem out of her grasp. This year is Nyah’s first year in a new school. She continues to struggle, and an assessment shows that her reading level is below that of her peers. New strategies have been tried to help her with spelling and reading. Some progress has been made. Nyah is being tested for a learning disability.