Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Haggard.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My background is in education. I have a B.A. in Special Education and an M.Ed in Reading. I’ve taught in a variety of areas, from high school Spanish to college English. We’ve lived in Granbury for 12 years and about 11 years ago, I was asked by a friend at church if I could teach him to read better. He has dyslexia and had never had the help he needed to read proficiently. I agreed and began searching for materials for adults with dyslexia. That led me to the Barton Reading and Spelling System and it was exactly what he needed. We worked together for nearly 3 years and he did advance to a proficient level of reading and writing. Meanwhile, it became apparent that there are so many students with dyslexia that just need more intense one-on-one help than most schools are able to provide. I began taking private students and the need quickly outgrew my dining room table. In March of 2017, we opened the Literacy Consulting Specialties’ office in Granbury. Within a few months I hired several other teachers as we continued to grow. Over the years, we’ve added educational therapy services and a program called Equipping Minds, which strengthens weak areas that students with learning differences are especially prone to, like working memory, cognitive flexibility and processing speed. I have an amazing staff who now take care of our students’ needs, while I focus on running the business. In the past few years, we’ve also begun working with adults who have executive function struggles. Earlier this year, my husband and I started a new company that provides education on executive function through live workshops and conferences, online courses, and team training. TheraTech Learning is the name of our new company. TheraTech Learning really grew from my work as an educational therapist with our LCS clients. We’re really excited about helping more people in a broader way.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Well, first of all, I had no business background, whatsoever. I had to learn it all, from bookkeeping, to invoicing, hiring processes, contracts, taxes… everything, mostly on my own. The best lessons usually come from making mistakes and corrections. I’ve made plenty of mistakes. But my clients are gracious when I invoice an incorrect amount. My teaching staff is patient when I forget to check and replenish supplies. And the kids are always ready with a hug or a high five when they see me in the office. It makes it all worth it. And it’s especially worth it when parents report that their child, who has struggled so much with reading, is now reading better than their classmates.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
One area we specialize in is dyslexia evaluations and intervention. Our dyslexia students come twice a week for one-on-one tutoring sessions. Our program is year-round and most of our students are with us for several years. We offer both in-person and online dyslexia tutoring.
We also have a cognitive therapy program called Equipping Minds. Equipping Minds addresses underlying weaknesses in working memory, processing speed, cognitive flexibility and other executive functions. This is typically a 12+ week, very intense program. In spite of its intensity, students love it because it’s game-based. Equipping Minds is also helpful for older adults with executive function struggles, due to the aging process or even brain injury. Our oldest student to date was 80 years old. We’ve also offered a light variation of this program at our senior center here in Granbury.
We are the only after-school learning center in Granbury that offers dyslexia intervention and cognitive therapy. We have become known in Granbury for getting results, even when students have tried other types of tutoring.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Optimism… My family has always called me the ultimate optimist. I see potential where others see obstacles. My amazing staff all share this same viewpoint.
When you walk in the door of our front office, there is a sign on the counter that simply says, “Hope”. When someone hears that I’m a small business owner and asks what we sell, I say, “Hope… we sell Hope.” Often when parents contact me, they are at the end of their rope trying to find hope for their struggling child. We offer a lifeline to a better future.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.literacyconsultingspecialties.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552870017020
Image Credits
Headshot of Karen Haggard credited to Daniel Piatt, Photographer
