A student’s triumph over dyslexia
Master's graduate knew her destiny was to become a transformative teacher

By Carla Cantor

A decade ago, Laura Boss wouldn’t have dared to dream for a career as a teacher. For her entire academic life she struggled with dyslexia, a learning disability that made it difficult to read fluently and express herself through writing.

During high school, Boss often felt discouraged and frustrated by her poor academic performance. But despite her struggles, deep down, she says, “I knew I was as smart as the top students in my class.”

Boss was wise to listen to her inner muse. This month the 28-year-old received her master’s degree from Rutgers’ Graduate School of Education, completing the program with a GPA of 3.9.

Boss is proud of her accomplishments and grateful to a few patient teachers along the way who recognized her intellectual capabilities and took the time to understand how she learned best.

Her third grade teacher, Mrs. Sury, whom she still sees on occasion, put in extra time, coming to Boss’s home in Somerset after school to work with her. She introduced Boss to visual and auditory aides, such as videotapes and Books on Tape®, conveyed an important message: that although Boss learned differently than some of the other students, she was just as capable of fulfilling her intellectual potential.

“She took the time to get to know me and to know what made me tick,” Boss says. “She made me aware that I’d have to try really hard, but I could do it.”

Academic success did not come overnight, however. Boss attended Sienna College, where she struggled but made strides. “I slowly developed as a writer and figured out how to read through large amounts of literature,” she says.

After graduating, Boss was employed as an instructional aide, andat one job assisted with a group of children who had severe disabilities. Her work with a boy with autism in the process of being mainstreamed into high school had a huge influence on Boss’s attitudes about the environment in which children learn best.

“We worked closely with his teachers and parents to help him find his way in high school, academically and socially,” Boss says. “I saw what could be accomplished by taking a holistic approach, focusing on the whole child.”

Once she discovered the joy of deeply connecting with children and helping to make them whole, she knew her destiny was to become a transformative teacher.

“As a teacher I want to support children and motivate them to want to succeed,” says Boss, who is presently looking for a position in elementary education. “I hope to show my students that, like me, they can wish upon any star.”