Atlanta Speech School Chief Academic Officer retires after 36 years

Atlanta Speech School Chief Academic Officer Sondra Mims has officially retired after 36 years with the school.

Mims is an American Speech—Language—Hearing Association certified speech-language pathologist with 45 years of experience, 36 of those gained at the Atlanta Speech School. Mims’ husband was hired to work for Delta after 11 years in the Air Force, so the couple packed up and moved to Atlanta. Mims was hired to teach kindergarten at Wardlaw School which was at that time called the Language, Learning Disabilities Department of the Atlanta Speech School.

“{span id=”docs-internal-guid-b5325d47-7fff-46ca-8932-8b06afc442ca”}We knew, even then, before science was so clear, that reading is a language-based skill and that some of the brightest children had the most difficulty,” Mims said. “We just didn’t know why in the beginning.”

During her time at the Speech School, Mims and the team have created the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy and the Cox Campus. The Rollins program partners with more than 100 public and private organizations to bring the Atlanta Speech School’s expertise in language and literacy to teachers, healthcare professionals and other leaders across the globe. The program provides resources and tools to adults who work with children to improve their literacy and reading skills.

“I have learned so much from every child, every staff member, every researcher, scientist and practitioner with whom I’ve engaged,” Mims said. “Our children (whether in one of our 4 Speech School schools or in an underserved community school) have taught me empathy, persistence, perseverance and determination. They inspire me to be the best SLP and educator I can be.”

Mims said the school has always strove to teach students more than decoding letters on a page. The Speech School implements research by Dr. Maryanne Wolf suggesting deep reading helps students develop their sense of self and their character.

“It is about constructing a deep reading brain that has options for how to think about one’s self and who they want to be, about the plight of others and how they might help,” Mims said. “If children don’t learn to decode and comprehend deeply in the early years, they may never be the reader they could have become and their becoming will be dependent on those around them.”

One of her favorite moments at the school was the first time a child with a cochlear implant looked up to the sky during recess as a plane flew over, Mims said.

He pointed and said, “Airplane!”

“The children keep me going,” Mims said. “They learn to read, they read deeply, they gain confidence and they are inspired through their reading to help others and they become who they are meant to be. I also love learning about the brain and the mechanisms that are in play as we read. Since our brains are not wired to read, we must create the circuits that make that possible. Not just in children who have difficulty but in all of us.”

Mims said she plans to spend her retirement traveling with her husband of 48 years and family, but will never be far away from the Atlanta Speech School.