His personal experience alerted him to the insensitivity of some teachers. After asking a student, diagnosed with dyslexia, to write a composition on "his dog", he read, corrected and wrote comments on the paper, returning it to the student the next day. He proceeded to inform the student of his accomplishments and failures, but the student became teary eyed and upset. Mr. Lavoie asked the student what was wrong and the student explained that he spent extra time on proof reading his story. Mr. Lavoie, admittedly, realized that by using patronizing comments to the student, only frustrated and angered him.