Location: Murphy, TX
Education: B.S. Ed.; CALT
Years Experience Teaching: 22
Years Experience In Dyslexia: 5
Teaching Experience
My passion and purpose has always been in education. As far back as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a teacher! As a child I would even come home from school and play school. I graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in Education with an “Early Childhood Emphasis.” I’ve always loved “the littles!” The majority of my career has been in early education teaching ESL pre-k and kindergarten. I took a break in my teaching career to be a stay-at-home mom for 9 years. After that, I did substitute teaching in grades K-5 for four years; then, I taught kindergarten. This is my fifth year as a dyslexia therapist.
Professional Affiliations
ALTA- Academic Language Therapy Association
ATPE- Association of Texas Professional Educators
TEA- Texas Education Agency; current Certified Teacher
Programs Trained In
Take Flight
Build
Age Range You Feel Most Comfortable With:
All ages.
Why did you decide to become a CALT?
I have always been an avid reader. As a student, reading just came naturally to me; but as an educator, I saw that was not the case for all children. College did not prepare me how to explicitly teach my students to read. Self-study, research, and trial and error helped a little but I always had a few students that baffled me. No matter what I tried, they struggled to learn to read. Five years ago I was offered a position as a dyslexia therapist and was given the opportunity to study and learn about the science of reading. It was during this time that I realized my own 20 yr. old daughter was an undiagnosed dyslexic. My goal ever since has been to help struggling readers see their potential and to give them the tools and strategies they need to BE and to FEEL successful. Today, my daughter is a first grade teacher. She now understands why she struggles to spell and even jokes about it with her students.
Favorite moment working with dyslexic students?
I have two favorite moments when working with my dyslexic students. The first moment is the look on their faces when they begin to understand what dyslexia is and they realize they are not “dumb.” My second favorite moment is when I see the proud look on their faces after beating their time in rate (timed reading aloud).
Your goal when working with kids with dyslexia?
My goal when working with kids with dyslexia is to meet them where they are at in their reading journey and build onto that. Most of my dyslexic students feel so defeated by the time they come to me; they don’t think it’s possible to read. They feel shame and embarrassed. I like to build relationships with my students where they feel safe taking risks and eventually find a love for reading.
Your teaching style, personality?
I think it’s important to create an atmosphere that feels safe and nurturing so that my students will feel comfortable taking risks and making mistakes. I think it’s important to make learning fun.
Any family details?
My husband and I have been married 28 years. We have two adult children- a son and a daughter. We enjoy getting together for barbecues, pool days, and games. I lead two life groups at my church and enjoy reading, knitting, gardening, biking, walking, camping, or anything outdoors!
Any extra anecdotal info you want to add?
“When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.”
Alexander Den Heijer
