Location: Frisco, Texas
Education: Bachelors of Arts in Psychology, K-8 Education Certification
Years Experience Teaching: 27
Years Experience In Dyslexia: 7
Teaching Experience
As a classroom teacher, I’ve taught first and second grade. As a dyslexia therapist, I’ve taught first grade through eighth grade.
Professional Affiliations
ALTA – Texas
Programs Trained In
Take Flight
Build
Age Range You Feel Most Comfortable With:
Elementary and middle school
Why did you decide to become a CALT?
While teaching first and second grade for over 20 years, I encountered many students who struggled to read, and it was heartbreaking. I would provide the recommended interventions in the classroom, but knew that they needed more than I knew how to give. I would seek out evaluations for these students, who would most often be identified with dyslexia. That was the driving force behind my becoming a CALT. With the understanding that I now have about dyslexia, I have been blessed to be a part of watching so many kiddos blossom as readers, increase their self-esteem, and realize their potential. It truly is my dream job!
Favorite moment working with dyslexic students?
There are so many favorite moments, but one that stands out is working with a first grader, who was essentially a non-reader. He knew a few sight words and most of his letters and their sounds, but wasn’t able to decode even basic consonant-vowel-consonant words. At first, he was quiet and hesitant to attempt tasks during our sessions. But after a month or so, he came into class and started “reading the room”. He was literally scanning the walls and reading all of the words that had the patterns that we had worked on up to that point. His face lit up with each word that he read. He wasn’t discouraged at all by words that he couldn’t read yet. After that, his quiet and hesitant nature was replaced with a zest for learning more!
Your goal when working with kids with dyslexia?
My ultimate goal is to support students in becoming self-confident individuals, with the skills that they need to overcome their challenges, so that they become life-long learners who realize their potential.
Your teaching style, personality?
I am compassionate and nurturing with my students. My focus is on the whole child, including strengths, struggles, interests, learning styles, and personalities to individualize our sessions together, while still following the curriculum with fidelity. I strive to build strong relationships with students, and I want them to feel valued. I use student progress monitors and observations to guide our reviews and determine if there is a need for reteaching a concept. I utilize procedural routines so that students know what to expect and can devote their focus to the new concepts rather than trying to remember what step comes next.
