Location: Prosper, Texas
Education: New York University, Master of Arts in Educational Leadership; New York University, Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood and Elementary Education & Special Education
Years Experience Teaching: 16
Years Experience In Dyslexia: 7
Teaching Experience
I have taught in urban, suburban and rural public school settings from grades Kindergarten through 8th grade. I began my teaching career as a Kindergarten teacher in Brooklyn, NY and then taught Kindergarten in a suburb just outside of New York City until we had our children. When my babies were of school age, I went back to work in Upstate NY as a Specialized Reading Instruction teacher; and THIS is when I fell in love with Dyslexia. I realized that the reason I loved teaching Kindergarten all those years is because I loved teaching kids how to READ! We moved to Texas in 2019, intentionally landing in the DFW area near Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children so that I could pursue becoming a CALT. I am currently a Dyslexia Therapist with a local ISD, teaching in both elementary and middle schools.
Professional Affiliations
Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA): Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT)
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR): Licensed Dyslexia Therapist (LDT)
Programs Trained In
Take Flight, Wilson Reading System, BUILD
Age Range You Feel Most Comfortable With:
3rd grade to Adult
Why did you decide to become a CALT?
I once sat in on an IEP meeting in another state where I witnessed a committee member stating to the parents of a struggling reader, “It sounds like your child has dyslexia… it really does.” And that was it. Nothing more. I sat there with my jaw dropped, thinking, “How can they say that and not do anything about it for this child?!” It was then that I pursued training in the Wilson Reading System, and began using that program in small group settings with my most struggling readers. I fell in love with teaching reading in an explicit, systematic manner as I watched kids make connections and apply their learning outside of the classroom setting. When we moved to Texas, I became a CALT in order to continue my journey of supporting students with dyslexia.
Favorite moment working with dyslexic students?
Laughter tends to break down the walls of insecurity and increases people’s willingness to give hard things a try. I taught for years at a school that housed a special program for kids with behavior needs and quite a few of my dyslexic students were in this program. One day I was being especially dramatic to teach a particularly tricky concept, and a student who was having a very hard day suddenly busted out with a big grin and said, “Man, I love this class.” SUCCESS!
Your goal when working with kids with dyslexia?
Just because something is hard, doesn’t mean it has to be boring. One of the greatest compliments I have received is that when kids leave my sessions, they leave smiling. They have worked through their struggles with my support and leave each session feeling more confident and capable than when they walked in. Confidence leads to success, success leads to joy, and joy leads to an intrinsic desire to keep trying, no matter how difficult the task. This is the backbone of how I teach.
Your teaching style, personality?
I began college as a Musical Theatre major, and I am not shy. My teaching style engages learners through humor and fun, while maintaining the fidelity of the program that I teach. Reading is one of the greatest joys in my life, and I teach with a style that demonstrates to kids that learning to read is not a snooze fest – in fact, it’s TOTALLY AWESOME!
Any family details?
I live with my husband of 17 years, our two very active teenage children, and two rescue cats named after Star Wars characters, Finn and Rey.
