Location: Minooka, IL
Education: Masters of Science in Literacy
Years Experience Teaching: 14
Years Experience In Dyslexia: 4
Teaching Experience
I studied English Education during my undergrad at Lewis University in 2008 and taught high school after graduating. In 2010, I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in literacy education and graduated in 2013. From there, I was hired as a reading interventionist for a large district and moved into the reading specialist role a few years later. During my 10+ years as a literacy leader in public school, I worked with students from kindergarten through eighth grade. In 2020, I started training to become a CALT and officially earned certification in May 2024.
Professional Affiliations
Academic Language Therapists Association (ALTA)
National Educators Association (NEA)
Programs Trained In
I am trained in Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students with Dyslexia. This is a two-year Orton-Gillingham-based curriculum written by the staff of the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders at Scottish Rite for Children (SRC) in Dallas, Texas.
I am also certified to teach BUILD: A K-1 Early Reading Intervention. BUILD is a small group intervention that addresses five specific components of reading instruction and is developmentally appropriate for kindergarten and first-grade students struggling with reading.
Age Range You Feel Most Comfortable With:
All ages. I have worked with students at every grade level and have enjoyed all of them. At present, I am working with two students in elementary, three in middle school, and one in high school. I wear many hats!
Why did you decide to become a CALT?
A few years before I started on this journey, I worked at a public school and got a mid-year move-in student in my reading intervention class. This student was so intelligent, kind, and amazing all around, and he was also dyslexic. I learned so much about dyslexia that year, but felt ill-prepared to help dyslexic students even though I was a reading specialist. I started looking to educate myself further. The first day I started training for Take Flight, I knew I’d found my calling. I loved how clear and concise the lessons were and realized that this kind of training was what had been missing in my own education.
Favorite moment working with dyslexic students?
There have been so many, but I will share a recent one. I’ve been working with a second grader who had little confidence she’d ever be able to read. She often acted out when I asked her to do anything difficult. However, just a few days ago, she smiled at me and said, “I know all of these words now! I’m getting better!” Those moments, where you can see how proud they are of themselves, make it all worth it.
Your goal when working with kids with dyslexia?
The goals really depend on the student, but overall: to help them build their literacy skills, their confidence, and their understanding of how the brain works. I want them to enjoy the process (because it is a process!) and learn to read so that they may read to learn.
Your teaching style, personality?
I like to make learning fun. I’m not afraid to be goofy to help keep a little one’s attention (puppets that say letters/sounds, etc.). I also want to know the student as a whole person and not just as a learner. However, when it’s time to get down to business, my job is to be clear and concise, and the student’s job is to focus. We have important work to do!
Any family details?
My husband and I are raising two strong-willed daughters, ages two and eight. We also have two doggies and a hamster.
Any extra anecdotal info you want to add?
I’m a published author. Writing is a huge passion of mine; I often spend my free time entering (and sometimes winning) writing contests.
