Location: Boise, Idaho
Education: B.A. in Elementary Education K-8; MAT Dyslexia Specialist, in progress
Years Experience Teaching: 15
Years Experience In Dyslexia: 2
Teaching Experience
Most of my fifteen years as a classroom teacher have been spent in first grade. I never thought I would leave this age group because I LOVE teaching kids to read! The excitement and disbelief on a child’s face when s/he has read a word independently for the first time is priceless. After COVID, I was the reading intervention teacher and coordinator for grades K-3.
Professional Affiliations
Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA)
Programs Trained In
Take Flight
IMSE (Institute for Multi-Sensory Education)
The Writing Road to Reading (Spalding)
Age Range You Feel Most Comfortable With:
K-8
Why did you decide to become a CALT?
After COVID, I was the reading intervention teacher and coordinator for grades K-3. Professionally, I loved nothing more than teaching reading skills to a variety of age groups back-to-back all day long. This has taken me down the path to enroll in a master’s in teaching program for dyslexia specialists that also leads to CALT certification.
Favorite moment working with dyslexic students?
As a full-time classroom teacher last year, I also had dyslexia therapy sessions with an older student after school. There were many days when she must have run from her classroom to our therapy room. She would have all our Take Flight materials out and ready to go before I arrived. I loved knowing she was excited and motivated to learn.
Your goal when working with kids with dyslexia?
Part of dyslexia therapy is addressing the emotional well-being of a child who most likely has anxieties and a loss of confidence in school settings. I want my students to feel they are in a safe and inviting place during our sessions, to help them understand their dyslexia and to reestablish confidence in their reading abilities.
Your teaching style, personality?
I like to have fun with my students. Laughing relieves learning anxieties and helps to build relationships. At the same time, I do have high expectations for my students and require them to attempt their best.
