Location: Waxahachie, TX
Education: CALT
Years Experience Teaching: 32
Years Experience In Dyslexia: 10
Teaching Experience
Middle School Resource and U.S. History Teacher – 1 year
Elementary Computer Teacher – 8 years
School District’s Technology Dept. – 4 years
High School BCIS Teacher – 2 years
2nd Grade Teacher – 7 years
Dyslexia – 10 years
Professional Affiliations
Academic Language Therapist Association
Programs Trained In
Take Flight
MTA
Age Range You Feel Most Comfortable With:
I’ve mostly worked with 2nd – 5th graders, but love older students as well.
Why did you decide to become a CALT?
I have a good friend who is a dyslexia therapist that encouraged me to do the same. She knew that as a 2nd grade teacher I loved working with small reading groups and that I was always excited when my dyslexic students made progress.
Favorite moment working with dyslexic students?
One of my favorite moments of working with dyslexic students is when I realized that one of my sweet little girls, though she greatly struggled to read, really loved books! When she had started Take Flight, she could hardly read any of the instant words, but she tried her best, despite many obstacles. I had some ‘easy’ books in my class and would let students take one home to read and then bring it back to exchange for another one. Not many students would use the books. If they did, they might do it a few times, and that was it. But this little girl was different. She took a new book home after each class and would bring it back the next day. I think she was so excited about the books because she had none of her own at home. She would tell me about what she was reading and was so happy. By the end of the year, her reading level had greatly improved.
Your goal when working with kids with dyslexia?
I want my students to become more confident readers so that they can have a love of reading.
Your teaching style, personality?
Positive
Has high expectations
Structured, yet flexible
Sticks to lesson, but cares about the whole student
Any family details?
My husband Kevin and I have been married 30 years. Our son, Reed, is 23 and our daughter, Claire, is 20. We also have a 14 year old Australian Shepherd/Border Collie named Pepper. We love day trips in Texas, hiking in the Rocky Mountains, and serving our Lord in the local church.
