HELLO and WELCOME...

For thirty+ years, I have been working with children in various educational settings. I began my career as a elementary classroom teacher in California teaching K-3 physical education and 5-8 science while working on a reading endorsement.

 

From 1985-1998, I worked at Hellgate Elementary School as a Title I reading teacher for grades K-5 and as a classroom teacher in grades 2, 3, and 5. I left my teaching position to give my daughter the academic attention she needed at the time and as a result, I started up a small private K-8 school to help families whose children were experiencing learning difficulties. In order to meet the needs of the variety of ages I was instructing, I researched and built my own curriculum.

 

As my own children moved to Loyola High School, I continued to teach my other students, offered after-school writing classes to homeschooling families, and was a homebound tutor for Missoula County Public Schools. For the next several years, I taught in the Resource Room at Rattlesnake School and as a Title One teacher at Russell School in Missoula, MT. Currently I am a Resource Room teacher at Valley Christian School, with an emphasis in helping students with dyslexia.

 

Through a variety of professional experiences, I have honed my ability to inspire, guide and assist students with different learning styles. By recognizing and nurturing these unique needs, I employ a combination of kinesthetic, visual, auditory and alternative approaches so each child is given the opportunity to actively develop to their full potential. Since research in brain function indicates that children who are exposed to the arts and movement in their learning are found to excel in creative thinking, self esteem and problem solving, I try to integrate these and other multi-sensory activities into my tutoring.

 

I am certified as a Dyslexia Specialist through the Dyslexia Training Institute and Educational Specialist with Equipping Minds.