About Me
I attended high school in San Juan Unified District, college at American River College, and Sacramento State University for my undergraduate work. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1988. I meet my husband in 1990, an Air Force pilot. We left Sacramento to live all over the United States and the world: Morocco, Ukraine, England, Alaska, Idaho, South and North Carolina, and Texas. We have four children. While living in Ukraine (2009-2012), my children attended, and I worked at a missionary kids school in Kiev. During our time in Kiev, I worked as an ESL instructor, writing mentor, and Resource Room Coordinator, helping students close the gap in an otherwise advanced student body. Primarily from homeschooling my own children and working with other home school and public school children in areas of frustration, I have gained years of instructional experience. In the past 25 years, I have taught co-op classes in writing, literature, and study skills worked in DoDEA Europe, held positions as a Chapel Education Coordinator, Children's Church Director, and Middle School Intern. I finished my Masters in Education in 2012 from Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA, the same year we returned to the Sacramento area. I formally served on the Board of Directors for Dyslexia Alliance, a non-profit group serving the greater Sacramento area in resources, education, and advocacy. I am listed in the local and national directories of the International Dyslexia Association and a Board Certified Member of Association for Educational Therapists.
Education and Certifications
- Master of Education, Regent University, VA
- Board Certified Educational Therapist #10237, Association of Educational Therapist
- Certified Barton Tutor at the Masters Level
Professional Memberships
Professional Member of International Dyslexia Association
Skills
I am trained and experienced in multiple Orton Gillingham programs as well as experience in administering a variety of assessments, screening tools, and reading inventories, spanning grades K – adult. I have over well over 5,000 hours of tutoring dyslexic students one-to-one in reading, spelling, and writing. In regards to assessments, my experience in interpreting the results spans from more than 16 years of personal observation and study as well as academic courses and practicums, dyslexia training, and mentors. I have extensive experience in writing IEPs and assessment reports, coupled with expertise in methodology and instruction.
Training
- Trained in Wilson Reading System
- Trained in Lindamood Bell's Phonemic Sequencing (LiPS) and Visualizing and Verbalizing
- Completion training certificates in the following courses from Dyslexia Training institute in San Diego: Dyslexia In-Depth Course: What is Dyslexia?, Reading Comprehension Course, and Overview of the Orton-Gillingham Approach
- Completed training course in Making Math Real: The 9 Lines Intensive
- Trained in Slingerland Screening Tests for Identifying Children and Adults with Specific Language Disability
- Passed the Certification Examination for Effective Reading Instruction (CEERI)
Relevant Graduate Course Work
Advanced Educational Assessments
Assessing and Teaching Reading
Assessments for Educational Therapists: Practicum
Reading Assessment and Instruction: Practicum
Language Acquisition
Philosophy and Issues in Education
Principles of Educational Therapy
Psychology of Human Learning
Methodologies of Instruction
Multicultural Education
Techniques of Educational Therapy
Technology in Education
Understanding Learning Differences
Assessing and Teaching Reading
Assessments for Educational Therapists: Practicum
Reading Assessment and Instruction: Practicum
Language Acquisition
Philosophy and Issues in Education
Principles of Educational Therapy
Psychology of Human Learning
Methodologies of Instruction
Multicultural Education
Techniques of Educational Therapy
Technology in Education
Understanding Learning Differences
Conferences and Workshops
- Association of Educational Therapist (AET) San Francisco Workshops
- Reading, Writing and Learning in the Modern World, Dean Philips (2020)
- Slow Processing Speed and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo, Dr. Ellen Braaten (2018)
- Executive Functioning, Dr. G. McCloskey (2107)
- New Frontiers for ADHD, Dr. Stephen Hinshaw (2106)
- Association of Educational Therapists (AET) Annual Conferences:
- Virtual (2020) - The New Normal: Supporting our Clients and Ourselves
- San Francisco, CA (2019) - Motivation and Mindsets: Shaping Attitudes and Instruction
- San Francisco, CA (2016) - Cultivating Wisdom While Embracing Change
- International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Annual Conference, Dallas, TX (2015) - Reading, Literacy & Learning Conference
Speaking Engagements/Presentations
- Dyslexia/Language Struggles, 2019, South Sutter Charter School Family Conference
- Created in God's Image: Supporting the struggling learner, 2019, Cornerstone Christian School
- Dyslexia, 2017, Sacramento County Department of Education
- Introduction to Dyslexia, 2017, Department of Motor Vehicles headquarters in Sacramento
- Strategies and Curriculum, 2017, Roseville City School District
