dyslexia
Over the course of my professional career I have worked with various student populations in a variety of educational settings. Those experiences have helped shape my philosophy of education, which centers on the notion that the classroom should be a secure, caring, and stimulating learning environment in which each student is given the chance to grow emotionally, intellectually, and socially.
My most recent teaching position was with The Kildonan School, a private boarding school that empowers students with language-based learning differences, specifically dyslexia. At Kildonan, I taught two section of World History and tutored three Middle School students in daily one-on-one Orton-Gillingham Language Training sessions. The Orton-Gillingham Approach is diagnostic and prescriptive, allowing the teacher the flexibility to design lessons appropriate to the learning style of each individual student. I have completed the 80 Orton-Gillingham Associate level course, completed numerous hours of professional develop with Orton-Gillingham fellows at The Kildonan Teacher Training Institute, and worked as a full time tutor for two years.
Tutoring sessions consist of daily instruction in handwriting, phonics, spelling, expository writing, and oral reading. At Kildonan, Language Training and subject matter instruction are closely related. The multisensory methods employed in tutoring are transferred to the subject matter classroom. Visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile presentations supplement traditional instructional techniques.