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Literacy Specialist and General Childhood Educator
David D.

4 hours tutoring

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Hourly Rate: $60

About David


Bio

I am a certified teacher and literacy specialist with over ten years of experience supporting students from kindergarten through high school. I hold a Master’s degree in Childhood Education and Literacy from Bank Street College of Education, along with teaching certifications in General Education and Literacy. My instructional approach is grounded in evidence-based, structured literacy practices, including Orton-Gillingham–informed instruction, to help students build strong decoding, fluency,...

I am a certified teacher and literacy specialist with over ten years of experience supporting students from kindergarten through high school. I hold a Master’s degree in Childhood Education and Literacy from Bank Street College of Education, along with teaching certifications in General Education and Literacy. My instructional approach is grounded in evidence-based, structured literacy practices, including Orton-Gillingham–informed instruction, to help students build strong decoding, fluency, and comprehension skills.

I have taught in classroom, small-group, and one-on-one settings, working with a wide range of learners, including students who struggle with reading and writing. As a literacy specialist and elementary educator, I designed individualized, data-driven lessons that addressed each student’s specific needs while building confidence and independence. My tutoring experience includes supporting K–12 students through personalized instruction focused on clear explanations, consistent practice, and meaningful progress.

Alongside my direct teaching work, I have extensive experience developing curriculum, assessments, and digital learning tools used in schools nationwide. This allows me to bring research-backed strategies and engaging materials into every tutoring session. I believe students learn best when instruction is structured, supportive, and responsive, and I strive to create a positive environment where students feel capable, motivated, and successful.


Education

Syracuse University
Psychology
Bank Street College of Education
Masters
Bank Street College of Education
MEd

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Approved Subjects

Dyslexia

Dyslexia

Currently, The International Dyslexia Association defines Dyslexia as “a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension, and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.” In obtaining my Masters degree in Literacy, I have dealt with many students struggling with Dyslexia. In working as a literacy specialist in several environments (including but not limited to public, private, and charter schools as well as one-on-one clinical consulting), I have been trained in many intervention techniques including but not limited to the Orton-Gillingham approach to literacy instruction. I have seen much success using these multisensory techniques. More often than not the students' comprehension suffers due to the cognitive energy they spend on decoding. Just like any reading instruction, it is most important especially for these students to experience the feeling of success in order to improve in the future.
Elementary (K-6th)

Elementary (K-6th)

General Childhood Education K-6 includes all subjects with which a student will be tasked during these ages/grades, and will also set the foundation for future studies. In Literacy this includes mainly decoding and comprehension. In Math this involves learning many strategies that will create efficiency for subjects such as Algebra and Calculus. The goal is to create a solid foundation that will inform middle and high school subjects. Other subjects included are Science on a more conceptual level and Social Studies, which is a precursor to History. It is important for a student to learn in relation to the world around them in order to function in it properly. I have worked with students K-6 in public, private, and charter schools. I have also worked in clinical settings and as an educational consultant. Before education, I worked for many years in childcare and have a great amount of experience in evaluating all types children, both educationally and emotionally. I find it best to make the material applicable to the students in order for them to make a connection to his/her life and surrounding world. I take a "whole child" progressive approach since every student learns differently and certain methods work better for some than others.
Phonics

Phonics

Phonics is a method of teaching beginners to read and pronounce words by learning to associate letters or letter groups with the sounds they represent. In obtaining my Masters degree in Literacy, I have found great success using a phonetic approach to literacy instruction, more specifically the Orton-Gillingham method. In working as a literacy specialist in several environments (including but not limited to public, private, and charter schools as well as one-on-one clinical consulting), I have been trained in many intervention techniques. I find phonetics to be the most effective because it deals with the letter-sound relationship on a conceptual level first. This lends itself to both bottom up and top down approaches depending on the type of learner the student is.
Elementary Math
Elementary Science
English
Grammar
Literature
Proofreading
Reading
Spelling
Vocabulary
Writing
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Hourly Rate: $60
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