Reading Specialist, Multi-sensory training, Montessori exp.

Holly M.

As a reading teacher, I incorporate phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and writing, but I also bring, unconditionally, to every lesson, my enthusiasm. I have been teaching in Montessori classrooms for 18 years, in areas of 3-6 year old, kindergarten, reading specialist, and art educator. I have assisted students in all grades. Reading is very much a part of all aspects of my life, and I cannot resist sharing the joy of it or helping others to attain the skills necessary in order to access that joy.
Over the course of the past 18 years, I have attended reading conferences, workshops, webinars, and online classrooms, both on my own and as part of my school. I have continued to study the science of reading. I have kept abreast of changes in best practices for successful teaching of reading skills and strategies. I am presently enrolled in an Orton-Gillingham multi-sensory program for teaching dyslexic learners, and I connect with experts in the field in any way that they are accessible.

In a Montessori classroom, phonics is the method of teaching reading in the 3-6 year old class and beyond. I spent many years focusing on the four-year-old beginning readers. I stayed with them as they progressed to emergent and then to fluent readers. I have continued my training in phonics and practice an explicit, systematic, guided approach, continuously assessing for mastery and targeting areas requiring review. I make certain that the child leaves each lesson feeling successful.

I am never finished learning and every student teaches me something new. Every student is capable of becoming a successful reader and I do not lose sight of the goal.