I used to struggle in school with C and D grades. Then a high school teacher influenced this deficit by showing me areas of learning where I was already strong. She helped me make little corrections mostly by her role model of listening, of caring, and of valuing me as a person. In one year, all my grades rose to As and Bs. It was because of her that I later became passionate about teaching.
I went on to teach middle and high school English and Speech, grades 7-12, for 12 years. In between, I raised three children of my own. I later helped adults and children with learning challenges such as dyslexia, ADHD, and ESL for 8 years. Then, as a reading and writing specialist, I worked with small groups, K-6. I later studied to became a family therapist because I love to help kids and adults move past learning blocks in school and in life.
I am passionate about helping students see their own strengths. I like to help them work past even small barriers to their own learning during a tutoring session. These barriers can be mental, emotional, or social. Besides active listening and modeling, my methods are based on 'Slingerland', meaning students learn to use all their brain sensory input at once in letter and word recognition. This can be applied to spelling, writing and reading comprehension.
After completing a B.A. in English/Communications with a teaching certificate from the University of WA, I earned an M.A. in Counseling/Psychology from City University of Seattle. As a counselor, I helped to improve family and work relationships. For other kinds of fun, I like to ride my bike, read, cook, lift weights, and be with my family. As well, I love fishing, snowshoeing, and hiking in our beautiful mountains.