About Me
A Personal Journey
Hi! I'm Jill, a Dyslexia Practitioner living in Duluth, Minnesota, the "zenith city of the unsalted seas".
The results of structured, multi-sensory reading, spelling, and writing instruction in my own family has been transformational.
As a homeschool parent with an Elementary Education teaching license, I was baffled when my own children struggled to catch on to reading. Early on, my son was frustrated with reading, and I was unable to draw on anything from my previous teacher training to help him. This led me to pursue testing to see if he had dyslexia. After being identified as having dyslexia, I sought out ways to help him and was lucky to find a Children’s Dyslexia Center close to me that tutors children with dyslexia, and also trains tutors in a rigorous Orton-Gillingham-based program. I enrolled myself in their tutor training program, and my son received tutoring as my practicum student. My (then 4th-grade) son went from reading far below grade level and never picking up a book because it was too frustrating, to reading and spelling at a middle/high school level in just a year and a half. He now reads chapter books for fun and often begs to keep the light on to read more before bedtime.
My daughter also receives individualized tutoring with me and is now able to confidently read short chapter books.
I am currently a Certified Dyslexia Practitioner and am also pursuing advanced certification training (Certified Dyslexia Practitioner 2). I am extending my services as a tutor knowing that it can change a child’s life to become a skilled reader. I am able to help students of all ages with reading difficulties and give parents the encouragement and resources they need to help their children succeed!
Who is tutoring for?
Students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia or whose parents suspect they have dyslexia benefit from structured, multi-sensory, individualized tutoring. However, the same methods used to help a child with dyslexia learn are also effective with any child who struggles with reading, spelling, or writing.
When should I pursue tutoring for my child?
Research indicates that early intervention is most effective, but the best time to seek intervention is now. If you “just know” something is not right with how your child is progressing in reading, spelling, or writing, don’t let others convince you that the “wait and see” approach is the best you can do. The Structured Literacy approach can help students become better readers at any age; however, the gap can take more effort to close as students get older. I work with students from 1st grade up through High School.
I would love to help your learner!
I am a Certified Dyslexia Practitioner with a B.S. in Elementary Education. I have worked with, and am currently working with, children who have co-occurring conditions such as ADHD, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. Like my own, children can become successful, confident readers when given the right tools.
I love spending time outside camping, hiking, gardening, trail running, or visiting National Parks. There is usually a knitting project in the works during the winter, and I love to create nourishing, tasty food for my family. And, of course, I love to dive into a good book.
