The Tutor Boutique

I provide 1:1 tutoring for struggling readers and spellers utilizing the Orton Gillingham-influenced Barton Reading and Spelling System Barton is the most widely accepted and research-supported tutoring system available. All Orton Gillingham tutoring sessions are conducted online, and students attend tutoring for a minimum of two sessions each week. If you are interested in Orton Gillingham tutoring services, please schedule a free 45-minute phone consultation, and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Hi! I'm Melissa, the owner and founder of The Tutor Boutique. I established The Tutor Boutique out of my desire and passion to help children with reading disabilities learn to read and spell effectively. In my 23 years as an elementary school teacher and certified reading specialist, I came across scores of children that struggled to read and spell accurately. Families would come to me asking for advice about what they could do to help their children become more confident readers and spellers. This led me to invest in over two decades of professional development and training focused on structured literacy and multisensory teaching methods. Those methods have a proven track record of helping struggling students learn to become proficient readers and spellers. As a certified reading specialist, I have undergone rigorous training in many of the top structured literacy & intervention programs. I am trained in the Orton Gillingham method through the prestigious Institute for Multisensory Education (IMSE), as well as being a dyslexia practitioner and a specialist in the Barton Reading & Spelling Program. I am also a member of The International Dyslexia Association. My goal is to provide Literacy Intervention services that are of the highest quality, to support students who learn and think differently than their peers. My greatest desire is to EDUCATE, ENCOURAGE, and EMPOWER all students so they can succeed in both the classroom and in life!

Kindergarten & 1st Grade Orton Gillingham Tutoring Kindergarten and 1st grade students-Minimum 30 minute sessions twice a week $30 per session Sessions are billed utilizing a convenient equal monthly payment system Second Grade - High School Orton Gillingham Tutoring Second grade-high school students-50 minute sessions twice a week $65 per session Sessions are billed utilizing a convenient equal monthly payment system

After graduating from high school, I attended Regis University and majored in Psychology with an emphasis in Elementary Education. I began my teaching career in the Cherry Creek School District where I taught students in grades K-5th. I was a Title Reading Specialist and I invested over two decades of professional development into learning more about structured literacy and multisensory instruction. Teaching students to read and spell is my passion! I come from a long line of teachers in my family, including my mother and father.

In my over two decades of experience, I have worked with students is in both the general education setting as well as those who have specific reading disabilities. I have extensive experience working with students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia, add/adhd, and autism. My passion is working with students who struggle to read and spell effectively due to a learning disability.

I feel fortunate to work with every single one of my students, both current and past. I'm excited to see the growth they make as they progress from struggling readers and spellers, into children who have confidence in their abilities to attack unknown words. To see their faces light up when they read or spell a word correctly, is my greatest joy! One of my fondest memories surrounds a young student who came to me needing to learn how to decode larger words more effectively and then ended up being promoted to the Honors Language Arts Class in middles school. Here are her words about her tutoring experience with me: "My biggest struggle in school was reading words fluently which made understanding stories really hard for me. I started tutoring lessons with Mrs. Melissa, online, twice a week for about a year. She taught me funny spelling rules and games, and even helped me put together a notebook that I could take to school and use. She was also very encouraging and worked at my own pace until I understood the lesson! About a week before my fifth-grade graduation I got a letter from the school saying I had gotten into the sixth-grade Advanced English class. Had Mrs. Melissa not pushed me, I would not have the confidence or skills needed to be successful in this class! -Audrey W. (student)

When parents begin to look into tutoring for their child who has a diagnosed reading disability, like dyslexia, it is extremely important that parents know they need a highly skilled reading specialist. Allowing their child to meet with a tutor who will only provide help with homework, or one that does not have extensive experience and/or training in the top research-based reading techniques PROVEN to help those with learning disabilities, will only lead to their child falling further behind. In order for students with learning disabilities to make progress, they need more time, more intensity, and the right type of intervention to help them close the skills gap. Tutoring for them is not a quick fix. It is a marathon, not a sprint.

If you know or suspect that your child has a learning disability, keep these questions in mind before hiring a tutor and if at all possible, call the tutor to speak to them directly. Discussing your concerns over the phone or through a Zoom call is much more effective than through email, text, or by simply reading a tutor's profile online. Questions to consider: 1)Describe your background and training 2)Do they specialize in working with children who have diagnosed reading disabilities like dyslexia 3)Do they use an Orton Gillingham based system to teach students 4)Which Orton Gillingham based system do they use 5)Do they spend any sessions focused on helping with homework, or do they only spend each session teaching the child to read and spell 6)How will they interact with my child's school 7)How many sessions per week do you recommend (twice a week is a MINIMUM for children with diagnosed reading disabilities) 8)Can you provide names and emails of other parents they've worked with who can provide testimonials about their services