K-3

I retired in 2024 after 32 years as an elementary public school teacher and have spent the past two years teaching 2nd and 3rd grade at Denver Academy, a school dedicated to supporting neurodiverse learners.

My extensive training includes the Science of Reading, Executive Functioning, ADHD, Dyslexia, twice-exceptional learners, and more. I am Orton-Gillingham certified; however, my true passion is Structured Word Inquiry (SWI)—an approach that shows English is not irregular, as many of us were taught, but instead is grounded in meaning and structure.

While I incorporate Orton-Gillingham instruction, I also help students understand why words are spelled the way they are. In addition, I use The High Frequency Word Project, a program that teaches the meaning and spelling of the top 130 most frequently used words in the English language. These words account for nearly half of the words we read and write. Students with reading difficulties often struggle to memorize them; however, by explicitly teaching their meaning, structure, and spelling—and through consistent practice—students develop automaticity in reading and writing these words. This frees up cognitive space, allowing them to focus on learning more complex vocabulary and concepts.

My goal is to empower students with confidence, curiosity, and a meaningful understanding of language.