Reading Specialist in the Beach

B.Ed., OCT, Orton-Gillingham, SRSD

In-person or Online

thecottageclassroom1@gmail.com

    Is your child bright, but struggling in school?

  Challenges you may be seeing:

  • difficulty with foundational skills like decoding, phonics, and spelling

  • trouble with reading comprehension and fluency

  • difficulty getting ideas onto paper and organizing writing

  • lack of confidence and focus

I specialize in structured reading and writing intervention and executive functioning support for elementary students.

  • Ontario certified teacher (B.Ed., OCT) with 20+ years experience; Orton-Gillingham (OG) and Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) trained

  • Dyslexia/ADHD/learning differences informed practice

  • evidence-based, individualized instruction tailored to your child's needs

When reading or writing feels overwhelming, children may begin to lose confidence in themselves as learners. With the right instruction and support, meaningful progress is possible. I help students with dyslexia, ADHD, and language-based learning differences become stronger readers, writers, and independent learners through structured literacy instruction and executive functioning support.

What You Can Expect

Structured, Integrated Reading & Writing Instruction

I apply an Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach, along with Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) writing instruction, to develop strong literacy skills and independent learning. This method recognizes the interconnected nature of decoding, comprehension,    and written expression.

Executive Function Support

Strong literacy skills are closely connected to executive functioning. I integrate executive function instructional strategies to help students foster essential learning skills including planning, organizing, critical thinking, cognitive flexibility and self-regulation.

 

Empowering Learners

My programming is grounded in the latest neuroscience research that follows the science of reading, writing, and learning. Helping students to understand brain function and metacognition gives them the agency to become self-directed and strategic learners. 

Ongoing Assessment & Individualized Lessons

Through continuous assessment and observations, as well as parent consultation, I ensure that instruction is tailored to your child's specific needs. This diagnostic and prescriptive method results in personalized instruction that is child-centred and responsive.

About Me: I love learning and I love literacy! My passion for education during my 20+ years as an educator in YRDSB led me to seek out additional training, such as OG, that would help me support my students in my different roles, including teaching Empower Reading (SickKids), Special Education, and classrooms from Kindergarten to Grade 6. As both an educator and a parent, I believe in adaptive, holistic instruction based on OG principles (ortonacademy.org) and linguistic phonics that moves at the speed of the child, not a program or the system. My carefully designed lessons are individualized and responsive to the child, not scripted, and grounded in current evidence-based research and neuroscience that supports effective literacy learning and executive functioning skill development. 

Connect with The Cottage Classroom

Reading Specialist (OCT) serving the Beach, Leslieville, East Toronto

$75 per hour

Available In-person or Online:

4:00 - 7:00;  Monday to Thursday

thecottageclassroom1@gmail.com

Empowering Families Through Literacy Education and Advocacy