I came to teaching, very much as a vocation, later in life. I had taken a career break to raise my three boys, all of whom are dyslexic. I had already worked in hospitals, private practice and Universities in the UK specializing in vision and special needs, particularly reading difficulties and decided that teaching children who learn in a different way would be a very fulfilling career. I gained a PGDip through Birmingham University in Special Ed and Inclusion focusing on Language and Literacy Difficulties and Social, Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties. Last year I completed a course which allows me to become an Associate Member of the British Dyslexia Association, thus giving me the qualification to diagnose dyslexia and put into place interventions. I am also an Orton Gillingham Certified tutor. Whilst living in Germany I worked supporting middle school pupils in Maths classes in a private international school. Since returning to Boston I have worked part time in the ALN department at BISB and provide private Orton Gillinham tutoring from home. I have also worked in the Children's Dyslexia Center of Massachusetts providing one to one Orton Gillingham lessons.
I am not a natural athlete so I feel my biggest achievement was earning a black belt in mixed martial arts. It taught me that what you achieve is not always down to your innate skills, but hard work and perseverance. I like to take on challenges that push me and I hope that I can pass this on to my students and teach them to be resilient so that they can achieve success.
I have been researching my family tree for the last few years and at the moment I am combining this with my love of scrapbooking by making scrapbooks detailing my ancestors lives and history of the places they came from. I also love to bake and walk with my Newfoundland dog Matilda and spend time with my husband and three boys.
I feel BISB treats every child as an individual allowing them to reach their full potential in a way that suits their own learning style.