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I help children crack the code of reading.
Orton Gillingham Is...
Cognitive
Students are taught patterns and generalizations of the English language, allowing them to be the master of their reading and spelling experience. No more guessing! Naturally built into every lesson are opportunities to apply critical thinking skills to language structure, allowing them to dissect words for meaning, decoding, and spelling.
Direct and Explicit
I do not assume what a child knows. Teaching is explicit; students will never be asked to guess or figure it out on their own. The language used to teach is clear and consistently applied.
Simultaneous Multisensory
My instruction simultaneously uses auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and tactile neural pathways. Using neural pathways simultaneously allows for deeper integration of new information.
Diagnostic and Prescriptive
Custom lesson plans are student-centered, written based on information gathered from the previous lessons. The lesson plan is adaptable; not only am I making decisions right after and before a lesson, I am also making decisions during the lesson. Custom lesson plans are student-centered, written based on information gathered from the previous lessons.
Language-Based
My instruction is language-based, integrating oral language, reading, spelling, and writing in structured tasks. Through these language-based mediums, students will learn the rules of language, increasing predictability and student confidence in mastery.
Emotionally sound
My instruction places the needs of the student at the center. Students with a history of failure in reading often have anxiety surrounding the task, which can manifest in many different ways. I begin with what they know and I teach new material to the automatic level. Students build confidence and trust through regular success.
Structured, Sequential & Cumulative, but Flexible
My instruction is logically organized, moving from simple, well-learned material to increasingly complex elements. My lessons continuously spiral back to reinforce previously taught skills in an integrated manner. My instructional decisions are flexible and are based on the student’s need.
Synthetic AND analytic
Synthetic goes from part to whole. For example, the student learns 3 parts (letter sounds) to read and spell the word cat.
Analytic goes from the whole to its parts. When spelling, the student will learn to segment the sounds, syllables, and morphemes. For example, the word catch can be divided into 3 graphemes.
Testimonials
I was told my daughter would have to memorize every word to be able to read due to her type of dyslexia. This seemed insurmountable! I felt she would never be able to read if that were the case because she felt too overwhelmed to even try. Through the years, we tried a variety of things: Learn to Read in 100 days, Phonics, Sound Beginnings, another reading specialist, books on tape, etc. After instruction with Jessica, my daughter has learned to read! At age 16 she was finally able to grab a novel and sit back and enjoy reading it. This has boosted her confidence and she isn't as embarrassed about her learning disability. Give Jess a try! She is humble and will meet your student where they are at. She is not afraid to try new things and does a good job listening to her students.
Brenda, Parent
Hi, my name is Ava and I'm one of Jessica's reading students. I would like to share a little about my learning journey. I struggle with a learning disability called dyslexia which Jessica has helped me with greatly. She is very understanding. When I don't get something she is trying to explain, she will change her technique to show me from a different point of view. She also meets me where I am but will push me to continue to grow and learn.
Jessica is a very sweet and caring person. I would definitely recommend her to help your child as she has helped me.
Sincerely,
Ava
We noticed that Vincent struggled and did the best we could. He was enrolled in homeschooling online, and we worked with him 1:1 to write his letters and identify letter names and sounds. We were making little to no gains. Prior to working with Jessica, he wrote his letters backwards, he couldn’t write the alphabet, knew few letter sounds, and couldn’t read, even simple words. We couldn’t work with Jessica for long, but in a short period, he learned to write the alphabet, learned cursive, learned all letter sounds, and could read and write simple words and sentences. I highly recommend Jessica.
Julian, Parent
Why Saint Ignatius?
"All the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us, to be the means by which we can come to know him better, love him more surely, and serve him more faithfully."-Saint Ignatius of Loyola
In 1500s Spain, a young, ambitious Ignatius of Loyola sought worldly recognition in military pursuits. He lived a worldly life devoid of meaning until he was injured in battle and forced into bed rest. To distract him from the pain, he asked his nurse to bring him something to read. The nurse brought him two books; The life of Our Savior and Lives of the Saints.
Like many who came before and after him, Saint Ignatius met God on the pages of a book, converting his heart and changing the course of his life. Ignatius would go on to serve the poor, become a priest, and eventually gift the world with his own works such as the Examine Prayer and the Spiritual Exercises.
Saint Ignatius' journey to faith is a testament to the power of the written word.
- Bachelor's degree in Special Education with 14 years of experience.
- Masters of Education in Reading Specialist.
- Level 1 certification through the Orton Gillingham Reading Specialists.
- 2 years and hundreds of hours teaching online, 1:1 Orton Gillingham sessions.
- Has taught a wide range of ages and skills, from ages 5-18.
About Jessica
Very early on in her career as a Special Education teacher, Jessica pinpointed reading as her students’ area of greatest need. Unsatisfied with the progress her students were making, she tried multiple curriculums and methods. In 2018 she obtained her Masters of Education in Reading Specialist from the University of Alaska Southeast. Even this did not answer the question of how to teach a struggling reader.
In 2021 she was approached by a friend asking for help teaching reading to her daughter with dyslexia. It was in researching answers for her friend that she found what she had been seeking throughout her career: Orton Gillingham.
Under the discerning eye of Fellow of the Academy, Karen Sonday, Jessica completed an intensive course on Orton Gillingham. After receiving her certificate of completion from Orton Gillingham Reading Specialists, Jessica was hired by the company to teach reading online. Through observations, feedback, continual education, and access to some of the best professionals in the field of Orton Gillingham, Jessica has and will continue to pursue excellence in teaching reading.
Recently married, Jessica lives in Wisconsin with her husband Brendan.