Alyssa is a certified special education teacher, primarily for K-6 students with a range of issues, including autism, Down syndrome, ADHD, dyslexia, and other language-based and math-based learning needs. She currently teaches second grade in Long Island and works as a trainer and advocate for families in need of services. In private practice, Alyssa uses multisensory techniques like Orton-Gillingham and rigorous, custom lesson plans to meet her students where they are, whether they are struggling with reading, writing, math, executive functioning, or learning habits. In addition to teaching full-time, Alyssa is a mother of two children. Her own children have been a guiding force in exploring the world of private tutoring and 1:1 educational plans. She joined the Let’s Get Reading team in 2023 and is extremely motivated to add her knowledge of special education and special education law to the team. Alyssa was born and raised on Long Island, New York. She attended SUNY New Paltz, where she graduated with a B.S. in Childhood Education in 2006. Since then, she received M.S. degrees in both Children with Disabilities 1-6 and Childhood Education 1-6 from Molloy College, and she received a certification in School Building Leadership and School District Leadership as well as a post-Master’s degree from Long Island University, C.W. Post. In addition to her certifications, Alyssa is ABA-trained and has experience working with BCBAs, speech and language therapists, counselors, feeding therapists, and various other paraprofessionals. Teaching and tutoring have been a vital part of Alyssa’s life, and she is so excited to be part of the Let’s Get Reading team.

Specialties: Reading, Writing, Math, Special Education, Family Advocacy

Cailin is a credentialed classroom teacher and a literacy specialist, trained in the Orton-Gillingham Approach. She graduated in 2009 with two Masters, one in Childhood Education and the other in Reading Remediation. As a teacher in a multicultural classroom of twenty-four students with varying language capabilities, she took on the challenge of meeting the needs of a vast scope of readers, writers, and speakers. Intrigued to learn more about the process of acquiring language skills as a second language learner, Cailin moved to South Korea where she joined the founding faculty at Chadwick International, an IB-accredited school. She worked with colleagues to trailblaze an educational model that thoughtfully balanced assessment and curriculum with a student-centered, inquiry-based approach. After four years of growth in curriculum writing and teaching in a progressive teaching model, Cailin spent two years teaching at a Boston elementary school where she applied more formal methods of practice, especially in reading and writing instruction and then went to a bilingual immersion with a mixed 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade classroom at the Pine Street School in lower Manhattan. There she was able to continue an inquiry-based teaching approach with a focus on socio-emotional development alongside a dedication to the Orton-Gillingham Approach focusing on multi-sensory, highly prescriptive teaching tailored to each individual student. As a highly skilled tutor with LGR, students benefit from Cailin’s experience in various classroom settings and the dedication to the OG techniques she incorporates for reading and math skills. 

Favorite Children’s Book: Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Specialties: Reading, Writing, Math, Executive Functioning Skills

Hannah has a plethora of experience working alongside and in support of children with a range of unique abilities. Hannah graduated from Connecticut College with a degree in Human Development and a certification in Elementary Education (Grades 1-6). Her passion for teaching is rooted in a holistic model of education, emphasizing the importance of each individual student and honoring their unique talents, differences, and interests. Hannah has a range of teaching experience in a variety of educational settings including a Dual Language Public School in New London, Connecticut; Bank Street School for Children in New York City; Sylvester Manor Educational Farm in Shelter Island, New York; Dwight School in New York; The New York Botanical Garden’s Edible Academy; and Partnership for After-school Education, a non-profit organization that provides summer camp opportunities for disadvantaged children. To complement her classroom teaching, Hannah served as the Assistant Director for a farm-based summer camp for two summers and loves bridging her passion for nature and sustainability with education in a hands-on and creative way. She brings this same hands-on and personalized approach to her tutoring practice, cultivating a multi-sensory and individualized method for learning how to read. She strives to make her students feel at ease, supported, and excited about reading and honing their literacy skills. She currently works as a second-grade teacher at Dwight School, an International Baccalaureate school in Manhattan, which specializes in personalized learning for all students as well as an inquiry-based and culturally relevant approach to learning. Trained in Orton-Gillingham she uses this proven approach while tutoring both literacy and math. When she’s not teaching and tutoring, Hannah is an avid reader, yoga enthusiast, and traveler!

For the better part of a decade, Ian has been a tutor in a variety of academic disciplines and worked with students with a number of challenges, including dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD/ADD, anxiety, processing issues, and other language differences. Under Ilse’s tutelage, Ian trained in the Orton-Gillingham Approach, and he earned his certification as a Certified Structured Literacy Teacher with the International Dyslexia Association in 2017. He works primarily with K-8 students with dyslexia or signs of dyslexia, and other language and math-based learning needs. A native New Yorker, Ian attended the LIttlre Red School House and Packer Collegiate Institute, where he graduated cum laude. He received his B.A. from Yale University in 2011 and continued his education at Berklee College of Music, where he studied music performance. To this day, Ian moonlights as a singer and songwriter, lending his voice to programs such as Saturday Night Live and Sharp Objects, and performs at weddings throughout the greater New York City area. At the end of the day though, he couldn’t be more grateful for the meaningful and impactful work he gets to do with his students at LGR.

Favorite Children’s Book: The Twits by Roald Dahl

Specialties: Reading, Writing, Math

Certifications:
• International Dyslexia Association (IDA) (2017)
• Certified Structured Literacy Teacher (2017)
• Orton-Gillingham Online Academy, training certificate (2017)

Liza is a veteran teacher with over 25 years of classroom experience, having taught across a range of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and ages from early childhood through adolescence. In addition to her general classroom experience, Liza is an Orton-Gillingham reading and literacy specialist, working primarily with K-8 students with dyslexia and other language-based learning needs. Liza also helps students develop expository writing skills, executive functioning, and efficient work habits. As the daughter of educators, Liza knew early on that teaching was her calling. After receiving her B.A. from Boston University, she spent three years teaching English as a Second Language in Italy. She followed this by earning her Master's Degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from the Bank Street College of Education while raising her two daughters on NYC's Upper West Side. Liza established a multisensory teaching practice in the Upper West Side, which introduced her to the Orton-Gillingham technique. She completed her Orton-Gillingham training through the Kildonan Teacher Training Institute, where she worked summers at Kildonan’s Camp Dunnabeck, providing instruction to students with language-based learning differences and dyslexia. Through her work at Kildonan, Liza recognized the power and efficacy of Orton-Gillingham's individualized, explicit, and multisensory approach to reading, spelling, and writing. Liza balances a constructivist approach that allows students to discover concepts at their own pace with a rigorous, structured approach to language learning. This leads children to a deeper understanding of themselves as learners, readers, and writers. Outside of her work as an OG practitioner, Liza has a certificate in Educational Leadership from Harvard University and works as an education consultant. 

Specialties: Reading, Writing, Executive Functioning Skills

Maria earned her Masters in Social Work at New York University Silver School in 2022 and is currently going for her exam to be a Licensed Master Social Worker. She has experience working with early childhood and elementary school-level children. Maria has worked with students providing them assistance with social-emotional support, time management skills, and self-esteem improvement. Maria worked as a UPK teacher before her Master’s program. As a teacher, She focused on meeting the students where they were and helping them feel confident in school. Maria has a love for helping others and giving them the chance to succeed. She has experience in both public and private schools, working with children with cognitive, social, and emotional struggles as well as those with anxiety, ADHD/ADD, ODD, and other behavioral or emotional disorders. Using the Orton-Gillingham Multi-sensory Approach, Maria works with students at their own pace creating a safe and relaxed environment to learn and grow. She believes that support is the best kind of help someone needs through the individual and family as well. She strives to show her students kindness, patience, and motivation.

Favorite Childhood Book: Junie B. Jones series and The Boxcar Children

Specialties: Reading and Writing

Melani is a bilingual (English and Spanish), Orton Gillingham-trained speech-language pathologist who earned her Master’s Degree at Pace University and a Bilingual SLP Extension at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College. Melani has experience treating a variety of communication challenges, from ASD and intellectual disabilities to speech sound disorders and syndromes. She primarily serves children who attend a New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) D75 school. D75 schools provide highly specialized instruction for students with significant challenges. Melani was recently featured in the UFT’s “Students of New York” series for her exemplary work with a D75 nonverbal child and her communication device.

Melani’s approach to working with students of ANY ability is empathetic and encouraging. She has a unique knack for identifying what is keeping her students from reaching their potential and tailoring her instruction to ensure they do.

Melani lives In Queens and enjoys cooking, reading, teaching reading, and hiking.

Favorite book: When Charlie Met Emma

Specialties: Speech sound disorders, AAC, Executive Functioning Skills, Reading Comprehension

Nancy focuses on differentiating experiences for a wide array of learners and providing stimulating, engaging lessons to draw students in and give them autonomy in their learning. All children learn differently, and Nancy is a firm believer that a multisensory approach benefits her students, as they can internalize new content through a range of experiences. She has been trained in several literacy programs, including Orton Gillingham, Read Write Inc., Readers, and Writers Workshop, and Words Their Way. Nancy spent most of her 20-plus years as a teacher in the New York City private school sector.  Nancy’s interest in providing support in reading and writing arose when her son was diagnosed with ADD and other processing issues. Tutoring has been invaluable in her family’s life, and she is committed to helping other families experience this as well.

Nancy graduated from Pennsylvania State University and received a Master's in Education from Bank Street College of Education in 1996. 

Favorite Children’s Book: Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

Specialties: Reading, Writing, Math, Executive Functioning Skills

Rachel is an NYC public school first-grade teacher with certifications in literacy; early childhood, childhood, and special education, and trained in The Writing Revolution. She has been a teacher for seven years and has experience with children from Pre-K to fifth grade. Rachel has a deep understanding of what it takes to be a strong reader and a passion for using a multisensory and systematic approach to teach decoding and encoding, improving the abilities of both her TItle 1 (schools that include at least 40% of low-income households) students and private clients.

As a Teacher Leader, Rachel trains her peers to shift from “balanced” to “structured” literacy, by incorporating phonological awareness activities, decodable texts, manipulatives, games, and “read alouds”; and to take, analyze, and use data.

Rachel has experience with typical learners as well as children with dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder, and a variety of language-based learning challenges.

When not teaching, learning about teaching, and working with other teachers, Rachel enjoys fostering dogs and reading mysteries.

Specialties: Reading, Writing, Math

Shanida has been dedicated to international education since her teens, when she founded a nonprofit program for marginalized youth in Panama City, Panama. A native New Yorker, Shanida is bilingual and has taught in Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Panama, and Colombia. She has a B.A. in Literature from Hunter College, an M.A. in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics from King's College London, and an M.S.Ed. in General Childhood Education from Bank Street College Graduate School of Education. As a classroom teacher and language specialist, her devotion to learning has led her to Dwight School, where she teaches First Grade. Founding her pedagogy on the International Baccalaureate philosophy, Shanida has witnessed how the IB makes learning accessible to all, how it guides the learning process, builds confidence, and nurtures students into lifelong advocates of learning. In her spare time, Shanida loves cooking and spending time with her mom, going on long walks inside the Met, and getting lost in a good book or Central Park.

Shanida’s love for teaching has led her to Let’s Get Reading as an Orton-Gillingham reading instructor as well as an incredible math teacher.

Specialties: Reading, Writing, Math

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Stephanie graduated from Yale University with a BA in Psychology. During her senior year at Yale, Stephanie independently founded an SAT prep class for underprivileged students at a local New Haven high school. This sparked her interest in education and working with kids. Since then, Stephanie has accumulated over eight years of experience tutoring students ranging in age from middle school to college not only in test prep—ACT, SAT—but a variety of academic subjects as well. She specializes in math, including AP calculus, chemistry, physics, biology, psychology, English—reading and writing—Spanish, Mandarin, and history including AP level global and US history. In harmony with this content-based study, Stephanie also works with students on their executive-functioning skills. In her role as an executive functioning coach, she focuses on teaching students self-management techniques that will develop the skills to maintain focus and productivity, organize time and schedules, plan and prioritize tasks, as well as manage emotions and impulses. Stephanie has worked with students from a variety of backgrounds in both public and private schools with varying emotional and/or processing challenges as well as those with no formal diagnosis. This training has allowed Stephanie to take a very personalized approach with her students and help each one become a more effective learner as well as prepare them for long-term success. Utilizing the Orton-Gillingham multisensory Approach is a key component in all of her lessons as she creates a plan bespoke to each student. When not tutoring students, Stephanie loves to travel, belt out Celine Dion hits at any karaoke opportunity and, of course, read! 

Favorite Children’s Book: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Specialties: Reading, Writing, Math, Executive Functioning Skills

Zach works with kids K-5 helping them cope with dyslexia or other language and math-based learning needs by implementing Orton-Gillingham reading and literacy methods. Zach has experience as a general learning aid, tutor, and music instructor in his hometown, Westport, Connecticut. Since the start of high school, he has worked with kids K-8, some with various physical and cognitive afflictions including, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, and ADHD/ADD. Education, specifically alongside those with special needs, has remained a throughline of Zach’s life. After graduating with high honors from Brown, and now engaging with LGR, his dream of helping those who have been dealt a most challenging hand is realized. Being able to apply his past experiences in music performance, education, private tutoring, and community service lends to a unique teaching style all his own. In his work, Zach strives, above all else, to prioritize enjoyment and progress while supporting each student's specific needs. Zach is continuing his education while tutoring at Columbia University working towards his MA in Education and Clinical Psychology.

Favorite Children’s Books: Harold and The Purple Crayon and ALL of the Harry Potter Books

Specialty: Reading, Writing, Math