Deborah Baker

Private On-line Literacy Instructor

Rate: Contact For Rate Available For: Private Tutoring, Online

Ebensburg, Pennsylvania

My name is Debbie Baker and I am the founder and
owner of Travels Through Literacy. Teaching reading is an absolute LOVE
of mine. As a Reading Specialist and a trained Literacy Educator guided
by the Orton-Gillingham philosophy, I have found my dream job as a
private tutor. My journey in my career and in my own
life provides unique insight. Having worked as a special education
teacher supporting students with dyslexia/ learning disabilities for
thirty years allows me to understand the challenges, demands, and
concerns from the educator's perspective. As the parent and now a
grandparent of children with dyslexia/learning disabilities, I
commiserate with the frustration and confusion experienced
while navigating the many options and approaches being offered as a
solution to meet their needs. In my exploration of the most up-to-date
research and wisdom of the leaders in this field, and through supporting
students with dyslexia/learning disabilities via the online format, l
have continued to collect and refine the most efficient and effective
instructional methods to traverse the kaleidoscope of concepts essential
to success. With compassion and sensitivity towards families facing
these circumstances, I have forged my new career path as a private
literacy tutor. I enjoy the freedom to delve entirely into teaching
reading and the many aspects of literacy. My teaching has also expanded
into teaching English as a Foreign Language. I have earned my TEFL
(Teaching of English as a Foreign Language) certification, and greatly
respect the overlap of my knowledge and skill in structured
literacy with that of teaching English to those whose primary language
is other than English. It is through these travels and experiences I
have discovered my true purpose. I support students and their families
and help to guide them as they voyage the vast world of literacy, the
challenges, as well as the gifts, they will encounter, and provide
support to them as they discover the achievement of their own dreams and
purpose.

Experience :

• As a special educator, I spent over twenty years in the classroom and an additional ten years as a supervisor of special educators. I provided intervention to students with an assortment of needs in grades K-12 supplied in a wide variety of school settings. I taught in Scotland, Washington, D.C./Baltimore metropolitan area, Houston, and now at the top of a quiet mountain in central Pennsylvania. I hold a BS in Special Education from Misericordia University and an M.Ed. as a Reading Specialist from Loyola College of Maryland. While living and teaching in Houston, I was trained in the structured literacy approach founded by Orton-Gillingham through Neuhaus Education Center and served as the Special Education Dyslexia Specialist in an elementary school. As my career continued, I supervised special educators and special education student teachers whose interventions were specific to individuals on the autism spectrum. It is a joy to now focus my skills and expertise gained through my career to help students who face the tremendous challenge of learning to read. There is a beautiful world of books and “sweet” knowledge out there. As shared by one of my favorite authors, Patricia Polacco, “...you have to chase it through the pages of a book!” (Thank You, Mr. Falker, 1998). My goal is to share my love of reading with my students as we work to build their understanding through discovery and achievement of the kaleidoscope of skills necessary to master literacy. When not teaching, I spend time with my husband hiking and enjoying his talented cooking, our two grown daughters, and two incredible grandchildren. I also, of course, love reading as well as working in my gardens.

Education :

• Misericordia University, BS, Special Education, 1985
• Loyola College of Maryland, M.Ed., Reading Specialist, 1994
• St. Francis University, Special Education Supervisor, 2013

Orton-Gillingham Training Information :

• Neuhaus Education Center, trained, Houston, TX, 2007
• Orton-Gillingham (IMSE), trained, 2021