I am so glad that you stopped by to meet me!
I'm originally from a small (SMALL!!!) town in central Texas, but I have been in Arizona for more than 30 years, so this is where I call home!
I have always loved reading. Sometimes, too much. At least according to my 3rd grade teacher who commented on my report card that
I would do much better in class if I would stop reading. In my defense, Laura Ingalls Wilder was way more interesting than math!
My husband and I have been married for more than 30 years. We have 3 children and 6 (soon to be 7!) grandchildren.
I started teaching kindergarten when my youngest child started school. The longer I taught, the more determined I was to 'crack' the
reading code for struggling readers. Why did it come so easy for some children while others struggled?
In 2003 I completed CLIP training (Collaborative Literacy Intervention Project) and I was amazed at the
difference it made in my students. I went on to complete a master's degree in Curriculum and Reading Instruction in 2010 and
received a reading specialist certificate.
After teaching kindergarten and/or first grade for 20 years, I had the opportunity to move to the reading department as the
reading specialist for my school. Since then, I've completed multiple trainings in the science of reading and dyslexia, as well as
Wilson training (a non-certification route), and LETRS training.
After teaching in public schools for 26 years, I decided to retire from the school system. I did not, however, retire from teaching!
My heart is still with the 5 year old that mixes up the letters and words and acts silly so know one will notice...
the 2nd grader that struggles to make sense of the words on the page...
the 5th grader that can read the page but 5 minutes later can't remember what it said...
the teenager that pretends like they don't care because they're embarrassed to admit they read at an elementary level.
Reading and writing go hand in hand, which is why I love teaching and tutoring both.
Yes. I love reading. I love it so much that I am also an author. Keep scrolling to find out more!
Whatever your child's struggle is, wherever they are in their journey, I'm happy to help fill in their potholes, repair the bridges and make their road smooth.
And more things...in case you wanted to know!
One of my (probably many) flaws is that when I find something that I love, I get a little obsessed about it. I also want to share it with everyone! Yes, it drives my husband nuts! Sometimes my hobbies get a little out of control and take on a life of their own. I wanted to share a little about a few of my endeavors, so that if you're interested in finding out more, I can direct you to the right place!
I've spent hours and hours researching things about health, wellness and nutrition. My family rarely uses over the counter medications and I make all of our food from scratch. I mill my own flour. I can my own meat, veggies and broth. I am a wholesaler for Simply Earth essential oils, and I also have a cottage food license and sell my homemade bread products. If you are interested in finding out more about why I do these things, purchasing essential oil products or bread, please check out this page.
Yes! I'm an author! I have 6 books published with Harlequin Heartwarming, several indie books and am working on a new series! I write sweet, clean and inspirational small town romance under the pen name, LeAnne Bristow. I use a pen name because at the time I started writing, there was another woman with my same name, with the same spelling (except her last name didn't have an s at the end), who had just been convicted of murdering her husband. Not a good name for a romance writer! If you are interested in finding out more about that, check out my website. Email me and let me know you found me here at Rhodes to Reading and I'll send you a free book!