About Lisa

It was a chilly, winter night in Minnesota when I cracked the "code of reading" just enough to slowly sound out Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss.  I was six, and reading hadn't been easy for me.  But soon, getting lost inside a good book became a new kind of playground.  Learning to read was so magical that I vowed to become a teacher one day.   Years later while working on my Masters degree in Teaching, I would discover that learning to read is a science -- not magic, and anyone can figure out how to get to this literary playground if they are just given the right steps.  

My experience includes 13 years of classroom teaching and 20 years in education:  eight years teaching first grade in Corte Madera, California at a National Blue Ribbon school, teaching second and fourth grade in Spain at an accredited international school, teaching literacy at a Title I middle school in San Diego, and teaching first and fifth grade in Washington, DC.  I'm also a mom to two incredibly awesome girls.

I have extensive training in administering and evaluating formative and summative assessments in both reading and writing, which helps to inform my instruction.  Simply put, I know how to test kids' reading skills and make a plan of action so that they can advance.  As a parent and a teacher, I also understand that kids learn best through play and movement.  My instruction is evidence-based and effective (backed by neuroscience!), but it's my goal to make it fun.