I have been teaching in some capacity ever since I was old enough to be older than someone else! When I was still quite young, I took care of my younger cousins, worked in the church nursery, and babysat children in my neighborhood. As a teenager I continued to babysit even as I took on other after-school and summer jobs. I formed close bonds with a number of the families I worked for during these years. I especially enjoyed watching my young charges develop and change as they grew up. I learned a great deal about human development from these experiences. After college I worked in a daycare center in the infant and toddler rooms. I returned to school as a post-bac to earn my elementary teaching credential. Working at the daycare center provided concrete lessons which added depth and practical applications to the textbook learning of my elementary education classes.
From my earliest years I particularly enjoyed working with children as they learned to read. Teaching children to read opens up the world for them in so many ways, providing tools for all future learning. For this reason I was drawn to become a kindergarten teacher when I began my teaching career. Over many years of teaching, I have worked in a wide variety of settings. Some of these included a small alternative elementary school; an arts-focused preschool program; in-home summer day camp and after-school enrichment programs; public and private kindergarten classrooms; and substitute teaching at every grade level from pre-K through high school across a wide range of subjects.
Through close observation of children in these varied settings, I became aware of what does and doesn’t work when it comes to teaching individuals to read. I determined that schools create reading challenges for some people, when methods of instruction are not a good match for their learning style.
With the skills I honed over years in the classroom, I wanted to offer concrete help to struggling learners, one-on-one. I looked for an approach that avoids the unnecessary learning difficulties school can cause for some individuals. I found a program that matches my deeply held beliefs about how people learn best. The Davis® method aligns with what I have discovered:
When individuals learn through experiences that are hands-on, multisensory and creative, learning is truly and fully absorbed.
This is what Ronald Davis calls the gift of mastery.
Licensed to provide:
Licensed since: July 13, 2018
Certifications:
Travel: I am willing to travel to clients
Online services: I only coach in person
Delivery Languages: EnglishEnglish
“Before starting the Davis Program, my 9 year old son was not reading and still struggled to recognize many letters in the alphabet. It has been such a joy to see my son grasp onto the tools that unlock the door to his academic success.
Melissa has a true gift for interacting with her students that makes learning fun. She takes notice of the child’s specific interests that she integrates into her teaching method. I highly recommend Melissa to anyone who has a child who is struggling with focus, attention, and learning.” ~ Kelie Bryson, Levi’s mother
“Your experience as a teacher in general shines through your Davis work. Benjamin literally adores you, and he cannot stop talking about how much he loves this program! It is obvious that you understand these kids really well.” ~ Jenny Anderson, Benjamin’s mother
“I was feeling a bit sorry for my grandson, knowing that he would be doing an intensive reading program for a week of his summer vacation. But seeing how Melissa presents the Davis program, I feel like he is attending a fun reading and soccer camp, personalized just for his particular interests.” ~Patricia J, Benjamin’s grandmother
“Lilly asked me if she could begin working on her reading with a tutor. She wants to improve her overall skills and comprehension. I credit this change in Lilly’s self-perception to the work she did with Melissa. Lilly recognized that she was disorienting on trigger words as she worked through her math program. Now she is motivated to apply her improved orientation abilities to another realm of learning.”
~ Nancy Blume, mother of Lilly
"Since completing the Davis Program I have seen my daughter, Fiona taking great pride in the skills she acquired from Melissa. She has spent time with her father showing him the whole process, plus teaching him Koosh throws. She seems happier in general.
Melissa created a poster that was curated to Fiona's great interest of horses. It is a work of art and helped Fiona see the progress she was making. This was important as Fiona has ADD and can lose focus easily. We are very excited to move through the program this summer."
~ Wendy Connolly, Fiona’s mother
