About
My name is Paloma Strong. I am a CA credentialed classroom teacher and a Certified Wilson Practitioner. I work with students of all ages who are struggling with reading and spelling, and assist parents and educators in understanding how to help students who aren't reaching their full potential.
One of my favorite parts of my job has been understanding what is happening in the brain for people with dyslexia and other reading related learning differences. Validating for affected students and their families that there is a REASON reading and writing is hard for them. Once we acknowledge the WHY we begin to be able to alter the way reading and writing are taught to best suit the way their brains process and retain information.
Having been a struggling learner myself as a child, I was shamed and ridiculed by teachers and peers alike. In a very powerful moment standing up at the board in 4th grade with hot tears of embarrassment streaming down my freckled face, I stared at the numbers dancing around on the board. The teacher told me I was dumb. As my peers laughed, it was at this moment I vowed to become a teacher and help children feel safe, seen and loved in the classroom.
After graduating from University with a double major in elementary education and special education, I began my dream of teaching children as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nambia, South Africa. When I returned to the US, I continued to teach in the Midwest, San Francisco and a few more countries around the world. When I became a mother I left the classroom to run a preschool so I could be home with my own 3 boys. I returned to the classroom a decade ago and began my journey in the world of reading and spelling difficulty at Charles Armstrong, the renowned Bay Area School for Dyslexic Learners.