My name is Katie and I’m a teacher on a mission.

“Students need someone to finally see them and meet them where they are.”

For the Kids Who Fall Through the Cracks

My passion for education runs deep.

First and foremost, I am a Washington State Certified K–8 teacher, and I founded my tutoring business in 2020. What began as providing in-home support to students navigating online learning has grown into something much more meaningful: a practice built around helping students who have fallen through the cracks of a traditional education system.

These are the kids who may work incredibly hard and still struggle. The ones who understand more than their grades might show. The ones who have been told they’re behind, distracted, unmotivated, or simply need to “try harder.”

And sometimes, they’re the kids whose parents have been quietly wondering:

“Why is this so hard for my child when I know how capable they are?”

I see these students differently.

I believe a child who is struggling is not a child who has failed. Sometimes they simply haven’t been given the right tools, the right instruction, enough time, or someone willing to look beyond the struggle and figure out why they’re struggling in the first place.

More Than Tutoring

Although I call my business “tutoring,” what I provide is really intervention tutoring.

I’m not interested in simply helping a student finish tonight’s homework or putting a temporary band-aid over an area of difficulty. I take the time to dig deeper, identify underlying skill gaps, and address the foundational skills that may have been missed along the way.

My goal isn’t to keep a student dependent on tutoring year after year.

My goal is to help them become a more confident, capable, and independent learner.

That might mean strengthening foundational reading skills. It might mean rebuilding math skills that never quite clicked. It might mean helping a student develop strategies for writing, organization, or executive functioning. And sometimes, it means rebuilding the confidence that has been worn down after years of feeling like school is something everyone else seems to understand.

Supporting Dyslexic & Neurodivergent Learners

Dyslexia is a particular area of passion and expertise in my practice. I am trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach and incorporate the Science of Reading into my literacy instruction.

These evidence-based approaches can be especially beneficial for students with dyslexia, but I use these strategies with all of my students because explicit, structured instruction can benefit many different kinds of learners.

My practice is also proudly neurodivergent-inclusive, welcoming students with dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, ASD, Down Syndrome and other learning differences.

I don’t believe students should have to spend their school years trying to fit themselves into a mold that wasn’t designed for them.

Instead, I want students to understand how they learn best—and to recognize that learning differently is not the same thing as being incapable of learning.

Learning at Their Pace

Every child develops differently, yet traditional classrooms often have to move forward according to a predetermined schedule.

I don’t believe that moving on simply because the curriculum says it’s time means a student has actually learned.

I teach at the student’s pace while keeping grade-level standards in mind. That means taking the time to build missing skills, make connections, and ensure that a student truly understands what they are learning before moving forward.

Sometimes progress means catching up.

Sometimes it means going back several years to build a foundation that was never fully established.

Sometimes it means finding a completely different way to explain something.

And sometimes, the most important first step is helping a student believe in themselves again.

Your Child Is More Than Their Struggle

I know how easy it can be for a struggling student to begin defining themselves by what they can’t do.

I’m bad at reading.

I’m terrible at math.

I’m just not smart.

Everyone else gets it except me.

I want to help change that story.

Because your child is not a test score, a reading level, a diagnosis, an IEP, or a missing assignment. They are a whole person with strengths, interests, abilities, and enormous potential.

They don’t need someone to tell them what they can’t do. They need someone willing to figure out what they need to succeed.

That is what I hope to provide.

A Little About Me

Originally from the East Coast, I now proudly call Kitsap County, Washington, home.

When I’m not working with students, you can usually find me enjoying the beautiful Pacific Northwest with my dog, Hope, hiking one of Washington’s many trails. I also enjoy rowing, trying new foods—especially Asian cuisine—and getting lost in romantasy, fantasy, and witchy tales. On rainy PNW days, I love settling in with a paint-by-number project or spending some time doodling.

But at the heart of everything I do is one simple belief:

Every student can learn when they are given the right support, the right tools, and the time they need to succeed.

And sometimes, a child doesn’t need someone to push them harder.

They need someone to finally see them, meet them where they are, and say, “You aren’t failing. We just haven’t found what works for you yet.”

That is why I do what I do.