Marilyn Elliott

Marilyn began her teaching career as a Certified Special Education Teacher, earning a Bachelor’s of Science in Applied Learning and Development with Honors at The University of Texas at Austin.

 

She taught students with dyslexia throughout her career and sought out specialized dyslexia training in 2005 through the Scottish Rite Learning Center of Austin, earning the title Certified Academic Language Therapist. This rigorous training in Take Flight of over 200 hours and two years of training, gave her the skill set needed to help students with dyslexia unlock the mysteries of reading.

 

Take Flight offers intensive phonological awareness therapy, an essential skill that underlies a student’s ability to learn to read and spell. Take Flight contains the five components of effective reading: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Vocabulary, Fluency and Reading Comprehension. Students learn all 44 sounds of the English language, 96 letter–sound correspondence rules and 87 affixes. They also learn spelling rules for base words and derivatives. Oral reading fluency is improved through practiced readings. Take Flight also introduces comprehension and vocabulary building strategies for both narrative and expository text in the context of oral reading exercises to prepare students for successful, independent reading. As a first grade struggling reader herself, she identifies and empathizes with those emotions of frustration, anxiety, and embarrassment that can further compound the reading experience. Although 22 years were devoted to elementary age students, the last year at the high school level brought an appreciation, love, and devotion to help instill a love of reading at any age. One of the highest compliments she received from a parent was when she was told, “My daughter went from hating reading to loving it - I now can’t get her to put a book down and sometimes have to resort to using lost privileges of a book in order to get other things done.”

 

Marilyn has been a member of ALTA since 2005 and a CALT since 2007.