Award-Winning Orton Gillingham Tutors
serving Atlanta, GA
Orton Gillingham
Tutors in Atlanta
Private 1-on-1 tutoring, weekly live classes for academic support, test prep & enrichment, practice tests and diagnostics, and more to elevate grades and test scores.
Based on 3.4M Learner Ratings
UniversitiesSchools & Universities
DeliveredHours Delivered
ProficiencyGrowth in Proficiency
Who needs tutoring?
No obligation. Takes ~1 minute.
I have been an elementary and middle school teacher for the past 14 years, and enjoy working with all ages of students. My focus over the last few years has been to delve deeply into the science behind learning to read. As a result, I have become a Certified Orton Gillingham Instructor through the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE). The Orton Gillingham (OG) approach consists of multi-sensory instruction that is direct, explicit, and systematic. Lessons are based on the individual needs of the student. It has been proven over time to be a very effective way to teach students with reading difficulties, including dyslexia, to read. I look forward to help you or your child experience the joy of learning to read.
I earned my Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Cardiff University, and have a Masters in Counseling from Monash University. Trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach to literacy, I am passionate and experienced in using a multi-sensory approach to tutoring students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties. Having worked in an educational setting for over 11 years in Hong Kong, I am experienced in working with students from kindergarten all the way through to primary school.
I received my degree in Elementary Education from York College of Pennsylvania. I then attended McDaniel College where I received a masters degree in reading and became a Reading Specialist. My love for teaching reading continued and I furthered my education at Mount Saint Mary's University for training in Reading Recovery. I started my career teaching kindergarten and currently am a reading specialist in my school district, where I work one on one and in small groups with struggling readers. My passion is for tutoring early learners to help them gain the skills they need to grow as readers and writers. In my tutoring sessions I love to get to know my learners interests and personalities. I incorporate manipulatives, sight word games, leveled texts, and writing into sessions to make sessions more engaging. I love to build confidence in my learners by focusing on their strengths in order to get the most amount of growth out of my learners. My hobbies include exercise, spending time with my family, and going to the beach.
Hi there! I'm Derek and I'm passionate about helping students like you achieve their goals through engaging, customized learning experiences. Whether you're looking to deepen your understanding of a subject, improve your grades, or master a particular skill, I'm here to guide you every step of the way. With a PhD in Curriculum Design and Educational Technologies and 17 years of experience in education, I bring a wealth of knowledge and practical expertise to every session. But what sets me apart is my commitment to understanding your unique learning style. I don't believe in one-size-fits-all approachesevery student is different, and I tailor my lessons to meet your individual needs, pace, and interests. I take pride in creating a comfortable, supportive environment where questions are encouraged, and learning is both challenging and fun. I strive to build a rapport with my students, so they not only understand the material but also develop the confidence to apply it in real-world situations. Together, we'll work toward your academic or professional goals, and I'll be there to celebrate every success along the way. If you're ready to take the next step in your learning journey, I'd love to connect with you. Let's create a plan that works for you!
I am a graduate of Bachelor in Elementary Education with a major in Special Education. Currently, I am pursuing my graduate degree in Special Education. I am a licensed teacher, and I have 9 years of teaching experience, both in-person and virtually. I am most interested in helping students with learning difficulties achieve their highest potential. I am fun, creative, and passionate.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Orton Gillingham method is a structured, multisensory approach to reading instruction that's particularly effective for students with dyslexia and other reading challenges. It teaches phonics systematically—breaking down the relationship between letters and sounds—using visual, auditory, and kinesthetic techniques to help information stick.
Unlike typical classroom reading instruction, which often moves quickly through phonics concepts, Orton Gillingham works at each student's pace, ensuring they master foundational skills before moving forward. This prevents the gaps that often cause reading struggles to compound over time.
Many Atlanta schools incorporate elements of structured literacy and phonics-based instruction, especially in elementary grades. However, with 219 schools across 19 school districts in Atlanta, implementation varies significantly—some schools emphasize these methods more than others, and classroom teachers often can't provide the individualized focus that struggling readers need.
This is where personalized 1-on-1 instruction makes a real difference. A tutor trained in Orton Gillingham can tailor the approach to your child's specific learning profile and pace, something that's difficult in a classroom setting where the average student-teacher ratio is 12.7:1.
Orton Gillingham can begin in early elementary (around ages 5-6) as a preventative approach, but it's especially valuable when reading difficulties emerge—typically ages 7-8 and beyond. Many students benefit from starting whenever a reading gap is identified, whether that's second grade or later.
Early intervention is ideal, as reading struggles can affect confidence and compound over time. However, students of any age can benefit from structured Orton Gillingham instruction—it's never too late to build a stronger foundation in phonics and decoding skills.
In a classroom, even with the best teacher, instruction must move at a pace that works for the whole group. A student struggling with phonics concepts might not get enough repetition or review to truly master them before the class moves on. Personalized instruction, by contrast, allows a tutor to spend as much time as needed on each concept, use multisensory techniques tailored to how your child learns best, and adjust the pace and sequencing based on what's working.
Additionally, tutors trained in Orton Gillingham can identify specific gaps in phonetic understanding and address them directly, rather than working through a standard curriculum. This targeted approach typically leads to faster progress and greater confidence.
Progress varies by student, but structured literacy approaches like Orton Gillingham are evidence-based and show strong results, especially for students with dyslexia or reading disabilities. Many students show measurable improvement in phonetic awareness, decoding accuracy, and reading fluency within weeks to months of consistent instruction, depending on the severity of their reading difficulty and frequency of tutoring.
Beyond test scores, you'll typically notice students becoming more confident readers, struggling less with sounding out words, and showing greater willingness to read independently. The key is consistency—regular tutoring sessions compound over time, building skills systematically rather than in fits and starts.
Varsity Tutors connects you with tutors trained in Orton Gillingham and other structured literacy methods. When you reach out, you can specify that you're looking for someone with expertise in this particular approach, and we'll match you with a qualified tutor who understands the methodology and can work with your child's specific reading challenges.
Look for tutors who are certified or have documented training in Orton Gillingham specifically—it's more specialized than general reading tutoring, and expertise makes a real difference in outcomes.
Absolutely. In fact, tutoring often works best when it complements—not replaces—school instruction. A tutor can reinforce what's being taught in the classroom, fill gaps in foundational skills, and provide the extra practice and individualized attention that accelerates progress.
It's helpful to communicate with your child's teacher about the tutoring plan so both the tutor and teacher can align their approaches, but the one-on-one focus of tutoring adds significant value regardless. The key is consistency across both settings—the more reinforcement a student gets, the faster skills solidify.
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