For the past fifteen years, I have been a reading specialist at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in New York City. Before that, I was a first-grade teacher for thirteen years. I have 20 years of experience tutoring elementary school students one on one in reading and writing. In addition to working with students, I am a peer reading coach for first grade teachers. Structured, sequential, multisensory programs that align with the Orton Gillingham method are essential in helping every child learn to read and write. I have training in the following multisensory reading techniques: Recipe for Reading, Fundations, Preventing Academic Failure, the Lindamood Bell LIPs program, and the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark system. I have also trained in Judith Hochman's Teaching Basic Writing Skills and the Self-Regulated Strategy Development writing method (SRSD). I use a strengths-based approach to tailor each child's program to their individual learning needs. One of my goals as a reading specialist is to find books that spark my students' enthusiasm for reading, and I consult librarians and search bookstores to find the perfect book for each child. As a writing tutor, my goal is to help students develop the skills and organizational strategies that will give them the confidence to express themselves in written form. The best learning happens when students are completely engaged, so I incorporate as many games and interactive routines as possible into each session.