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Tutor BIO
Ms. Leanne is a Certified Barton Tutor and has been a reading and spelling tutor since 2016. She is also a trained journalist, columnist, copy editor, newspaper paginator, and photographer by trade. Ms. Leanne holds a Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Media Communications with a Minor in Journalism from the University of Northern Iowa. She spent nearly a decade working in the television and newsprint industries. In 2006, Ms. Leanne won the national Lee President's Award for innovation in journalism for her syndicated blog, podcast, and column called "Mommy Talk." After she left the newsroom, Ms. Leanne operated her own photography business for several years. Her passion for literacy grew when her children were diagnosed with dyslexia. Her children’s diagnoses prompted her to close her photography business and learn about dyslexia. That path of discovery led Ms. Leanne to the Barton Reading & Spelling System. She completed the Barton System training and spent the next 4 years teaching her children to read. Along the way, she gained other tutoring students through word-of-mouth referrals, earned her Barton certification, and completed Foundation in Sounds training. Ms. Leanne also became active in Decoding Dyslexia Iowa, co-founded a local dyslexia parent support group, and is a content creator for the Koala Go Marketplace. In addition, Ms. Leanne was the recipient of the 2023 Decoding Dyslexia Iowa Dyslexia Champion Award for her outreach and advocacy efforts in spreading dyslexia awareness. |