Ask schoolteachers what their biggest challenge is, and most will say it is finding that missing puzzle piece for some students that seemingly could not be reached.

Known as Ms. Miller-Martin to her students and parents, over the last 20+ years, Karen has been a tireless teacher, administrator and children’s advocate, invoking skills garnered from her undergraduate and graduate degrees. 

She coached sports teams, directed musicals, was a professional athlete & singer, encouraged and taught special needs children all while imparting the “three R’s”, and various other life lessons to impressionable young minds, and maintaining an outstanding level of excellence.

Academic Excellence

Her undergraduate degree - B.A.Hons, Drama in Education, fueled a love for creative, cooperative, diverse, multi-disciplined teaching. With an additional degree in English - B.Ed, the stage was set for more learning.

International Teaching Experience

Teaching in Europe, Canada and the U.S. has given Karen a much broader view of the world and the students she has served.  That perspective broadened even further, many years ago, when Karen was introduced to the warning signs of dyslexia.  “Why wasn’t this taught in teacher’s college?” she contemplated.  

What is Dyslexia?

With greater study and research, Ms. Miller-Martin was able to put a finger on what she was seeing in a number of her students.  Dyslexia is inherited and is a “specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.  Difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities.” In other words, these pupils are intelligent, but may have trouble with oral speech, auditory processing, reading, written expression and spelling.

Personal Experience

When two of her three children began exhibiting the warning signs, Karen didn’t hesitate to intervene. The percentage of people affected by this brain difference is quite alarming: 1 out of every 5 students will be affected – that’s 20%! 

Are Schools Equipped to Help?

Finding a school to help with her family in crisis was a fight.  And that fact is exactly why she decided to take on the daunting task of leaving the self-contained classroom to educate and directly support parents, teachers, doctors and children pairing Orton-Gillingham influenced, Barton Reading & Spelling System®, Foundation in Sounds™ and her own curriculum.

Let's Make a Difference!

After completing the graduate-level course provided by UC San Diego, Karen is a Dyslexia Specialist, Consultant and tutor qualified to accurately screen children and adults for dyslexia, that missing puzzle piece, and further equipped through her decades of teaching to tutor these students so that they see great results.