The DRagan Tutors Story

DRagan Tutors founder, Daryl Ragan’s introduction to children with reading disabilities came early when her youngest sister was diagnosed with dyslexia and placed in a program which used the Orton-Gilliham-based Slingerland method. As an eager teen-age student volunteer, Daryl was exposed to the philosophy of early intervention and the benefits of a systematic, multi-sensory approach to teaching reading. As an avid reader herself, Daryl empathized with the struggle of these younger students to learn to read – an activity she no longer took for granted!

Daryl earned her B.S. in Special Education from the University of Utah and a State of Utah Special Education teaching certificate. After a brief time as a Special education resource room teacher, Daryl was lured into the corporate world where she built a successful career in program management and marketing. Daryl’s heart, however, remained with children and during those years she was actively involved with children’s programs as a volunteer with organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, the American Red Cross, and Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence.

Daryl’s desire to teach children with reading difficulties led her to training with Susan Barton, founder of the Barton Reading and Spelling System®. For the next two years, Daryl volunteered at a local elementary school twice a week as a Barton tutor. This experience confirmed her confidence in the Barton System and her desire to teach struggling readers.

In 2009 Daryl founded DRagan Tutors to become a private reading tutor full-time. Daryl feels she has “come home” professionally and finds great satisfaction in assisting struggling readers to become confident readers and more engaged students. Daryl shares her students’ joy and revels in hearing parents and teachers enthusiastically share stories of the transformation they see in her students!

In her free time Daryl enjoys gardening, reading, watching movies, staying active with walking, Qi Gong, yoga and weight lifting, and spending time with friends and family and her husband and cats Mystique and Carlton.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Special Education
• State of Utah Special Education Resource teaching certificate
• Certified Barton Reading and Spelling tutor
• Trained in Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing ® Program (LiPS®)

Experience

• Middle school special education resource teacher
• Private practice Barton tutor
• Public and charter school reading tutor
• More than 30 years as a children’s program community volunteer

Affiliations

• The International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
• Northern California Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (NCBIDA)
• Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
• Parents Helping Parents

Professional Development

Daryl is committed to continuing her professional development to benefit her students and her client families. To accomplish this, Daryl regularly attends local professional lectures, receives current news from a variety of professional organizations, networks with other children’s services providers, and maintains a regular book study.

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