Meet Literacy Consultant, Dr. Annette Durbin
Dr. Annette has been a PK-8 literacy consultant for more than twenty years. During this time, she supported teachers’ professional development and shared expert tips with parents to help their child’s developing literacy skills. Additionally, she supports adults who seek to strengthen their literacy skills via undergrad and graduate course work as well as editing and proofreading dissertations, white papers, and other forms of writing.
What is a literacy consultant?
A literacy consultant, like Dr. Annette, is a person who has extensive education, experiences, and expertise in the field of literacy. This field encompasses five areas: listening, reading, speaking, writing, and thinking.
A quick google search will share that literacy consultants are “literacy specialists who help children develop and improve their literacy skills by providing supplemental instruction to students who struggle with reading and writing. They also work to improve school-wide literacy levels by supporting other teachers and faculty with curricula planning and literacy training.”
As you can see, the role of a literacy consultant covers several groups of people and encompasses varied components, both encoding and decoding skills. You may be wondering . . .
Can a literacy consultant help me?
Only you can answer that question.
However, I have outlined a few questions that may bring some clarity. .
How do I help my students who struggle with reading, writing, and spelling?
I don’t know how to help my English learners. How can I teach my students when I don’t speak their first language?
How can I help some students who are just “not getting it”? What are some next steps?
Maybe you’re wondering . . . I think I need help. How can I connect with a literacy teacher, literacy tutor, or a literacy consultant?
How can I connect with Dr. Annette?
These may be just some of the questions that are circling in your head every day. Whatever your question, I am here to support you and your students along their literacy journey.
Who is Dr. Annette?
Dr. Annette is a lifelong learner who works with children and adults struggling with literacy. As a PK-8 educator, Dr. Annette has taught in single grade, multiage, and blended learning classrooms. All these experiences required her to learn more about literacy and how students learn to read, write, and spell. Additionally, she has worked with students from varied cultural backgrounds and experiences, varied learning challenges and proficient learners in every grade level. As you can see, Dr. Annette is well versed in PK-8 literacy.
Dr. Annette’s literacy experiences
Dr. Annette began her teaching career in 1991 in a private school setting. She has seen the pendulum swing from the whole language era to direct instruction and computer based learning. Each of these experiences – and all those in between – coupled with research and practice, have shaped Dr. Annette’s instructional strategies and skill set.
Through her experiences and professional development, she focused on implementing learning, differentiating instruction, and reflecting on outcomes. She also shared her findings and provided literacy professional development for her school and district colleagues, as well as educators throughout Alaska and across the nation.
While teaching in a variety of grade levels, she obtained first hand knowledge about the importance of vertical alignment in literacy development. Why? This knowledge guided her instruction to support students who struggle, yet challenged students who were ready for next steps.
In summary . . .
After 28 years in the general education classroom, Dr. Annette decided to make a professional change. She moved to focus her work in another area that involves literacy, specifically teaching English Language Learners and supporting teachers of English learners with professional development.
Dr. Annette’s literacy training and instructional experiences are deep. As a practitioner, she is knowledgeable and well-rounded in her skill set. Dr. Annette continues to study and research literacy in PK-8 education.
When Dr. Annette is not a literacy consultant . . .
Dr. Annette enjoys gardening, crafting, sewing, cooking, traveling, and spending time with her family. She believes it is important to keep the “bucket” full and life balanced. This mindset has a huge impact on the work that is accomplished in the classroom.
Dr. Annette’s Degrees and Certifications
Degrees
Doctor of Education: Administrator Leadership – Teaching and Learning; Walden University – 2013
Certificate: Principal K – 12; University of Alaska – 2010
Master of Science: Educational Leadership; Walden University – 2009
Bachelor of Science: Early Childhood and Elementary Education, K – 8; Wilmington College – 1993
Associate Early Childhood Education; Ohio State University – 1989
Certifications
National Board Certification, middle childhood/generalist – 2005, Nationwide certification
Master Teacher Certification, ages 7 – 12: full curriculum, State of Alaska
Professional Teacher Certification, K-8 Early Childhood & Elementary Education, State of Alaska
Administrative Certificate, Principal, K – 12, State of Alaska
K- 8 Early Childhood & Elementary Education, State of Delaware
Related Resources
Learn more about National Board Certification
Final Thoughts about a Literacy Consultant, Dr. Annette.
As a literacy consultant, Dr. Annette Durbin works with teachers, parents, home educators, private and public school educators to address and overcome the challenges learners experience to achieve literacy proficiency. If you, your school, or district seek to raise the literacy achievement bar for your students, contact Dr. Annette for additional discussion.
Partner with Dr. Annette to discuss literacy and challenges your students may be experiencing. Follow her on social media channels to learn more about literacy, obtain lessons, participate in professional development, and get your questions answered.
