I’m Aza, a reading support specialist and homeschool teacher in Corvallis, Oregon. I have more than 10 years experience teaching in classrooms, individually, and in the home setting, including as a Waldorf eighth grade and third grade class teacher. I create learning spaces that are welcoming to differences, democratic, and where making mistakes is a natural part of learning, and I have the special ability to notice and support the children whose needs aren’t yet being met in school.

For some of us, school is hard! As a neurodivergent myself, and as a parent to children with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia, I know how essential extra support can be. I’ve seen the incredible learning that happens when children have accommodations for sensory needs and when strengths-based teaching engages the whole body. This special, individualized support allows for less stressed, more joyful progress.

I’ve trained with the Wired for Reading™ program, an accredited, research-backed multi-sensory approach designed to help students with dyslexia and dysgraphia. This method teaches speech to sounds and letters to meaning in a child-friendly way that empowers language understanding. Wired for Reading has been pivotal to my own dyslexic daughter’s reading and writing skill!

I also enjoy playing the banjo and octave mandolin, gardening, woodworking, sewing, and knitting.