David's Story

A dyslexic himself, David Leslie is a staunch supporter of the Orton-Gillingham teaching approach. His firsthand knowledge of its ability to help dyslexic children become successful readers and spellers led him to become an Orton-Gillingham tutor himself. He soon discovered the need for a simple way to create individualized lesson plans and track the progress of his students, which led to the development of Teach with Clarity.

David received his undergraduate degree from The University of Redlands in Redlands, California. His independent study major in education and business focused on creating, building, and maintaining a school for dyslexic children. His goals include the establishment of a private school specializing in the education of such children in partnership with his childhood tutor, Patricia Dolanski, founder of the Grand Traverse Dyslexia Association. Plans are underway for The Mastery School, which will serve Traverse City, Michigan-area students in grades K–3.

Shawne's Story

Shawne is a newcomer to Orton-Gillingham.  In Fall 2008 she took an Orton-Gillingham introductory course given by Patricia Dolanski to assist with the tutoring of her third-grade daughter, a GTDA student. During the course, she met David and learned of his and Patricia’s desire to open The Mastery School in Traverse City. They decided to collaborate in the development of a software program to capture, track, and generate lesson planning through the use of an online software program that had not been previously available for tutors and teachers of Orton-Gillingham. Shawne and David recognized a unique opportunity to pioneer an online, database-driven program to manage several students more efficiently and effectively that until now had not been introduced exclusively to Orton-Gillingham professionals.