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Origin Story

My daughter learned to read at a very young age, so when my son struggled to name the letters of the alphabet after years of trying, we were completely at a loss.

 

We did everything we were supposed to do. We read aloud together, attended story time at the library, filled our home with books, and modeled a love of reading. Other parents reassured us that he would learn in his own time, but deep down, we knew something was different.

 

He loved being read to, yet would do almost anything to avoid sounding out words. He could create beautiful drawings but could not write his own name. As homeschoolers, we began to wonder if we were the problem. Believing the school system could provide what we could not, we enrolled him in public school.

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Instead, we faced school avoidance, daily tears, and a child whose confidence seemed to shrink with each passing month. Watching him struggle broke my heart.

 

After a year with virtually no progress, we sought an evaluation from an educational psychologist. The diagnosis we received changed the trajectory of our lives.

 

The psychologist encouraged me to pursue specialized training, homeschool him again, and work with him directly. That is exactly what I did.

 

I immersed myself in learning about dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and evidence-based instruction. What began as a quest to help my own child soon became a passion for helping other children like him.

 

I will never forget the day everything began to change.

 

After successfully sounding out a lesson's worth of words on his own, my son looked at me very seriously and said:

 

"Huh. So I'm not stupid after all."

 

Those words have stayed with me ever since. They guide every interaction I have with my students. 

 

Today, I strive to build not only academic skills, but also confidence. I create lessons that are engaging, supportive, and tailored to each student's interests. I use games, humor, and meaningful relationships to help students feel safe enough to take risks, make mistakes, and grow.

 

My daughter made me a mom, but my son gave me my purpose.

 

If you're looking for a tutor who understands both the academic and emotional side of learning differences, I'd love to talk with you.

CARLENE STRATHMANN

Professional Profile

​

Specialized dyslexia and dyscalculia tutor with extensive training in Structured Literacy, Structured Word Inquiry, dyslexia advocacy, executive functioning, and multisensory mathematics instruction. Over a decade of experience supporting students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, executive functioning challenges, and twice-exceptional learning profiles. Owner of Learn with Carlene, providing individualized instruction and educational advocacy for unique learners.

 

Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Film, Animation, and Video, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence, Rhode Island | 1998

 

Professional Experience

Learn with Carlene, Owner & Tutor | 2018–Present

  • Provide individualized tutoring for students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and executive functioning challenges

  • Support charter school and homeschool families

  • Deliver multisensory literacy and mathematics instruction

  • Assist families with educational advocacy and school accommodations

Dyslexia Connect, Dyslexia Tutor | 2015–2018

  • Provided evidence-based dyslexia intervention and literacy instruction

  • Collaborated with families to support student progress and accommodations

The Walt Disney Company, Designer | 2000–2005

Pike Productions, Inc., Animator | 1998–1999

 

Certifications

Dyslexia Training Institute

  • Dyslexia Certificate Program | 2014

  • Dyslexia Certificate Practicum | 2014–2015

  • Certified Dyslexia Advocate | 2019

Dyscalculia Training Center

  • Dyscalculia Tutor Training Certification Program | 2021

 

Professional Development

Dyslexia, Language, and Structured Word Inquiry​

  • LEXinar™: Why a Word is a Word (2025)

  • LEXinar™: Abjads for Orthographers (2024)

  • LEXinar™: Greco-English Anatomy (2023)

  • LEXinar™: Greek Ingredients (2023)

  • LEXinar™: Grammar for Grownups (Year-long, 2022)

  • LEXinar™: Latin Anatomy (2022)

  • LEXinar™: Not Angles but Angels: The History of English (Year-long, 2021–2022)

  • Structured Word Inquiry for Early Readers, Rebecca Loveless (2022)

  • LEXinar™: Etymology VIII Conference (2020, 2022)

  • LEXinar™: Linguistics for Non-Linguists (Year-long, 2021)

  • LEXinar™: Drawing Conclusions (2021)

  • LEXinar™: Default Graphemes (2021)

  • Spelling-out-loud, Pete Bowers (2020)

  • LEXinar™: The Zero Allophone (2020)

  • LEXinar™: The Spell of Spelling and the Glamour of Grammar (2020)

  • LEXinar™: InSights into Verbs (2020)

  • LEXinar™: Stress and the Schwa (2020)

  • LEXinar™: Latin Palatals (2019)

  • LEXinar™: Strong Verbs: From Old English to Today (2019)

  • LEXinar™: The Nature of the Grapheme (2019)

  • LEXinar™: The Nature of the Phoneme (2019)

  • LEXinar™: The International Phonetic Alphabet (2019)

  • LEXinar™: Old English for Orthographers (2019)

  • LEXinar™: Syllables: Fact & Fiction (2019)

  • Real Script with Rebecca Loveless (2019)

  • Spellinar: Greek for Orthographers (2019)

  • Spellinar: Latin for Orthographers I & II (2019)

  • Spellinar: Lewis and Short Latin Dictionary (2019)

  • Spellinar: Transcribing Greek (2019)

  • Spellinar: Real Script (2019)

  • Spellinar: Lexical Doublets (2019)

  • Spellinar: The Suffix -ic (2019)

  • LEXinar™: Function & Content Words (2018)

  • Structured Word Inquiry, Dyslexia Training Institute (2016)

Conferences

  • IDALA Conference, UCLA (2025)

  • 5th Annual Virtual Dyslexia Conference (2022)

  • 3rd Annual Virtual Dyslexia Conference (2019)

  • 2nd Annual Virtual Dyslexia Conference (2018)

  • 1st Annual Virtual Dyslexia Conference (2017)

 

Dyscalculia and Mathematics Education

  • NCTM Virtual Conference (2025)

  • Stern Math Zoom Training (2022)

  • Making Math Real: Overview K–12 (2022)

  • Multisensory Math Workshop, IDA Northern California (2021)

  • Dyscalculia Awareness Training, Dyscalculia Training Center (2017)

Dyscalculia-Specific Conference Training

  • Dyscalculia Seminar, Dyslexia Training Institute (2017, 2018, 2019, 2022)

 

Executive Functioning

  • International Dyslexia Association Executive Functioning Seminar (2023)

 

Advocacy

  • Dyslexia Advocacy Summit, Dyslexia Training Institute (2025)

  • Dyslexia Training Institute Advocacy Conference (2023)

  • Certified Dyslexia Advocate Training (2019)

 

Professional Memberships

  • American Mensa

  • International Dyslexia Association (IDA)

  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

 

Creative Projects

Dissolving Destinies (2012)

  • Award-winning animated film created in partnership with Brandon Strathmann.

The Plastic Perils of the Pacific (2008)

  • Award-winning animated film created in partnership with Brandon Strathmann.​​

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