Hello! My name is Kathleen Lavallee. I lived in Birmingham, AL from the time I was born until I got married in May 2010. I went to Catholic school growing up - all the way from Kindergarten through 12th grade. In elementary, school I struggled to learn how to read. It took a lot of extra tutoring from my mom and many other people who cared about me to teach me to read. This struggle to learn how to read led to struggling in learning how to study. With many years of practice and hard work, I began to improve in school - I had created my own "tool kit" of study habits and methods. These tough times have inspired my passion for helping struggling learners. In high school, I was able to use my "tool kit" to succeed in school. All of the work I put into learning and study skills in the previous years taught me how to study and manage my time. This allowed me to manage the volleyball, basketball, and softball teams and still earn good grades!
After high school, I went to college at Samford University where I majored in Elementary and Special Education. In college, I babysat/tutored for a couple of different families. I loved this job, but I thought that it was just something that I was meant to do while I was in college. I am excited to have the opportunity to dedicate all of my time to tutoring!
I have been married to my husband, David, since 2010. After we got married, we moved to Starkville, MS while he finished graduate school. In Starkville, I worked at the local elementary school. For the first two years I taught 1st grade, and for the 3rd year I taught Special Education Resource. I enjoyed teaching and learned a lot, but after three years of teaching I realized how much I LOVED working with students in a one on one setting. During my third year of teaching, I began tutoring students with dyslexia in the afternoons. This confirmed my passion for tutoring: even after a long day at school, I looked forward to coming home to tutor!
We now live in Madison, AL, with our two young children: Ellie and Charlie. My husband is working as an aerospace engineer. We have one dog named Bella. We love to spend time as a family going on walks and doing different activities with our kids.
If your child is struggling with reading, spelling, and/or comprehension please contact me. I am happy to answer any questions that you may have!
Kathleen Lavallee
256-690-8947