Teaching Teachers: Mrs. Felix

TEACHING TEACHERS

How life experiences fuel Natalie Felix's passion

“The impact that dyslexia has on a person and family is lifelong. Our teachers in Georgia want to reach their students ... I am there to do my part. Now, off to train more teachers.” —Natalie Felix

Ever wonder what drives someone? For Natalie Felix, her pursuit of becoming an Academy of Orton-Gillingham (OGA) Practitioners and Educators Fellow was driven by her passion to train teachers who have the itch to learn how to best provide instruction to students with a dyslexia diagnosis. How did her passion start? Her son is dyslexic and did not receive remediation from a place like Swift School.

Mrs. Felix stated, “My son is dyslexic, and my son is also quite intelligent. You see, successful dyslexia remediation has nothing to do with intelligence, but it has everything to do with quality intervention using the Orton-Gillingham Approach.”

After working at a small school that had many dyslexic students, Mrs. Felix told her husband that she wanted to become Orton-Gillingham trained. She found Swift School through a former co-worker and began teaching here in 2010-11. While she wanted to obtain OG Certification, at first, her intention was never to become a fellow.

Little did she know that intention would soon change. Most of her training and mentorship came from Swift's Fellow of Record, Joanie Gerkin. After spending time as a classroom teacher and learning support specialist at Swift School, Mrs. Felix began to set her sights on teaching training.

Mrs. Felix wanted to work with teachers and train them, so she worked to become an OG Fellow. During the school year, she oversees practicums, and each summer, she conducts a 70-hour Orton-Gillingham Associate Level course for incoming Swift teachers and educators throughout the Southeastern United States.

Step into her training sessions and you will see firsthand the passion and preparation that goes into her instruction. To learn about offerings for the summer of 2023, please scan the QR code.