My Journey:
From Behind the Lens
to Literacy
Working as a structured literacy practitioner is a second career for me, following many years working as a food photographer in New York. Originally raised on Vancouver Island, my professional path lead me from earning a BFA from the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design (now ecuad.ca) to photographing chefs in restaurant kitchens all over the US, and back to a small island in Canada.
While capturing stories through a lens was a rewarding chapter of my life, my focus has shifted toward helping children learn to read and write. According to data from the International Dyslexia Association, as many as 15-20% of children across North America struggle with dyslexia, which exists on a spectrum from mild to severe, and often goes undiagnosed throughout school.
These days, I bring my eye for detail, creative problem-solving, and patience into my practice to provide students with the explicit, predictable tools they need to replace reading frustration with reliable skills and build genuine confidence. By blending my creative background with structured literacy, I build engaging, individualized lessons where students feel seen, supported, and encouraged.
Testimonial
Feedback from a salt spring island Parent:“Working with Jen has been game changer for my son and for our family. My son has a dyslexia diagnosis and language decoding is very challenging for him. We began working with Jen when my son was entering grade 5. Up until this point, he had not met grade level expectations in his reading or writing. For years we had tried working with him at home, but this often led to tears and frustration for all of us. After 3 months of working with Jen twice a week, he achieved grade level expectations in reading and writing. This was an incredible moment for him. In our time working with Jen, we have witnessed a transformational shift in his outlook and mental health as a result – instilling in him a knowing that he is smart – just required different tools and strategies to decode language than what was being taught in the classroom.
Jen is an exceptional teacher – she has developed the tools and strategies that work for kids that struggle with language decoding. She is exceptionally well organized, creative, caring and patient in her approach. My son is in his second year working with Jen. He just started French Immersion this year which seemed like an impossible dream for him two years ago, however with Jen’s support in his English language decoding he had the confidence to try.”