About

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Melissa Osetek M.A., has been an Education Specialist in San Diego County for over 20 years. She has worked in a variety of public, nonpublic, and charter schools and with nearly every special population. 

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Melissa graduated from the University of Delaware in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary and Special Education. After graduation, she moved from Clarks Summit, PA to San Diego and immediately fell in love with life in California. Melissa currently holds a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, two Professional Clear Instructional Specialist credentials (M/M and M/S), and a Master's of Arts in Teaching with a Special Education specialization from National University. Melissa has also spent time as an ABA Therapist and completed the coursework for her BCBA through Florida Technological Institute.

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Melissa began her career working for Devereux Nonpublic School with middle and high school students going through residential treatment for Emotional Disturbances. Melissa soon excelled and became Lead Teacher and Administrative Designee upon the absence of her principal. It was during these early years that Melissa was first exposed to Orton Gillingham methodology through the Slingerland program. Years later, Melissa served as Lead Teacher and Program Director of ACES Academy, a nonpublic school for students with severe Autism. During this time, she attended the National Association for Direct Instruction Conference in Eugene, Oregon for two consecutive years. Melissa is trained in the following DI programs: Reading Mastery, Corrective Reading, Spelling with Morphographs, Horizons, Reasoning and Writing, and Connecting Math Concepts.

 

In the following years, Melissa's passion for students with learning differences grew exponentially. As a case manager in both public and charter schools, many of Melissa's students experienced Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Speech and Language Disorders. Over the years, Melissa saw the ever-growing need for better instructional strategies to teach her students to read. While working at a Learning Center in 2014, Melissa discovered the Lindamood Bell programs. She witnessed firsthand that a structured literacy approach can literally rewire a dyslexic brain. The results were phenomenal...her students made fast progress and Melissa was hooked. She went on to attend official training from the Lindamood Bell Corporate Centers in San Louis Obisbo and achieved certification in LiPS, Visualizing and Verbalizing, and Seeing Stars.

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In 2013, Melissa had begun her own private practice providing home services to students with significant behavioral needs.  After being introduced to the Science of Reading, her focus shifted to educational therapy and teaching kids to learn to read, to understand, and most of all, to understand, accept and love themselves. As her first group of young kids grew into middle and high-school students, the need for structured instruction in writing became paramount. Melissa now offers what she likes to call "All Things ELA" and supports older students with essay writing and SAT preparation...but there's still nothing better than teaching a child how to read!

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In addition to tutoring students privately, Melissa works as a special education advocate for families of students with disabilities. She leads parents through the IEP process and strives to build collaborative relationships with school teams while ensuring that all of her students' rights are exercised and protected. Melissa is an expert Educational Specialist and consults with individual schools and organizations in San Diego County. She is also a Board Member for the Pioneer Foundation, a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve life outcomes for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

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Melissa lives close to the beach in San Diego and seizes every opportunity to experience the ocean. She loves taking her Golden Retriever, Simba, to play at the beach. Simba loves to hunt for crabs in the tide pools, while Melissa looks for shells and sand dollars. She also enjoys gardening, crafting, and of course, reading.