Colleen Jones and Lynda Morse are new to Jackson Academy this year, but not new to success with differentiated learning. Each brings a special set of skills to JA as our school’s newest Academic Resource Center facilitators.

Colleen Jones

Jones is an ARC facilitator for fifth and sixth grades. She has previously taught at St. Anthony Catholic School in Madison, in the Jackson Public School System, and at Christ Covenant, where she was a reading interventionist as well as the Director of Student Services and Learning Lab Director. She is currently completing a master’s in education in curriculum and instruction through Louisiana State University in Shreveport.

“We are so excited to get Colleen on campus to work with our support team. She has been a vital interventionist in the local area and brings much experience both as a dyslexia therapist and classroom teacher,” said JA’s Director of Learning Diversity Beth Murray. “Her enthusiasm for the art of teaching is evident in her daily interactions with students and faculty.”

Q&A with Colleen Jones

For our readers, how would you explain being a reading interventionist?

A reading interventionist is an incredibly rewarding job that involves first assessing readers’ individual strengths and areas of opportunity for growth. Once these have been determined, an interventionist develops a formal plan for addressing students’ needs while accentuating their strengths. While working individually or in small groups with students, an interventionist also collaborates with classroom teachers to provide academic support for students. One of the most critical roles of an interventionist is building strong relationships with students and their parents and then serving as a cheerleader, encourager, and motivator throughout the schooling journey.

How does that benefit students at JA?

Because I have had the opportunity to work with students with varying academic needs, I understand the struggles they face. I am also able to apply my knowledge of research-based educational practices to help them approach their coursework with confidence.

You are currently working on a master’s in education in curriculum and instruction at LSU Shreveport. What does an advanced degree bring to your work with 5th and 6th-grade students in the Academic Resource Center?

Much has changed in the field of education since I completed my undergraduate work in 1990. Working on my master’s is allowing me to gain exposure to the newest, most effective teaching methods, which better serve today’s generation of students.

Tell us about your experience at JA so far. What do you enjoy about the environment here?

I am so glad to be at JA!! The warm welcome I have received from the staff and families has been such a blessing. I am proud to be part of JA, where it is obvious that students are mutually challenged, encouraged, and supported.

Lynda Morse

A certified academic therapist, Upper School ARC Facilitator Lynda Morse has taught in New Orleans and at St. Andrews Episcopal School in Madison. Her bachelor’s degree is from the University of Mississippi, and her master’s degree is from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

“Lynda has been in the world of intervention for most of her career,” said Murray. “I am so excited to have her expertise added to the ARC team, as she brings many years of training and teaching. Lynda’s insight into accommodation and intervention is ever-present in her daily work with her students and in her collaboration with faculty.”

Q&A with Lynda Morse

What does it mean to be a certified academic therapist?

According to the Academic Language Therapy Association, “Certified Academic Language Therapists provide diagnostic, explicit, systematic Multisensory Structured Language intervention which builds a high degree of accuracy, knowledge, and independence for students with written-language disorders, including dyslexia.”

How does that benefit students?

For students, it means I have a toolbox of cumulative and sequential methods/procedures/strategies to pull from to teach to the individual needs of the student.

You are a charter member of the Southern Multisensory Structured Language Institute. What does that organization do? What is your role?

The institute was created to offer learning therapy instruction for individuals interested in working with students and adults who have dyslexia or related language-learning disorders, starting in the early 1990s. My role as a charter member is to promote understanding of dyslexia and other language learning disorders by offering training, workshops, and language therapy.

Tell me about your experience at JA so far. What do you enjoy about the environment here?

I LOVE our “All for One” environment. Everyone really does work together as a community to help promote each other, students, and teachers alike. The “All for One” motto is well represented by my new Upper School ARC family.

Please join JA in welcoming Colleen and Lynda to the JA family!