“Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”

– John Cotton Dana

Tamara is an experienced Direct Instruction (DI) teacher, trainer, and coach. She holds a Master of Science in Special Education from the University of Oregon and Oregon teaching certificates for Basic Elementary, preprimary through grade 9, and Standard Handicapped Learner II, preprimary through grade 12. From 1992 to 1998, Tamara was a resource room/self-contained special education teacher in Shasta & Cascade Middle Schools in the Bethel School District in Eugene, Oregon. From 1998 to 2004, Tamara was a 2nd-grade teacher at Meadow View School in the Bethel School District. While at Meadow View, she served as a Teacher on Special Assignment for the school’s K-3 reading program, with responsibilities that included conducting observations of Direct Instruction reading groups, analyzing data, and providing curriculum training, in addition to her regular teaching assignment.

From 2003 through 2009, Tamara served as an Implementation Manager for NIFDI at middle and elementary schools in Guam. In 2010, she was Co-Director of Training for NIFDI, and from 2012 through 2018, she served as Director of Training Development (DOTD). Both positions involved creating, arranging, and evaluating training sessions for teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and NIFDI consultants. Tamara continues to provide DI training to teachers and administrators. Tamara is also one of two trainers for the Academy on Becoming an Effective Direct Instruction Trainer, which is an integral component of the National Direct Instruction Conference held in Eugene, OR.

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