Melba Lingenfelter has done a lot of different things in her life, from working as a labor and delivery and ICU nurse to homeschool teaching to raising meat goats and breeding parrotlets. This summer, we're lucky to have her tutoring a Camp Spring Creek.
Melba became interested in Orton-Gillingham after learning that her middle child was dyslexic. She heard about camp at one of Susie's cursive writing workshops at a North Carolina IDA conference over a decade ago. For many years, Melba homeschooled her children. When the timing worked out, she came to camp to do an Associate Level training with Susie. So she could better serve the students she tutors in Texas, she came to camp last fall to complete a Certified Level training. Her time as a tutor this summer will help her to complete her practicum requirement for that certification.
Being at camp allows Melba to get to know her students well. After figuring out where a student's needs are, she's able come up with a plan to 'fill in those holes' in his or her learning. In addition to academics, though, the whole camp setting is incredibly important to boosting a child's confidence, she says. Everything from the structure at meal time to the camper's daily responsibilities help campers become more self assured.
In addition to tutoring, Melba has added a fun new dimension to camp with the two companions she brought along: her parrotlet Carolina and her chameleon, Freddy. Needless to say, these two pets have been very popular additions to camp.
Having lived in Uganda with her family, Melba would eventually love to return to an overseas posting to help children in missionary families to get the reading help they need while on their mission. In the meantime, she lives outside Houston with her husband.
We're thrilled to have Melba at camp this summer!
