Catie Kesterson

Catie Kesterson is a 6th and 7th Grade English Language Arts Teacher and Dyslexia Therapy Teacher at Spring Valley School. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Southeast Missouri State University and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri. Catie brings eleven years of experience in public middle school and six years in public elementary school special education before becoming an English language teacher at Spring Valley in 2021.

She is a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) and a Certified Academic Language Practitioner (CALP). Catie is also an Alabama-certified and highly qualified teacher in middle school English language arts, elementary education, and special education. Throughout her teaching career, she has served on various leadership, accreditation, and Response-to-Intervention committees. In 2023, she was honored to be featured alongside a student in a Spring Valley School video.

Catie sponsors the Story Club and participates in the AMBUCS bike-building service project. In her free time, she enjoys reading, swimming, walking, and taking trips with her family.

Catie values Spring Valley School’s focus on providing specialized instruction in an environment tailored for students with diverse learning differences. She is grateful for the opportunity to become a Certified Academic Language Practitioner and to pursue her goal of becoming a Certified Academic Language Therapist through her experience at Spring Valley.

Her students particularly enjoy the novel studies, becoming engrossed in the plots and the struggles and triumphs of the characters. Catie emphasizes the importance of Multisensory Structured Language Education (MSLE) for students with dyslexia, highlighting that early intervention is crucial. She believes that students do not have to fail first to begin receiving the necessary dyslexia therapy for academic success.

At Spring Valley, the low teacher-to-student ratio ensures that students receive the accommodations and attention they need to thrive academically. The dyslexia therapy groups are intentionally small, providing students with the daily multisensory structured language therapy essential for their learning. All therapists at Spring Valley are CALTs or CALPs, or are actively pursuing these specialized certifications after receiving intensive instruction and participating in practicums through the Neuhaus Education Center.