About

My name is Paloma Strong. I am a CA credentialed classroom teacher and a Certified Wilson Practitioner. I work with students of all ages who are struggling with reading and spelling, and assist parents and educators in understanding how to help students who aren't reaching their full potential.

One of my favorite parts of my job has been understanding what is happening in the brain for people with dyslexia and other reading related learning differences. Validating for affected students and their families that there is a REASON reading and writing is hard for them. Once we acknowledge the WHY we begin to be able to alter the way reading and writing are taught to best suit the way their brains process and retain information.

Having been a struggling learner myself as a child, I was shamed and ridiculed by teachers and peers alike. In a very powerful moment standing up at the board in 4th grade with hot tears of embarrassment streaming down my freckled face, I stared at the numbers dancing around on the board. The teacher told me I was dumb. As my peers laughed, it was at this moment I vowed to become a teacher and help children feel safe, seen and loved in the classroom. 

After graduating from University with a double major in elementary education and special education, I began my dream of teaching children as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nambia, South Africa. When I returned to the US, I continued to teach in the Midwest, San Francisco and a few more countries around the world.  When I became a mother I left the classroom to run a preschool so I could be home with my own 3 boys.  I returned to the classroom a decade ago and began my journey in the world of reading and spelling difficulty at Charles Armstrong, the renowned Bay Area School for Dyslexic Learners.

I continue to devote my life to helping children let go of their fear of making mistakes and that negative story in their heart. It is like magic that this experience of being seen and understood can open a child’s mind to learning with confidence as they embrace the growth mindset necessary to be a resilient learner who understands their different needs, can advocate for those needs, and be their own voice.

  • "I started working with Paloma when I was in second grade. I hadn’t really started to be able to read then. I used to think that I just wasn’t as good at reading as the other kids in my class and thought something was wrong with me. When I was feeling discouraged about being dyslexic, Paloma made special activities to help me understand that dyslexia is actually my superpower. My superpowers are being able to imagine things, pick patterns up quickly, being able to see how things work and why they work that way, and being able to picture things in my mind in 3D. I didn’t know that about myself before! It’s really fun and interesting working with Paloma. Every day I learn something I didn’t know and I leave feeling smarter and knowing more every time. Every time I see her, she gives me a big hug. She’s excited to work with me and I know she wants me to get what I need. I feel respected and loved by her and can’t imagine going through school without Paloma to support me (and I’m really good at imagining)! I’m in fifth grade and now I’m flying through books. I sneak read at night with my kindle on dark mode past bedtime, even when my parents think I’m sleeping. I never would have been able to do that without Paloma."

    C.N., current client (5th grade)

  • "Paloma has, unequivocally, changed the trajectory of our son’s life. We have had the privilege of partnering with her for the past three years, and have witnessed our son’s transformation from a frustrated child who struggled to blend sounds or break down basic three-letter words to a confident reader who is ready for middle school. Her approach is compassionate and joyful; he is excited to work with her each week and comes home buzzing about the fun games they play and the new strategies he has learned. Paloma has not only destigmatized reading differences but has made dyslexia cool. Our son knows his strengths, understands his struggles, and has become a fierce self-advocate as a direct result of his work with Paloma. She has also supported us at every step in navigating the IEP process and in advocating for our son at school. As a teacher, she’s a true expert. She moves seamlessly between evaluation of skills to methodical multisensory instruction, and knows exactly how to engage her students at every age and stage. She teaches with incredible skill and even greater heart. We are beyond grateful for Beyond Tutoring."

    D.N. & S.N., current client parents

  • “Paloma is the best tutor I’ve ever had. She’s patient, kind, encouraging, and always helps me feel like I can do hard things. Even when I’ve had a hard day at school, she talks through it with me and I always feel better. I look forward to our sessions every week because she’s so bright and positive…like the sun! I’m really lucky to have her.”

    C.M., current client (5th grade)

  • “We feel so incredibly fortunate to have found Paloma. She has truly been a blessing not just in our son’s life, but in our whole family’s life as well. Paloma has skillfully supported our son not only in learning to read and navigating the challenges of dyslexia, but also in helping him see the strengths and “superpowers” that come with it. To parents of a child who has these challenges, this is absolutely priceless. Paloma is such a positive and bright light in our son’s life… both academically and emotionally. She meets him (and every child) with such warmth, patience, and inspiration. Paloma truly sees and champions each child’s unique gifts and her dedication to her student's success is a gift. We are so grateful for everything she does for our son on a weekly basis — he absolutely adores her, and so do we.”

    R.M. & S.M., current client parents

  • "We are so grateful to have found Paloma. Since our daughter began working with her, we’ve seen a huge increase in her reading engagement and confidence. She has made major strides in both reading fluency and comprehension, and she loves going to her sessions. Paloma is such a gifted teacher. She is not only extremely knowledgeable in best reading practices, she cares deeply about her students and has a special way of making them feel seen and understood. She makes learning fun, and takes a genuine interest in her as a person. It’s clear she knows our daughter well and tailors her instruction in a way that supports her growth. Paloma’s reputation among teachers is incredible, and now we understand why. We couldn’t be happier with the progress our daughter has made and the joy she now feels around reading."

    A.M., current client parent

  • "Paloma is a truly exceptional tutor! She has been incredibly instrumental in helping my child with remediation and also building confidence. She is one of the few folks who is Wilson certified in the area, meets in person and also works on the SEL perspective! Not to mention she has prior experience as a teacher - she truly is an expert in this space. She has an innate ability to make your child feel good about themselves despite this work being hard for them. Her ability to create those positive relationships makes learning seamless! That in itself is incredibly hard to find and absolutely priceless. She’s the only tutor that my child looks forward to seeing and cheers “yay” when it's a Paloma session day. I feel beyond fortunate to have my child learn and grow with Paloma, absolutely recommend her!"

    J.M., current client parent