Deborah Hanson Austin, TX

Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Teaching Award Winners

Deborah Hanson
ELAR Teacher & Campus Dyslexia Coordinator

I am an English Language Arts & Reading teacher for the Austin ISD’s Alternative Satellite Campus at Travis County Day School. I am also the Dyslexia Campus Coordinator and Lead Reading Teacher. I have worked with at-risk students for the last 30 years, including incarcerated juveniles in Texas for 7 of those years. I began teaching back in 1988, working with high school dropouts, ex-offenders, and displaced workers. That experience and working with children in the foster care system inspired me to return to college to obtain my MS in Special Education. I knew that with my experience and the right approach, I could help at-risk and special needs students improve their lives through education. Throughout my teaching career, language mastery has stood out as the biggest challenge for at-risk students, specifically reading and writing proficiency. It has become my focus and my passion to provide at-risk students with access to tailored reading and writing instruction, positive reinforcement, and sufficient support so that they can see results. With that they begin to see themselves and their future differently. They become more inclined to keep going and are more invested in the process. My heart is invested in this work.