Greetings to my Crestview Elementary School parents and students. My name is Bernadette Long and I, along with Ms. Bertha Guzman, bilingual dyslexia therapist, are responsible for providing therapy and support to our incredible dyslexic students on campus. 

I have always been passionate about literacy. From the moment that I learned to read, at the age of 7 in South Africa, I have immersed myself in fantastical woven stories of faraway places and been able to satisfy every craving for information from an encyclopedia or from a musty-dusty old book from the public library. I read everything that I could find, from an entire set of Childcraft Encyclopedia's to a set of Worldbook Encyclopedia's, to then later on, every snippet of a self-deemed "interesting topic" on the internet or within the pages of a journal. I thought that this was how everybody interacted with literature and I was surprised when my own sister had reading problems as well as, later on, my youngest daughter. That curiosity about how dyslexia presents itself and how it can be supported to ensure success in the classroom and in life, has led me to where I am today. 

I have been fortunate to be selected to receive Take Flight dyslexia intervention training as I was the recipient of a scholarship from the Academic Language Therapy Association (www.altaread.org). I am excited about serving the students on our campus, and watching them blossom and flourish. Most importantly, related to literacy, I know that each of our students has their own interests and talents, and I want to enable their abilities to access literacy, in order to support their growth as well-rounded, knowledgeable and responsible human beings. We never know if within our classrooms, if we have the next president, the next great doctor, the next scientist who will resolve all of our energy issues, or an amazing humanitarian that will touch the lives of all. Our students are a precious gift!

I have previously taught math, reading, social studies and science.

In the 2022-2023 school year, I will also be supporting our robotics club on campus!