Bios

HPS Dyslexia Team Bios

Teamwork

Karen Ivers

Karen Ivers

Karen Ivers has taught in the Hope School District since the 1996-1997 school year.  She has a Bachelors in Early Childhood Education and is K-6 certified. She holds a Masters in Reading and is a Reading Specialist. Karen also holds a certification in Reading Recovery and is a Certified Reading Interventionist. Her more current role for the Hope School District is the District Dyslexia Coordinator where she works as a Dyslexia Therapist and is a Certified Academic Language Therapist which includes 700 clinical hours and 200 classroom hours.

Janet Gordon

Janet Gordon

Janet Gordon has been an educator since 1970. She has taught second grade, fourth grade, and has been a Title 1 Reading teacher during her twenty four years in the classroom.  She has served as assistant principal and principal at Prescott Elementary School. After three years in retirement, Janet returned to the classroom where she taught first grade at Clinton Primary School. After one year in first grade, she became a Literacy Instructional Facilitator for Clinton Primary School. In the 2020-2021 school year, Janet started Take Flight through Scottish Rite.

Charlotte McCauley

Charlotte McCauley

Charlotte McCauley comes to Hope School District with 34 years of experience in education. She has a B.S.E. in Elementary Education and holds a M. Ed. in Gifted and Talented. She has taught 1st-grade, 3rd-grade, 5th-grade & 6th-grade. She returned at the end of the 2020-21 school year after 8 years as a Gifted and Talented Coordinator and Facilitator. Charlotte is looking forward to returning to work at CPS as a Reading Interventionist. She is married to Gary McCauley and they are blessed with 3 children and 5 amazing grandchildren.

Javonna Johnson

Javonna Johnson

Javonna earned her B.S.E  in Elementary Education from Ouachita Baptist University in 1988.  She was a gifted and talented aide for Hope Public Schools for one year then taught first grade for eleven years.  Her heart went out to her first graders who struggled with reading. In 2000 she was trained in Reading Recovery with UALR and learned new ways to help struggling readers. Being able to work with Reading Recovery students and literacy groups was very rewarding.  In 2016 she added Dyslexia Therapy from UALR and learned how to teach children with dyslexia.  She loves to see lightbulbs come on when struggling readers and writers have success and to provide students with encouragement to never give up. Her current role is as a Dyslexia Interventionist for students in grades 1-4 with an emphasis as a 2nd grade Interventionist. 

Javonna is married to Gary Johnson and they have an amazing son named Davis.


Cindy Finstrom

Christy Grimmett

Christy Grimmett is new to Hope Public Schools this year, but for the past nine years she has taught 3rd grade ELA/Social Studies, as well as dyslexia intervention. She received her Bachelor of Science in Education in 2015, and a Masters in Special Education in 2019, both from Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, Arkansas. She has been trained in multiple dyslexia and reading intervention programs. 

When she’s not reading or researching about reading, she enjoys hanging out with her husband, 3 sons, and 2 dogs. 

She looks forward to an incredible school year and to working with the exceptionally talented staff and students in Hope Public Schools!

Alyssa Rector

Alyssa Rector

Alyssa Rector has worked for the Hope School District since 2016. In these years, she has taught Fourth Grade Literacy and is now a dyslexia therapist. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education where she is certified in 4-8 Language Arts and Social Studies. In the 2021-2022 school year, Alyssa completed Take Flight through Scottish Rite. She is completing the Qualified Instructor (QI) Certification Program to become a trainer for the Take Flight program. She looks forward to becoming a Certified Take Flight Trainer and helping students find a love for reading.

Tina Smith

Tina Smith

Tina Smith has been married for 30 years and has two children and four grandchildren.  She has taught at Clinton Primary for 19 years.  She taught 1st grade for 6 years and 3rd grade for 8 years.  Tina has been teaching Dyslexia Therapy for 4 years and has loved every minute of working with these amazing students. Tina is a Certified Academic Language Therapist and is completing the Qualified Instructor Program for Take Flight. She will has her Master’s in Reading with a specialty in Dyslexia. She looks forward to many years to come working with such talented and intelligent students. She is  so blessed to have been given this opportunity.

Holly Hooker

Holly Hooker

Holly Hooker has taught in the Hope School District since 2015. She completed Take Flight through Scottish Rite and is a Certified Academic Language Therapist. Holly has been accepted to the Qualified Instructor Program to become a trainer for Take Flight. She has a Bachelor of Science in Education and her Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. In her years of teaching, Holly has taught Third Grade literacy, Fourth Grade math and science, and, is now a Dyslexia Therapist. Holly is married to Tony Hooker and is blessed with two daughters, Kaitie, Kinley and son-in-law, Hunter.  She is excited to continue working with the incredible students and staff of HPS.