Who we are…
jorie stryker
Owner
Dyslexia Specialist K-4 & Educational Consultant
Jorie always knew she wanted to be a teacher as a young child. She has a natural ability to connect with her students and make them feel at ease. Jorie keenly understands the obvious and not-so-obvious insecurities and behaviors that children with learning differences may display. She consistently approaches these circumstances with empathy, patience, and kindness.
Jorie graduated from Principia College in southern Illinois with a B.A. in Elementary Education and Art History in 1996. A native of the Midwest, she began her teaching career in the suburbs of Chicago, where she was a 2nd-grade teacher in public schools for four years. After meeting her husband, Jason, she moved to Richmond, Virginia, where she taught 3rd grade. A new adventure took them to Houston, Texas, where Jorie transitioned to private school education and taught 4th Grade Social Studies at St. John's School for four years. It is here where Jorie was at the peak of her career, gaining much insight and professional development while working for independent schools. She was instrumental in establishing the routines of departmentalizing the 4th grade for the first time, with much focus on the executive functioning needs of students of this age
Another move took Jorie to Baltimore, Maryland, where she focused on raising her two daughters for the next eight years. She worked as a substitute teacher for several independent schools in the area and was a Teacher Associate for 1st grade at St. James Academy.
With a final relocation to Mount Pleasant, SC, in 2015, Jorie and her family settled their roots. She continued her substitute teaching as she got to know the various schools in the area, working at Ashley Hall, Charleston Day School, and Mason Preparatory School. She was hired as a Teacher Assistant at Mason Prep for 2nd and 3rd grade and pursued professional development in dyslexia and other learning differences. After doing her Associate Level training in Orton-Gillingham through the Orton-Gillingham Academy of Practitioners and Educators, Jorie was hired as the Lower School Learning Specialist at Christ Our King-Stella Maris School. She revamped and defined the program for the school by incorporating many processes and procedures for supporting students with learning differences. She also helped to identify students for private psycho-educational evaluations. Jorie provided one-on-one and small group intervention and pushed it into classrooms, with the Lower School providing additional differentiation and individualized instruction. She led many meetings with parents, teachers, and educational evaluators regarding student accommodations and also led several teacher training sessions in working with students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD. This included presenting for teachers and administrators of the Diocese of Charleston at the South Carolina Catholic Schools annual conference in Columbia, SC.
Inspired by the need for more quality resources and academic intervention for families in the Charleston community, Jorie went on to establish Letters Made Simple, LLC (LMS) in 2019. School Search Made Simple evolved as a branch of LMS in 2020 during the midst of the COVID pandemic when many families were impacted by the changes in education, and the need to understand the various private school options grew even more.
In her free time, Jorie lives an active lifestyle with her family and friends, enjoying the outdoors of the Lowcountry. She loves traveling, bird watching, playing cards, mahjong, and needlepoint. Jorie's daughters attend the 12th grade at Ashley Hall and the 9th grade at Porter-Gaud.
