by Gwen Cox, Signing Time Academy Director
Happy anniversary, Signing Time Academy! We are excited to introduce you to three new members of Associate Director (AD) team: Melisa Mons, our new AD for the Central Atlantic Region, Margot Holmes, our new AD for the Atlantic Northeast Region, and Jamie Henry, our new AD for our Instructors in the U.S. military. Please read their bios below and join me in welcoming them to this fabulous Instructor support team!
Melisa Mons
Melisa Mons – Central Atlantic Region: Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Virginia, West Virginia. Also: British Isles (England, Scotland, Ireland), Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Greenland, Iceland. smile@signingtimeacademy.com
Hi, I’m Melisa pronounced Me Lisa. I’ve been married for almost 11 years to the man of my dreams. We have 2 boys and a girl. I’ve lived in 7 states from the west coast to the east coast, and we even lived in France for 5 months. I’m currently in Philadelphia while my husband Brad finishes his medical residency in ENT. East Coast living has been an incredible experience for this small-town girl and I’m grateful to be here.
Since the first time I saw Linda on Sesame Street, I have been enchanted with American Sign Language. When I got to college, I took every ASL class offered and loved every minute of it. When people asked me what I wanted to do for work, I always said that I wanted to do something with ASL. But instead, I ended up working other jobs until I left the workforce after the birth of my first baby. It was then my aunt told me about Signing Time. Oh, how my family loves Signing Time!
When they announced the Signing Time Academy, it was like they were talking directly to me. A chance for me to follow my dreams. I stalked, I mean closely followed, the announcements and jumped right in when the Academy started, becoming one of the first 10 Instructors. Becoming an Associate Director is an amazing opportunity for me to be immersed in what I love, sharing the benefits of ASL. I am thrilled to be part of Signing Time Academy. I know that it can change lives. It has changed mine!
Margot Holmes
Margot Holmes – Atlantic Northeast Region: Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey. Also: Europe. margot@signingtimeacademy.com
Hi! My name is Margot Holmes. I started signing while working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and have continued to use it with children with special needs for over 5 years. I taught my own children sign early on and have always been amazed at their amazing communication skills. I am currently finishing up my Bachelor’s degree in Child Psychology and I hope to someday achieve my Master’s in Speech and Language Pathology.
We started learning ASL through the Signing Time program and though I have pursued other avenues to learn as well, Signing Time remains my absolute favorite! I am so excited to be a part of the Signing Time Academy and to have the opportunity to serve as Associate Director for the Atlantic Northeast Region. I have lived in the Upper Valley area of Vermont and New Hampshire my whole life. I love New England and am happy to be sharing Signing Time with those around me.
Jamie Henry
Jamie Henry – Instructors in all branches of the U.S. Military jamie@signingtimeacademy.com
My name is Jamie Henry and I am a military spouse and mother to three very unique children. My husband is career active duty Army and we married, as high school sweethearts, many years ago. I am a Master Signing Time instructor with the Academy. Through my company, Jamie’s Signing Stars, I work with children, adults, professionals, and educational facilities to share the benefits of using ASL vocabulary.
I am also a full time student working on my BA in Psychology with a Minor in Child Development. I started my journey a short distance ago after using the support materials with my middle child, son, age 5, which has Sensory Processing Disorder. He has responded well to the materials as he was a delayed talker with speech problems. Seeing first -hand how wonderful this company is and what it stands for drew me in and I have not regretted it.
My oldest has scoliosis and we are currently testing for petite mal seizures, while my youngest, age 3, is extremely active and his mind needs to be constantly stimulated. She signs the most as she enjoys doing so the most. God has blessed me with a wonderful opportunity to share my experiences with others and help them through their difficult times in life. Our family has survived many deployments and lengthy separations from my husband, their father, and this has created a great amount of emotional distress in our children. Signing is a great way for them to take the stress away from sharing what is on their mind and coping with their feelings.
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Christine Fitzgerald, Master Signing Time Academy Instructor has teamed up with the Signing Time Foundation to present Emmy Nominated Rachel Coleman live in Burbank, CA!
