Meet Our Team -Marmalade Skies Education

Our tutors help all children and specialize in tutoring children with learning differences, such as ADHD, dyslexia, and autism. While we specialize in children with learning differences, we serve any child who is below grade level in reading, writing, or math.

“All children can learn, they just need the right instruction.”

Tina Bauschatz – Founder and Director

My name is Tina Bauschatz but everyone calls me “Miss Tina” because “Bauschatz” is a mouthful! I founded Marmalade Skies in 2019 to address the need for children with challenges to receive consistent, high-quality academic support. I also saw how multidisciplinary providers (speech, occupational, behavioral) could accelerate a child’s academic progress when the providers worked together as a team. Email: MissTina@marmaladeskies.com

I graduated from Smith College in 2001 with a Bachelor’s degree in Classics, the study of ancient Greek and Latin languages and cultures. I continued to deepen my knowledge of Greek and Latin morphology by attending a post-baccalaureate program at the University of Pennsylvania and then spending two years in a doctoral program at Duke University, where I ultimately decided that becoming a Classics professor wasn’t for me. However, those years of study would lay an important foundation for teaching morphology, word roots, vocabulary, and grammatical structures to children.

In 2006, I became certified in Orton-Gillingham methodology, which is considered a highly effective, phonics-based method for teaching children with dyslexia how to read. The following year, I began a master’s program in special education at the University of Arizona, where I specialized in mild-to-moderate learning disabilities with a focus on dyslexia. Under the mentorship of Dr. Nancy Mather, a leading dyslexia expert of national renown, I entered the doctoral program at the University of Arizona in the department of Special Education and Rehabilitation.

During that time I accepted a second fellowship to learn about leadership in neurodiversity; the prestigious program was called Leadership Education in Neurodiversity (ArizonaLEND). There, I expanded my understanding of the medical perspective of disabilities in addition to the legislative perspective and family perspective. It was intensive and eye opening. By my third year in the PhD program, I was “all-but-dissertation” when a personal and family matter compelled me to leave the program. Regardless, the experience taught me about applied behavioral analysis, functional behavioral analysis, and the research surrounding dyslexia and autism.

My experience in the field is not all research and schooling; I also have a wealth of hands-on experience. My career as an educator started – as it so often does – in a classroom. My first job was as an assistant teacher at the Wilmington Friends School, in Delaware, in 2006. The school was a traditional school primarily for neuro-typical students. Even though it was my first job, I noticed that there were students who seemed to be quietly struggling with the academics. For those students, I designed and launched a modest after school program to provide them with extra support in the areas of vocabulary development, homework support, and study skills. The program was very successful and I discovered a knack for breaking down complex concepts and presenting them to children with learning challenges in ways that made sense to them.

From Delaware, I moved to Arizona where I worked as a Learning Disability Specialist and Middle School History Teacher at the Tucson Hebrew Academy. From there, I served as the Director of Special Needs Services at the Tucson Jewish Community Center(JCC) for three years. This was a turning point for my career. I was responsible for both inclusion and disability-only programs for children with special needs, from as young as 4 years old through age 30. I developed an understanding of the kinds of academic, social, and therapeutic services that children with challenges need to be successful. I got to see how those needs change as the child grows up. I got to learn about and work with state services, like the Division of Developmental Disability, how their reimbursement programs worked, and the benefits and limitations on both sides (business and family) to participating in their program.

After the JCC, I worked as the Special Education Coordinator for a small charter school district that spanned two cities. That work was very eye opening. I saw school systems could fail children with special needs. I saw how hard it is to service children who have IEPs when schools were run on a shoe string budget. I saw how – and why – schools were not always transparent with parents, why they may privately agree on which services students would benefit from but not give the child those services, usually because of a lack of financial resources and way too much red tape.

I won’t sugar coat it: that experience was scarring. But I walked away with knowledge I could use to empower parents of children in public and charter schools to request evaluations and special services and actually be heard. I used that knowledge to direct our MSE parents through the confusing process of requesting more support from their school and what the school is legally required to provide. I like to think that MSE is what special education at public schools might look like if they had all of the funding and resources possible for every student who needed them, from those with mild challenges to those with severe challenges.

Early on in my career, from 2009 to 2012, I birthed three beautiful children of my own. Two of them were diagnosed with autism and comorbid disorders at the age of 2. My journey as a mother with disabilities taught me empathy for the parenting side. It showed me the deep personal and financial sacrifices that parents of children with challenges have to make. I saw how hard it was for me – a person with connections in and education about special needs – to know what to do, who to call, and how to navigate the resources necessary to help my own children. I couldn’t even imagine how overwhelming and confusing that journey must be for a parent without that background. I quickly became a community resource for such parents. It’s why Marmalade Skies offers parents help in navigating the world of special needs, from preschool through elementary school and beyond. It’s why we wrangle parents’ multidisciplinary providers and establish team meetings for them. It’s a hard job – we’re here to help.

About Our Tutors

My goal as an educator is to get my students to become independent thinkers, learners, and doers.” (Original quote)

Taylor Riesgo

Lead Tutor

I joined Marmalade Skies Education in January of 2022 and I am honored to work alongside such a well-educated and dedicated team of tutors! I come from a background of elementary education and special education. After a couple of years as a teacher, I found myself gravitating towards working one-on-one with children. So, I switched gears and earned my Speech Language Pathologist Assistant license to further serve my passion! With a B.S. in Elementary Education, Special Education, and Communications Disorders, I thrive in individualizing plans of success for each unique learner and am beyond ecstatic about getting to play a part in your child’s growth! In my free time I love spending time outdoors and traveling, with plenty of destinations under my belt.

Email: Taylor@marmaladeskies.com

Our Team

Tina Bauschatz – Founder and Director

About Our Tutors

Taylor Riesgo

Lead Tutor

Gina Gentry

Office Manager

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