Maura Landry Harris

At the start of her career journey, Maura Landry Harris, MA earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Eastern Connecticut State University in 1988, during which time she was also granted an English Department Award for Academic Excellence. Later, in 2004, she attained a Master of Arts in special education with added classes focusing on learning differences assessment and intervention from the University of Saint Joseph. Ms. Harris subsequently gained vast experience in her field as a learning center director at the Ethel Walker School from 2002 to 2007 and as a learning strategist at the Watkinson School from 2008 to 2016. All the while she was working at these schools, she was tutoring students grades 4-college as well. It is through the places she worked but also through many years of one-on-one work with students that she saw the connection among social, emotional, and academic struggles. Furthermore, she served as a consultant for Farmington Valley Academy Montessori and as the one-on-one educational support for their students from 2018 to 2020, when COVID then forced her to continue meeting with students online, rather than in person.

During her many years of working with students, Ms. Harris has learned that those with learning disabilities have emotional and social challenges that affect one another. Social, emotional, and academic aspects of a student’s life should be incorporated into supporting them. These realms are all a part of overall education and they influence a student’s overall success in school. Her passion for helping the students overcome challenges led her to spearhead her own educational support business, SEA Educational Support, LLC, in 2016. SEA stands for social, emotional and academic support.  In her role, Ms. Harris is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the business, as well as advertising through word of mouth and referrals.

A member of the Association of Educational Therapists and the Learning Disabilities Association of America, Ms. Harris is a supporter of Autism Speaks and has worked with children on the Autism spectrum. She has also volunteered for High Hopes Therapeutic Riding supporting riders for one-on-one lessons from 1995 to 2004. Furthermore, she has been involved with All Kinds of Minds which was founded by Dr. Mel Levine. She attributes her success thus far in her career to perseverance and compassion. In five years’ time, she hopes to continue her work in educational support while pivoting more toward remote tutoring and online learning, as she hopes to be in different places while she continues managing the business. Ms. Harris recognizes a need for students to work one-on-one in order to close gaps in their learning that have emerged as a result of quarantining and full-class online learning.