About Us
Andrea Bishop - Founder & Owner of Upstate Literacy, LLC
Hello! I am Andrea Bishop the founder and owner of Upstate Literacy. I am also the lead literacy specialist here.
My passion for teaching struggling readers to read came through my very own journey with my youngest son. We recognized early on that he had a struggle recognizing letters, connecting letters to sounds, sequencing, etc. After a professional evaluation, we learned that he was severely dyslexic and needed a structured literacy approach to learn to read. This set this mama on a mission, not just for my son, but for all struggling readers.
I went back to college as a mama of 2 to earn an education degree from USC Upstate, became a certified South Carolina teacher, and have taken many additional certification courses to grow in my knowledge of how the brain learns best to read, the most efficient and effective strategies to help our students, etc.
We are always learning here at Upstate Literacy!
Not all of our students have a formal diagnosis of dyslexia. If you have a child who struggles to learn to read and they're just not "getting it" in their current learning environment, we'd love to be a small part of their journey and help them become successful readers.
Buiding relationships and confidence then breaking the code to reading!
I love Jesus. I am married to my best friend and we have two cool kiddos. We love to spend time with our big family and go on adventures together.
Romans 8:37-39
Kristen Burgess Reading Specialist
Hi! My name is Kristen Burgess and I am blessed to join the Upstate Literacy team. I have a B.S from Lander University and M.Ed. from Western Carolina University. I am a recently retired reading interventionist with Greenville County Schools and also have taught in K4-K5 classrooms in Beaufort County. I am excited to have the opportunity to work with older grade levels as well at Upstate Literacy.
My husband Gary and I are both from the upstate. I am from Woodruff and he is from the Berea area of Greenville. We have two grown daughters, Cayce and Carey, and two grandchildren. I love to spend time with friends and family, read and travel with my favorite vacation spot being Key West. I look forward to working with my tutoring students to be an encouraging and supportive partner in their growth and love for reading!
Gene Kearse Homeschool Support Teacher
My name is Gena Kearse and I am so excited to be working with Upstate Literacy under Andrea Bishop's leadership. Louisiana State University is my alma mater and other teaching certifications I received at Clemson. I have training and experience in structured literacy and have been a special education teacher for 20 years and am passionate about teaching children in reading, writing or math.
My husband and I live in Landrum and on weekends we enjoy exploring new areas to ride bikes. I have recently retired from the public school system and have a list of so many things I have been waiting to do ”once I have time”. I do have 12 grandchildren with tons of energy so I’m sure they will be waiting for me to take them swimming, hiking and mountain biking!
Janet Pollard Homeschool Support Teacher
My name is Janet Pollard. I am a National Board Certified, newly retired Kindergarten teacher of 28 years. I am originally from upstate New York but fell in love with the south at a young age camping along the coast with my family growing up. I moved to South Carolina after college (at SUNY Oswego) and have been here since (30 years). I can’t imagine being anywhere else!
My husband and I live in Taylors. We have 3 grown children, and 1 grandchild. We have 1 dog Moose, and 2 cats Nyx & Phoebe. In my spare time you can find me at Raja Academy of Martial Arts training (and teaching children and adults)
Muay Thai Kickboxing. I look forward to making memories
with you this year!
Alicia Bentley Reading Specialist
Hello! My name is Alicia Bentley, and I’m so excited to be part of the Upstate Literacy team! I earned my bachelor’s degree in PRTM from Clemson University and spent 10 years working full time with the YMCA, where I discovered that teaching was truly my passion. I later earned my master’s degree in Elementary Education from Grand Canyon University and currently teach first grade.
I especially love teaching phonics and getting to watch students grow in their reading skills and confidence.
When I’m not teaching, I enjoy reading and spending time outdoors with my husband, Jake, and our two kids, Naomi and Forrest. You can also catch us at a Swamp Rabbits hockey game!
Amelia Eggert Reading Specialist
Hi! My name is Amelia Eggert and I am so excited and blessed to join the Upstate Literacy team! While I am originally from Asheville, North Carolina, I attended the University of South Carolina as a Teaching Fellow. I graduated in 2023 with my degree in Elementary Education and have been teaching 6th grade ELA in Pickens County ever since! When I am not teaching, you can find me running, going on an adventure with my family, or cuddled up with my pup, Milo, and a good book.
I look forward to working with you and your students, encouraging growth and a lifelong love for reading!
Alexis Spencer Reading Specialist
My name is Alexis Spencer and I have been a proud member of the Powdersville community since 2014. I graduated from USC Upstate with my Bachelors in Elementary Education in 2021, and I am currently working on my Masters in
Learning Sciences at Clemson University.
I have my Read to Succeed endorsement, as well as a certificate in linguistics and reading comprehension from Project Read. I have been teaching since 2021. During my teaching career I have done after school tutoring for many students.
I am so excited and proud to be a part of Upstate Literacy!
Mary Matthew Enrichment Teacher
I am a retired educator with 25 years of experience teaching K-8 students in both in-person and online settings. Certified in all core subjects, as well as gifted and online teaching, I also homeschooled my own child for four years. Though I retired in 2024, I still miss sharing fascinating discoveries with kids. My passions include science - especially growing plants, beekeeping, and health - and in my spare time I love to read.
Specialized Training specifically used at Upstate Literacy..
All of our tutors are trained and experienced in a structured linguistics phonics approach (aka: speech-to-print). Our approach is very effective for beginning readers, and struggling readers, including those with dyslexia and/or dysgraphia, or any other language-based learning differences. This is the approach we use with all of our students.