Sandi and Terry Mahan

Owners -TOTEM Learning Center and Day School: 1999-2009

Sandi Mahan

Sandi began TOTEM in 1999 and has positively impacted many struggling students to achieve their academic goals. Her passion is to give students the tools they need to become independent learners.

Supplemental Education Services through Butler University in Indianapolis, IN certified Sandi in the Orton-Gillingham approach in 1993. She holds degrees in both Business Administration and Education from Texas Tech University and Cameron University. She continues to add highly effective research-based curricula to the TOTEM library. Sandi continues her expertise in multi-sensory teaching programs by attending continuing education programs for certifications, keeping TOTEM state of the art for our students.

Sandi is active in the Arizona Branch of the International Dyslexia Association, National Children with Learning Disabilities, and the Arizona Autism Association.

Teaching Experience

• Lawton Public Schools (2 yr)
• Carmel Lutheran Church (4 yr)
• Supplemental Education Service (1yr)
• Walgreens Pharmacy
• Wal-Mart Pharmacy
• Basic Learning Center (5yr)
• TOTEM Learning Center (10yr)

Terry Mahan

Terry is very committed to helping students with learning disabilities. His mission is to provide students with the best teachers, using effective multisensory teaching methods (Orton-Gillingham) and research-based curriculum, helping them successfully return to their regular classroom.

Southwestern Oklahoma University awarded Terry a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1972. After practicing as a pharmacist in Texas for 3 years, he began a 28-year career with Eli Lilly and Company. His experience and expertise over the years at Lilly was in mental health, infectious diseases, diabetes, and women’s health. After retirement from Lilly, Terry decided to take the National Pharmacy Licensing Exam and practice pharmacy in Arizona. He is a past board member and officer of the Arizona Branch of the International Dyslexia Association and attends continuing education conferences for students with LD.

Experience:

• Raff and Hall Pharmacies (3yr)
• Eli Lilly and Company (28yr)
• TOTEM Learning Center (10yr)
• Walgreens (3yr)
• Safeway Pharmacy Mgr (3yr)
• Wal-Mart (1yr)

Melanie Roth

Melanie graduated from Pace University, Pleasantville, New York, with an MBA in September 1979. Working in public accounting, she received her CPA license in April of 1981. She then went to work in private industry, including work for Paramount Pictures. The beginning of her career as a professional educator came when she went to work for a software company. Here she wrote instruction manuals and workbooks and taught young adults to use specific accounting software packages. She also wrote instruction manuals as a subcontractor.

Melanie has been working for Totem Learning Center since October 2004. Here she received intensive training in the Orton-Gillingham Method and curricula including Language!, Read Naturally, PACE, Framing Your Thoughts, Report Form, Math-U-See, Making Connections, Visualizing and Verbalizing, REWARDS, Story Form, Digi-Blocks, FAST Math, Handwriting Without Tears, Learning Ears, Making Connections, Road To The Code, Samonas Sound Therapy, and Sitton Spelling. She also received intensive training and certification from Steve Tatum the founder of the FAST Reading Program. She is certified in Crisis Prevention Intervention. Melanie has been attending the International Dyslexia Association annual seminars since 2004.

Carolyn Scheer

Carolyn Scheer has been with Totem since 2007. With a B.A. in elementary / special education and a M.A. in education administration, Carolyn adds a great deal of knowledge, expertise, and experience to our staff.

Carolyn has experience in teaching all phases of elementary education as well as special education. She has taught in both Kyrene and Mesa school districts. Her experience in these districts include the position of Special Education Director. Carolyn’s expertise can be found in reading, language arts, math, and Arizona history.

In her spare time, Carolyn runs her own business, Sun Vue Marketing, and volunteers for the Special Olympics. We are very happy to have Carolyn as a part of our Totem Team.

Lindsay Frischenmeyer

Lindsay Frischenmeyer has been a valuable part of the Totem Team since 2008. Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, Lindsay worked at a camp for children with Cerebral Palsy. It is there she found her passion, working with children who have special needs.

After graduating from high school in Memphis, Lindsay made the move to Arizona to attend Arizona State University where she successfully completed her B.A. in Cross-Categorical Special Education. After college Lindsay decided to stay in Arizona to teach students with special needs.

Lindsay has been trained in The Sonday System, Step-Up-To-Writing and several other curricula. She also trained in administering various testing for special needs children such as AIMSweb, Dibels, and the Woodcock Johnson.

Not only does Lindsay have valuable experience in working with special needs children, she also brings sincerity and dedication with her. We are happy to have Lindsay as a Totem Team member.

Debra Watland

Debra Watland is the Director of Education at Totem Learning Center and Day School. She comes to us from Virginia and has a degree in education from Northwest Missouri State University with graduate work at Drake University and Goucher College. She also has a multi-categorical special education certificate from the State of Arizona.

With 27 years of special education teaching experience plus five years as an educational diagnostician in elementary, middle and high school, Debra brings broad expertise to her position with Totem. She has been local president for The Council for Exceptional Children, served on a Special Education Advisory Board in Maryland, and taught for the Maryland Department of Education, as well as worked as a clinical faculty teacher for Virginia Commonwealth University.

"As Director of Totem Day School, I am proud to provide effective educational interventions which enable all students to achieve."

Heather Dunphy

My name is Heather Dunphy and am honored to be an academic instructor at Totem. I grew up in the Midwest and attended Purdue University for my undergraduate degree in education. My student teaching experience on the Navajo Reservation was my first glimpse of Arizona and I fell in love with this state. I returned to Indiana to pursue a job as a reading specialist and while living and teaching there, I completed my master's degree in education from Indiana University. Lured by the beautiful weather, I returned to Arizona in 2003 and have been tutoring and teaching both regular and special education children since. It is my mission to teach children to set goals, believe in themselves, and work hard to achieve anything they put their minds to. Kids are made to be free thinkers, discoverers, and explorers of new things. Totem gives children these opportunities and I am grateful for the opportunity to play a vital academic roll in the life of these students.