Learning How to Better Help Struggling Readers

My first year of teaching included 10 observations, and the learning curve was steep.

At the time, I hadn't been taught how to explicitly teach phonics and decoding. I began to realize that while worksheets might give children practice, completing a worksheet wasn't necessarily teaching a struggling reader how to read.

I wanted to understand what these children needed.

So I kept learning.

Over the years, I pursued professional development and earned my master's degree in Educational Technology. I learned more about reading instruction, decoding, and how children develop literacy skills. Eventually, I completed a dyslexia certification program, including the practicum, and participated in dyslexia advocacy training.

That training changed the way I understood struggling readers.

I learned what dyslexia is—and what it isn't. I learned that it is much more than reversing letters or confusing a b and a d. And I began to understand why some very bright children can struggle so much with reading.

Looking back, I wish I had known then what I know now.

I can think of students I taught years ago who may have been struggling with dyslexia. At the time, I didn't fully understand what they needed or how to provide the kind of explicit reading instruction that could have helped them.

That realization changed the teacher I became.

It also strengthened my determination to keep learning so I could better understand and support the children sitting in front of me.

Helping Children Discover That They Can Become Readers

Today, after 31 years of teaching and as a Certified Dyslexia Practitioner, helping struggling readers is where my heart is.

When I meet a child who has struggled with reading, I don't want them to believe that something is wrong with them or that reading will always feel this hard.

I want them to know:

“You can learn this, and we're going to work through it together.”

When a child guesses at a word, we slow down.

We listen for the sounds. We break the word apart. We look at the letters and patterns. Then we work through it together.

Instead of asking a child to guess, I want to give them tools they can use the next time they come to a word they don't know.

Little by little, something begins to change.

A word that once seemed impossible becomes a word they can read. Then another. And another.

And with those successes often comes something just as important—confidence.

I've seen what can happen when a child finally receives the instruction, encouragement, and practice they need.

I remember one third-grade student who decoded nearly everything sound by sound. Each week, she faithfully brought in her reading log and continued reading at home. With the work she did in the classroom and at home, she eventually progressed two grade levels in reading, and the slow, laborious reading I had seen began to disappear.

Those are the moments when I'm likely to jump up and down, say:

“Yes! Yes! Yes!”

…and probably do a little happy dance.

Because when a child realizes, “I can do this,” something changes.

I've watched children who once tried to disappear in the classroom begin raising their hands. I've watched them become more willing to participate, take chances, and try something that once felt too difficult.

And one of the best things I can hear from a parent is:

“She is so much more confident in reading than she was before.”

That's why I do what I do.

Before I Tell You About Me, I Want to Hear About Your Child

When a parent comes to me worried about their child's reading, my first response isn't to list my credentials.

I want to listen.

What does homework look like at home?

What is the teacher seeing at school?

Where does your child become frustrated?

What happens when they come to a word they don't know?

Are there reading difficulties in your family?

What have you already tried?

And most importantly:

What are you seeing in your child?

I want to understand as much as I can before we talk about what comes next.

Then we can discuss where your child may be getting stuck and how my 31 years of teaching experience, dyslexia training, and specialization in reading instruction may help.

Your child doesn't need to hide because reading is hard.

Let's figure out where your child is getting stuck, give them the tools they need, and help them discover that they really can become a reader.

Let's Talk About Your Child

If you're worried about your child's reading and aren't sure what to do next, let's start with a conversation.

Tell me what you're seeing. I'll listen, answer your questions, and help you determine what the next step could look like.