Reflections on Education and Growth

Today, I’m starting a blog series about schooling, learning, and growing as a whole person. My goal is to help parents find the right balance so they can support their child in becoming a strong reader and writer, while remembering that every child’s path is unique.

Focusing on helping our kids become strong readers and writers allows them think for themselves. Instead of worrying about grade levels or comparing them to others, we can see where our child is and help them move forward.

I’m sharing this as someone who struggled with reading. I also went to college and earned two bachelor’s degrees: one in communication speech disorders and another in elementary education with a minor in early education.

People thought I was a good student. I got As and Bs, asked questions, and got along with teachers. But as I got older, I realized I didn’t understand what I'd been taught or how to connect it to real life. I didn't know how to read unfamiliar words. I memorized guides, watched videos, and asked questions. I scored extremely low on the ACT, and it wasn't that I was a bad test taker it was I had a weak vocabulary and didn't understand what I was reading or couldn't read the words.

Being a good student doesn’t always mean developing true reading or critical thinking skills.

I’ve become a better reader and thinker by studying topics like linguistics, speech-to-print, the science of reading, and how people learn. I am greatly indebted to Marnie Ginsberg over and Reading Simplified and Nora Chahbazi at EBLI.

As long as we’re alive, we’re always learning and changing, for better or worse. Even if we aren’t strong readers, we can still be helpful and do well in life.

BUT when you build strong reading and writing skills, you open many opportunities. It helps you find your voice, explore topics more deeply, and grow your vocabulary. I’ve noticed that once I understood how English works, I started noticing words I used to miss both orally and in print. Now, I’m more curious and look up words I don’t know while reading or to map them out to discover a new sound spelling.

Imagine if we stopped feeling like we had to teach every subject and finish every part of the curriculum. What if we focused on teaching reading in a connected way, using a speech-to-print approach, and then let our kids read real books about topics they care about or need to learn to better understand the world?

I’m not saying kids have to read everything. But by completing a targeted explicit lesson and 30 to 60 minutes of reading an authentic text a day with explicit feedback, they build their reading skills. After that, they can learn in other ways too.

Sometimes, when we struggle with reading, we don’t see the gift it can give us. But once it clicks, and we get to choose what we read and learn, it becomes much more meaningful.

I don’t think every child needs to read all the classics or only read certain types of books. I want them to have the skills to read what they need and want to learn and then choose anything else they like. Some kids don’t enjoy fiction, and that’s okay. We should help them build strong reading skills and encourage them to try different kinds of books. Let their reading guide their choices and let them put down one book and pick up another if they want.

Reading shouldn’t be about grade levels or being told exactly what to read. Reading is about connecting with real people’s ideas—whether to entertain, inform, or challenge us. There’s so much to explore, so we should help our kids see that books are a journey.

Our kids are capable of understanding big ideas through writing and forming new neural pathways. Reading and writing are both skills to develop. Learning happens through rich language, asking questions, reflecting, and writing down their thoughts. We want to help our kids figure out what’s true and develop their own beliefs.

In the weeks to come, we’re going to talk about different approaches to learning—and I’m going to ask questions that might challenge how you’ve always done school. Not to make you feel guilty, but to help you stop running on autopilot. You don’t need a perfect curriculum. You need clarity about what you want your child to become, along with a few solid habits that actually move you toward that goal.

I hope you’ll join me on this journey! To make sure you don’t miss any posts, sign up for the email list. If you have questions or want to share a struggle or success, please e-mail me at [email protected] —I’d love to hear from you.