Some Parents are afraid to teach their child to read because Parents believe they are imposter teachers. Not true at all. Parents are a child's most important teacher. We are our children's first teacher and I believe we can set a strong foundation of literacy for our children if we are supported by our community and when we are intentional from an early age. I hope this honest episode will illuminate how I leveraged the good, the bad, and the community to teach my child to read. I won't pretend it's easy - it takes years. My story does not have to reflect yours, but you may be able to relate if you feel alone on this journey with your child.

Follow #DearReadingTeacher & Reading Garden Club on Social Media:

Listening to the 7th episode of #DearReadingTeacher is pre-work for Parents of struggling readers. This episode is designed to help families that want guidance on their role, rights, and options when starting the special education journey in the United States. Special Education Advocate, Leroy Smith, M.Ed., gives excellent advice and provides actionable next steps that families should consider as they navigate the evaluation process for students with disabilities in American schools.

Share these episodes and the guidance document (see link below) with any Parents that may have fears of how to get their child evaluated for a reading-related disability.

Recommended Resources for Parents:

Guest Information:

Follow #DearReadingTeacher on Social Media:

Do you have an early reading/struggling reader story to tell? Are you a homeschool Parent or reading educator? Contribute as a guest - https://tinyurl.com/readingteacherpodcast/

Do you have an early reading question? ⁠⁠[email protected]

Parents of struggling readers should listen to this first part of 2 episodes if they have a student in a U.S. public school. My guest for Episode 6 and 7 is Leroy Smith, M.Ed. Leroy is the founder of Realized Solutions, LLC and an advocate for students with disabilities. In this honest conversation between two special educators, we discuss all the things we want Parents to understand before contacting their child’s school for an evaluation for special education services.

Share these episodes and the guidance document (see link below) with any Parents that may have fears of how to get started getting their child evaluated for a reading-related disability.

Guest Information:

Instagram - @RealizedCurriculumSolutions

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/realizedsolutionsllc/

Website - https://www.realizedcurriculumsolutions.com/

Recommended Resources for Parents:

Parent Evaluation Flyer - https://tinyurl.com/evaluationflyer

ParentCenterHub (for Parents of Students with Disabilities) - https://www.parentcenterhub.org/

Follow #DearReadingTeacher on Social Media:

Instagram/Facebook - @DearReadingTeacher

Website - https://school.readinggardenclub.com/

Reading Garden Club Instagram/Facebook - @ReadingGardenClub

Do you have an early reading/struggling reader story to tell?

Are you a homeschool Parent or reading educator? Contribute as a guest - https://tinyurl.com/readingteacherpodcast/

Do you have an early reading question? ⁠⁠[email protected]

First grade teachers are Nation Builders. My guest in the 5th episode of the #DearReadingTeacher Podcast is a first grade teacher in the United States. @MindfulTeacherRachel teaches children how to read every day. She is also a children’s author and advocates through social media for applying the “science of reading” research and evidence-based methods in classrooms. In this episode, @MindfulTeacherRachel gives Parents a checklist to help families determine which literacy resources are based on the science of reading research.

Guest Information:

Instagram/Facebook - @MindfulTeacherRachel

Website - https://beacons.ai/rachelsor

Recommended Resources for Parents:

Reading Rockets Glossary of Terms - https://www.readingrockets.org/teaching/glossary

Reading Buddies Show - https://www.youtube.com/c/readingbuddiestrl

UFLI Parent Resource Hub - http://ufli.education.ufl.edu/resources/parent/

IMSE FREEBIES - https://imse.com/digital-resources/?categories=38

Follow #DearReadingTeacher on Social Media:

Instagram/Facebook - @DearReadingTeacher

Website - https://school.readinggardenclub.com/

Reading Garden Club Instagram/Facebook - @ReadingGardenClub

Do you have an early reading/struggling reader story to share?

Are you a homeschool Parent or reading educator? Contribute as a guest - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tinyurl.com/readingteacherpodcast⁠⁠⁠

Do you have an early reading question? ⁠⁠[email protected]

Missy Purcell is a Parent and Teacher that faced a public school system that was totally ill-equipped to teach her child to read. Missy's experiences continue to empower her to face all of our fears as teachers and parents. Missy is a true advocate for applying the Science of Reading research to schools today. Her advocacy work demonstrates why Parents are driving the sea changes we already see in 2023-2024 school year. What can we do to lead to more evidence-based reading instruction?

Guest Information:

Facebook - https://m.facebook.com/groups/scienceofreadingforadvocates/

Youtube - @untilEVERYkidcanread

Twitter - @missypurcell1

Blog - https://www.thedyslexiainitiative.org/post/dear-balanced-literacy-teacher

Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-128-dear-balanced-literacy-teacher-with-missy-purcell/id1463219123?i=1000581894049

Follow #DearReadingTeacher on Social Media:

Instagram - @dearreadingteacher

Facebook - @dearreadingteacher

Reading Garden Club Facebook/Instagram - @ReadingGardenClub

YouTube - @ReadingGardenClub

Website/Transcripts - https://www.readinggardenclub.com/drt

Do you have an early reading/struggling reader story to tell?

Early speech struggles can also be signs of dyslexia. By the end of the third episode of #DearReadingTeacher, @HoneybeeLiteracy answers a listener’s question about the early signs in speech of dyslexia. The founder of Honeybee Literacy, Tiniyja Burney, M.A., CCC-SLP, illuminates why Speech-Language Pathologists should always be included in the early reading conversation.

Services

Show Notes/Research:

Do you have an early reading/struggling reader story to tell?

@TheNeuroAffirmingParent shares a Mom’s personal journey supporting early readers at home and in the public school system in the second episode of #DearReadingTeacher. The “Sold a Story” podcast dramatically changed this Parent's perspective on education in the United States. “It just made me feel so empowered as a parent because it no longer was me just lost and just relying on the school for that information.” Now she advocates for her children's education, for structured literacy for all, and for neurodiversity with confidence.

Show Notes:

Please find the Dyslexia Initiative interview I referenced in which Dr. David Kilpatrick discusses reasons to rename dyslexia. https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=1299815080576296

Do you have an early reading/struggling reader story to tell?

My name is Elisabeth Forde and I will be Your Reading Teacher. In this first episode of #DearReadingTeacher, I share the story that started this early reading podcast for Parents. The short version of why I left the classroom and decided to homeschool, and why I empower Parents who want literate children.

Instagram: ⁠@DearReadingTeacher⁠

Facebook: ⁠@ReadingGardenClub⁠

Website: ⁠https://school.readinggardenclub.com⁠

Do you have a story to tell? Do you have an early reading challenge you want my support working through? Are you a fellow homeschool Parent or early reading educator?

Here is the form to contribute as a guest - https://tinyurl.com/readingteacherpodcast. Contact me directly for early reading questions via social media.