09/08/2026
I was thinking about one of my students today and just how far we’ve come in his learning journey. ❤️
When he and I started working together, he could not read.
We started with Barton. And while I absolutely love Barton—I’ve successfully taken many students through all 10 books—this particular student simply wasn’t budging past Book 3.
So, we tried something else.
The next program wasn’t Orton-Gillingham. It followed more of a Speech-to-Print approach, but I wasn’t thrilled with the progress he was making. The lessons felt scattered, and honestly, I felt like we were going in circles.
The frustration was REAL. 😩
I won’t tell you how long we had already been working together by that point, but his parents understood that his learning journey was going to be a long one. And they were incredibly supportive.
They took him for every evaluation and appointment I recommended. They had his vision and tracking evaluated by an optometrist, who ruled out tracking issues. They had auditory processing concerns evaluated by a speech-language pathologist, who ruled out an auditory processing disorder. Eventually, an educational evaluation confirmed dyslexia.
Two years ago, Speech-to-Print was recommended.
I picked up a program that was fairly simple to implement, but it didn’t have a lot of material to work with—which meant I was constantly supplementing. We were making some progress, but I still felt like something was missing.
Then, last year, I decided to invest in training in Sounds-Write.
I am SO glad I did.
Sounds-Write is a fantastic program. It’s based in the UK, but they also have trainers here in the U.S., and I was able to become certified and begin using it with this student and several others.
For the first time, I felt like I had a structured, systematic program that gave me the framework and tools I needed.
And I started seeing REAL progress.
Not just with this one student.
With every student I transitioned to Sounds-Write.
Then came 2026.
This year, I began training in EBLI.
And honestly…
WHY DID I WAIT?! 😂
I currently have four students working through EBLI, and every single one of them has increased their reading fluency and accuracy over the past 60 days.
I haven’t averaged the numbers across all four students yet, but the student I’ve worked with the longest has made the most noticeable strides—and I also work with him three days a week.
In just three months, his reading fluency has increased by 7%.
For a student who once couldn’t read, who got stuck at Book 3, and who spent years working through different approaches…
7% represents so much more than a number. ❤️
And this is why I believe it is so important for parents of struggling readers to look for a tutor who understands that one program does not necessarily fit every student.
A good tutor shouldn’t be committed to a curriculum above all else.
They should be committed to the student.
If something isn’t working, we need to be willing to ask:
Why isn’t this working?
What does this student need that they aren’t getting?
Is there another approach that might make more sense for the way this student learns?
That doesn’t mean jumping from program to program every few weeks. It means understanding different approaches well enough to recognize when a student needs something different—and having the education and training to make an informed change.
Barton has been incredibly successful for many of my students.
Sounds-Write has been a game changer for others.
And now I’m seeing incredible results with EBLI.
The common denominator isn’t the program. It’s finding the approach that allows the individual student to finally make progress.
Sometimes the child isn't lazy.
Sometimes they aren't not trying hard enough.
Sometimes they aren't "just behind."
Sometimes they simply haven't been taught in the way they need to be taught.
And when you finally find that approach?
That’s when the magic starts happening. 📚❤️
This is why I continue to invest in my own education and training. I want to have more tools in my toolbox—not because every student needs every tool, but because every student deserves a tutor who knows which tools to try.
