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How Can You Help
Your Struggling Reader?
Does your child guess at words instead of sounding them out?
Decoding is the ability to look at a written word and connect the letters to sounds in the correct order. When decoding is weak, children may rely on pictures, context, memory, or the first letter of the word. This can work for a while, but it often breaks down as books become harder.
Reading aloud to your child is the best start. Then while reading, demonstrate how you sound out the words from left to write and help your child notice the connection between their speech sounds and the letters and letter groups on the page.
At Classical Start Tutoring, since 2019, I have helped children develop stronger decoding skills through structured, multisensory phonics instruction.
This started over twenty years ago. First, after my Spell to Write and Read training, I taught my own children at home. After they were more independent, I returned to teaching English, but I asked to help the struggling readers. My principal graciously granted my request and I used SWR to help struggling elementary and middle school students as a Reading Interventionist at Newman International Academy of Cedar Hill, Texas.
There I honed my asssesment skills. It was a joy to watch when students learn phonograms, spelling rules, syllables, and the habit of sounding out words carefully from left to right, they were amazed to see how reading does make sense. For some it takes more time for automaticity to develop, but when it does, that is when the reading "magic" happens!
Since that time, I have made a business out of doing this and this is my mission in life.
One-on-one tutoring may be a good fit if your child:
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guesses based on the first letter
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skips unfamiliar words
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reads simple books but struggles with new words
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forgets phonics rules
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has trouble blending sounds
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gets frustrated when reading independently
My approach is patient, but direct. We do not simply push children into harder reading and hope they improve. We identify the missing skills and practice them in clear, focused steps.
One parent shared that Susan worked with her daughter on phonograms and sounding out words. Over time, her daughter went from struggling to reading short stories on her own. By the end of the school year, her teacher said she was reading better than most of the students in her class.
That kind of progress often begins when a child finally receives the decoding tools they were missing.
Lessons may include phonogram review, spelling practice, dictation, reading aloud, narration, and carefully chosen stories. Because the lessons are online, students can receive specialized help from home while still working closely with a patient, experienced tutor.
If decoding is the missing piece, a free reading assessment can help us see where your child is getting stuck and what to do next.
One Parent's Opinion
Ms. Susan has been a tremendous help to my daughter academically. She came highly recommended by one of the teachers at the Cedar Hill location. I entered my daughter into a tutoring session with Ms. Susan, twice a week. After the second week, I noticed a tremendous change in her academics. Prior to my daughter going to her, she was two grades behind due to medical illness. Her teacher was amazed at her academic progress. Her report card grades have also improved significantly. She was in Tier II; now, she is in Tier I. The program that Ms. Susan is using is an awesome program for non-readers and struggling readers."
-Mrs. S.H.
One Family's Experience
"Susan focused on phonograms and sounding out words, and over time we watched Olivia go from struggling to actually reading short stories on her own. The change wasn't just something we noticed at home - by the end of the school year, Olivia's Kindergarten teacher told us she was one of the best-performing readers in her class, reading better than most of the other students."
