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LEARNING TO READ ISN ’ T ALWAYS EASY . WE ’ RE HERE TO HELP .
After 20 years teaching in the public education system , Amber Griffith could no longer sit back and watch schools continue to fail to support children who were struggling with reading . Despite working in four different districts , it was always the same story : a small handful of students in her class would be identified as behind grade level in reading and in need of extra support . However , that extra support was never made available to children or it was ineffective .
“ After seeing the same issue over and over , I realized that the problem wasn ’ t the child . It ’ s the system . I couldn ’ t continue to be forced to teach a curricular program that I knew was ineffective ,” said Griffith .
In 2020 , she took matters into her own hands . She sought training in a reading methodology called Structured Literacy . Structured Literacy is rooted in comprehensive neurological research called the Science of Reading , which outlines exactly how the human brain acquires the skills necessary to learn how to read . At its core , Structured Literacy provides systematic and explicit teaching of how letters ( graphemes ) represent sounds ( phonemes ) and how they come together to make words .
Structured Literacy programs such as Barton Reading and Orton- Gillingham are proven effective for individuals with dyslexia , but they work for all readers . Griffith began to implement the practice with students in her classroom and saw amazing results . Getting her school on board , however , was a struggle .
“ My principal refused to listen . My district wouldn ’ t listen . I ’ d had all this training , all this knowledge , yet no one would listen to me . My district even paid for some of the training that I wasn ’ t allowed to implement . I was constantly in trouble for ‘ not following the curriculum ,’ but what I was doing worked far better than the program I was required by the district to use . My data proved it , my students ’ reading scores proved it . I loved teaching , but I needed to be supported in providing effective instruction . I wasn ’ t and I couldn ’ t fight anymore .”
So in 2023 , Griffith left the classroom and started a company , Empower Education Services . Empowering students , parents , and teachers is now her mission . “ I serve as a coach / advocate for parents of children with suspected / existing reading disabilities and I provide free support to individual teachers who want to incorporate Structured Literacy into their practice , but most importantly , I teach children how to read .”
Her current work has been inspired by the many students over the years who she now believes were dealing with dyslexia : “ One in five individuals has dyslexia . We can ’ t ignore that . We can ’ t pretend dyslexia
doesn ’ t exist . We can screen children as early as age 4 for red flags . If we implement Structured Literacy as a component of early intervention , we can prevent struggles before they occur .”
For more information about obtaining services for your family / child , you can reach out to Amber Griffith at agriffith @ empowereducationservices . com . She encourages all parents and educators to listen to the podcast “ Sold a Story ” ( Emily Hanford ).
MARS AREA ❘ SPRING 2024 5