Children need our help
I can't personally teach the millions of children like Luca who can't read - around 175K eleven-year-old children like Luca in the UK alone - so I am lunching the ICRWY Specialist Reading Tutor awards and also seeking funding to create an AI Miss Emma - The AI Reading Teacher
Your help needed. It’s not a hill that needs climbing for so many kids, it’s a mountain.
I was so ANGRY when I heard about Luca’s KS2 SATs results - a gorgeously clever and funny 11 year old I met (via zoom!) for the first time a few weeks ago. His Aunt Jane Drinkwater is a friend who reached out.
His story moved me so much I rearranged my life - for as long as it takes- to give him a zoom session for free daily (weekends off - they’re for him to focus on fun) to get him reading and insisted he do this with me during school hours - going in late each morning. I didn’t start until after his SATS. So very little time but I’m determined!
After a long day at school unable to read and spell at expected levels the kid’s exhausted - I’m not going to ask him to then sit through tutoring after being there all day - even with me (hopefully I’m a bit fun lol) So I tried doing them with the school - in a corner somewhere with a TA watching (and learning from) the zoom sessions - but had to be ok with him just going in late.
Last night I watched the end of Manifest’ and it made me think about do-overs. If you got 5 years back what would you do? I’d like to go back 5 (or 7) years and meet Luca, and ensure he could read (and wanted to!) and spell with independence and confidence. To do that I’d need an online reading (and spelling) school where his parents could connect with me (and others who understand and embrace my method ) and we could work together at home. Until he no longer needed us. I don’t live anywhere near Luca. Online is essential.
The school head didn’t want me to contact her again - after granting ‘permission’ to work with him under mums guidance - or watch the footage - zoom sessions are recorded AND mum is videoing her end. She KNEW he would be an 80 (SATS) and yet seemed to adamantly reject my offer to help WITH his teachers and SENDCo.
They seemed open to it!
I secretly sent his SENDCo a video of year 6 kids sending Luca messages from their Queensland classroom - using Duck Hands - and she loved it. I didn’t expect her to reply- after the strict message from the head not to contact her team directly. I’m not good at following orders - and the response shows just who is blocking the collaboration those caring about Luca want.
So yesterday I was pulling my hair out. Especially as he’s already doing so well - and is really on the ball! His memory is amazing. I’d have loved teaching him in reception! And he’d have been reading about basketball and his other interests for the past 5 years.
Any support for children HAS to be free or very low cost - and early - not all kids are as open to support as Luca - but I can’t do this alone. Or individually teach the millions (billions globally) of children who are being failed in school.
Please, please, if you could help me set up a kickstarter project / GoFundMe or find a kind and generous philanthropists to build a FREE online AI driven reading school for ANYONE around the world, please put them in touch with me. I need about £15k to get it set up and NONE of that would go to me - I’d donate my time for free.
It means that ANY child, teen or adult could learn to read and write quickly and easily and only need 20 minutes a day. And as online there is no issue with time difference or live sessions.
It would be unique - AI used !!!- to analyse their learning and create what they need (like I do - I only know what I’m going to do with Luca the next session after analysing how he did THAT session. That’s TEACHING. I can ‘teach’ the tech how to generate the content for EACH learner - whether ADHD (needs more of a dopamine boost) dyslexic (needs more support with phonemic and orthographic awareness) speaks English as another language, has speech and language challenges (including non-speaking) etc. ALL learners - ALL ages.
Illiteracy costs trillions. So unnecessary.
I want to stop kids like Luca from being failed. The system is broken - so I need funding from people who are happy to just go round it.
Someone must know someone. I’m sending this out into the universe. I rarely ask for help. I’m asking now.
Miss Emma
Neurodivergent Reading Whisperer
With help from Speech Sound Monsters and Reading Therapy Dogs:-)
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Without specific changes 1 in 4 children will continue to start secondary school unable to read, even if they pass the Phonics Screener Check.
Unfortunately policy makers have limited tools and are not able to 'see' the problems clearly or accurately.
Although some children have learning difficulties that make learning to read challenging most (95%) are instructional casualties. This is, in part, because of the restrictive way that phonics is taught in KS1. Even if children pass the PSC they can (easily) struggle to transition into the self-teaching phase, and develop skills via implicit learning
In the UK teachers had to 'swing' from whole language to SoR curricula - 1 in 4 children still fail (but for different reasons) I will show you another way - the ideal.
Over 90% reading for pleasure before the end of Reception - this changes everything!
