About Us
My mission is to help parents and carers to support their children in learning to read through delivering workshops and courses aimed at demystifying phonics and developing comprehension skills.
Why The Primary Educator?
I am passionate about reading and truly believe it is the gateway to all future learning. I know that enabling a child to read is the most important thing I do as a teacher and I love that moment when a child realises they ‘can’ read and suddenly go from struggling to loving reading.
Phonics is a fantastic method to teach children to read, focusing on breaking words down to their most basic sounds and blending them together. I feel there is a disconnect between teachers and parents that neither side can truly address. I have seen so many parents who feel excluded from their child’s education or unable to help them. On the other side of it, I have seen an equal number of teachers who value phonics so highly and want to give parents as much information as possible, but simply don’t have the time or resources to create an impact. I want to bridge that gap and ensure that every parent has the knowledge and skills they need to support their child.
I have been involved in and led many parent workshops that try to squeeze in as much information about reading as possible into one hour but never seems to be enough. Inevitably, teachers need to focus on the importance of reading with your children wherever possible, which don’t get me wrong, is an absolutely vital part of your child’s education. However, I feel parents deserve to know exactly how phonics is taught and deserve to have the option to support their children with this aspect of reading as well, particularly when it comes to the foundations of reading that will support their children throughout their education.
Through my course, I can equip you with all of the necessary skills and knowledge that you need to ensure your child is ready to read in ways that are fun and entertaining for both of you!
My sTORY
When I first started teaching, Phonics was a completely alien concept to me. I had never done it, or even heard about it before. It certainly wasn’t the way I was taught!
I struggled a lot with reading as a child, my dyslexia causing me difficulty with recognising words and preventing me from reading the same level of books as the rest of my classmates. I know it concerned my parents deeply and they spent hours trying to support me to the best of their ability. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have parents that were willing to spend hours encouraging me to focus on breaking words down and look at each letter individually. Without them, I certainly would have struggled a lot more.
It wasn’t until I was introduced to Phonics on my teacher training course as an adult, however, that the English language started to make sense. I learned the rules of the sounds and when to apply them, and this helped me not just with reading (though it certainly did, even if I had been reading for many years at this point!) but with my spelling and writing as well. I found it was suddenly much easier to spell words that I had struggled with for most of my life, as I knew each of the different sounds and the rules to implement them, though I still occasionally struggle with ‘which witch’.
My mission is to help parents and carers to support their children in learning to read through delivering workshops and courses aimed at demystifying phonics and developing comprehension skills.
I want parents to know that they have all the skills to give their child the best start in life. You are in a position to teach and support your child better than any teacher. You know their needs and abilities better than anyone else.
You are your child’s Primary Educator. Let me give you the knowledge and skills you need to give them the best start to reading.
Testimonials - find out what others have said!
Fancy a chat?
If you’d like to learn more about me, or want to talk about how I can help you and your child, you can book an informal chat here! I love talking to parents and feel it is very important that I get to know you and your situation so that I know how best I can help.
Or if you’d like to learn more about the courses I offer, you can click on the button below!
There are some teachers in this world who make a huge impact on a child's life. As a parent you have been a wonderful teacher. We all felt that you really knew our child's personality and were always willing to patiently explain what we could do to help them. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Kirsty S. Parent