Exceptional Kids Advocacy

03/30/2023

Parents often reach out asking if I know of someone great to tutor their child. Yes I do!
Amanda has extensive experience teaching and tutoring diverse learners. She is heavily trained (Lindamood Bell, Wilson and Read Naturally, to name a few). Most importantly, she is loved by those who work with her.
Don’t hesitate to contact Amanda.

Discover the magic of reading with Amanda Inquire About Amanda After my first two jobs as a librarian’s assistant and a preschool teacher’s aide, I combined both of my passions for reading and working with children into helping young learners excel on their reading journeys. Whether your child i...

03/21/2023

If you are in education or a parent of a child learning how to read, or struggling with reading, follow Crafting Minds Group.

Creating inclusive, accessible learning environments is a priority. Our Decoding Duo have the pathways for differentiated instruction guide that makes it easy to create inclusive lesson plans and supports teachers in making their classrooms more accessible!

This roadmap is designed to align with common instructional focus areas for elementary readers and provides teachers with four unique pathways to choose from based on the needs of their students.

Each pathway is accompanied by a set of activities that can be delivered over the course of two lessons or days, and all revolve around a decodable text.

So what’s the catch? It allows teachers to customize their lesson plans to meet the diverse needs of their students. Decoding Duo helps teachers create a more inclusive classroom environment that promotes engagement, motivation, and a deeper understanding of the content.

At the heart of this approach is the belief that every student deserves to receive instruction that is tailored to their individual strengths and needs.

Why not give it a try? Explore the pathways roadmap today and see how you can create a more inclusive and effective learning environment for your students. Link in bio!💫✨

11/17/2022

If you haven’t been listening, stop what you are doing right now. This podcast is a must for every educator and parent. Too many districts are still using Lucy Calkins and Fountas and Pinnell. I encourage educators and parents to speak up. These need to be removed from all schools. Kids need us!
Also- I am honored to listen to my friend and colleague Sarah Abbott Gannon share her story. Her commitment to her daughter and education of all is inspirational!

‎Society & Culture · 2022

10/20/2022

Yes, that is me, at 6 minutes 19 seconds into the first episode of this important podcast about reading instruction.

I carry around guilt because I didn’t know better back in my teaching days and kids suffered.

If you are a teacher, parent, are thinking of entering the field of education or just care about children, please listen to “Sold a Story.”

Children have been harmed, and continue to be, as a result of improper reading curriculum, teacher training and instruction. The science of reading tells us how kids learn to read and what they need to be successful. Districts need to listen and do better.

‎Society & Culture · 2022

09/18/2022

Inclusion is important. All kids, and grown ups, want to feel part of a group, accepted for who they are and seen by others. Thank you for recognizing this and asking William to join your video and teach some ASL along the way.

Please share the video- it s a great song, musician and group of kids!

Have your child or student explore different feelings and learn visual cues and actions that express those feelings! Happy, Sad, Grumpy, Calm, Silly, and Bra...

06/10/2022

Yup!!!
I have a similar conversation in many IEP meetings. Conversely, I tell schools they can’t take credit for all the growth when parents are paying tutors for specialized instruction.

05/19/2022

Yup!! And I’d love some podcast recommendations!

02/10/2022

Every kid should go to camp, if they want to.

From our information specialist-staffed Information Center to our annual Visions of Community Conference, your generous support helps inform, educate and empower families with the information they need to ensure better outcomes for their children.

01/19/2022

Please join the incredible Sarah Gannon in this wonderful opportunity for parents to learn more about dyslexia and their child’s education and policies.

11/05/2021

Please don’t pay attention to these “levels”. They are invalid and don’t accurately measure students “reading.” I have many clients who were told for years that their child was reading at or above grade level based on the F&P, only to later be identified as dyslexic. Many times students are using their language skills, context and picture support to “read” and meet benchmark on these assessments