About
Learning Uphill began as a mission to prove that learning to read doesn’t have to be boring.
When I was struggling to help my dyslexic child start reading, I bought books, curriculum, resources and worksheet packs. I bought expensive all-in-one packages and $3 printable bundles, and enrolled in two hundred-hour training programs on the quest to find what would work. The thing they all had in common is that they were boring.
That is when I started re-writing lessons. I needed to find a way to have students leave at the end of the lesson feeling good about themselves and happy to come back the next time. I started looking for ways to get students to say, “let’s read them again!” Or, “this was fun, can we do it next time? Or “can you take a picture? I want to show my Mom!”
A happy and engaged student is learning. A child making connections and thinking creatively is using the information they’ve learned.
My goal is for all students to be involved in the material so entirely that they don’t ever think to say, “I hate reading!”
“English words are wild and weird. The spelling rules are often completely bonkers, and the way we use language can be ridiculous, creative, and passionate.”
Nothing about reading makes it easy, and nothing about practice is inherently fun. Just because something is difficult, repetitive, and important doesn’t mean those are the only components we need to focus on. English words are wild and weird. The spelling rules are often completely bonkers, and the way we use language can be ridiculous, creative, and passionate.
We can repeat words with play. We can memorize spellings through hands-on processes. We can craft sentences and paragraphs that inspire or amuse.
We can play word games.
We can point out the bonkers side of English.
We can write bad poetry, inventive short stories, or silly sentences to make English our own.