Thursday, January 15, 2026
It has been challenging to watch each new wave of literacy reform unfold. My first exposure to reform came long before I was aware of what was happening. As an elementary school student, I struggled profoundly with reading and spelling. I failed spelling tests week after week and was punished for it, with little meaningful support and a steady stream of messages that I was one of the worst students in the school. What I did not know at the time was that my state had just passed its first dyslexia law. What I did know was that something felt profoundly unjust. I was working harder than anyone knew I was, studying endlessly, and still being left to figure things out on my own.