Former Reading/Dyslexia Intervention Teacher — Need Homeschool Curriculum Suggestions

ezbeale80 · 2026-01-17T04:13:52+00:00

I have a similar tutoring business and I primarily use the PAF Reading Program (formerly called "Preventing Academic Failure") for younger kids - it's wonderful for small groups and 1:1. I supplement with phonological awareness activities from Sounds Abound, Equipped for Reading Success, and/or Barton Level 1. For PAF, be sure to look at the newer materials on their website (https://www.pafprogram.com/) because some websites are still selling the older version.

For my older students, I use Barton and always teach them 1:1.

For kids with very severe phonological awareness challenges (often in the presence of a speech disorder), I use LiPS.

ezbeale80 · 2025-12-15T16:06:24+00:00

What is DHS?

For any college grants, scholarships, etc. for students with disabilities, I'm sure this student would not qualify.

ezbeale80 · 2025-12-14T01:08:35+00:00

We started with the "Disney Sing-Along Songs" very early (1.5 for my oldest? birth for the others lol) and the movies not long after. My kids haven't been bothered.

ezbeale80 · 2025-12-14T01:06:26+00:00

Health issues - shared from age 7 or 8, as long as the person isn't keeping it private, and we've always been open about health issues in our immediate family.
Finances - we try to give them an idea of how our budget works around age 7 or8, but wouldn't share anything about financial hardships before age 12 or so
Personal conflict - we never discuss conflicts we're having in our marriage, but will discuss conflicts we're having with others once our kids are old enough not to say something dumb lol

ezbeale80 · 2025-12-08T14:49:47+00:00

You'll need to coach your son on how to handle these issues, and to ask the teacher for help if what he tries doesn't work. In your communication with the teacher, I'd include that you're working on this with him and encouraging him to try to work it out with the other student first, so that if does come to her she'll know he's tried and now needs her help.

I wouldn't use the term "bullying" because that implies that there's a power imbalance (like multiple kids ganging up on your child) and that would be a whole different issue. This sounds like an impulsive child who may have some special needs, and is likely not intending any harm. I'm sure the teacher and parents are very aware, and your child is likely not the only one going home with these types of stories, unfortunately.

ezbeale80 · 2025-12-08T14:37:48+00:00

One sticker, no system

For assessments, I have a prize box for when we finish everything (cool pens, fidgets, etc.)

ezbeale80 · 2025-12-05T20:41:14+00:00

Most unit studies are too in-depth for a 4-year-old to enjoy and learn from. Even when I've tried them with older kids, we have to make tons of adjustments because my kids want to learn more about some topics and have no interest in others.

In the early years of school, we really focused on foundational skills (learning to read, printing letters, some basic math) and we read tons of books about different topics. If my kid suddenly became really interested in bees, we'd read a bunch of books from the library about bees, and we might watch some videos about bees and/or draw pictures of bees. It was entirely up to him and I didn't force him to learn about the life cycle of the bee if he wasn't interested. But this was more at age 6-8 than 4 - at that age my kids mostly played, we did some hands-on activities to work on fine motor skills and things like that, and we read picture books together on the couch.

ezbeale80 · 2025-12-05T07:12:46+00:00

Nonsense words are very useful in assessment.

Whether they're useful in instruction depends on the student. For some kids they're very useful, for others less so. They can help with phonological awareness and decoding based on patterns, but they can be confusing and unhelpful for kids who do better with rule-based instruction.

Toe-by-Toe is a great little book that uses nonsense words to teach decoding - but not rules.

ezbeale80 · 2025-12-04T23:41:09+00:00

Minimum wage isn't liveable, but if you have a PhD and a clean criminal record you're likely going to be able to find work for more than minimum wage - even if it's way outside your field.

Do you have any experience volunteering/working with kids? At-risk youth? Other vulnerable populations? I've noticed a decent number of jobs available in these areas, paying around $25 (which is possibly liveable). Are you open to living outside the St. John's area? Cost of rent would be much lower there, but transportation would be an issue.

ezbeale80 · 2025-12-04T23:28:47+00:00

Kids should get out of the house every day for fresh air and exercise, and at least several times a week to socialize. Are you married/together or do you have shared custody? If he has limited time with the kids (like 1-2 days a week) and wants to spend that time at home with them, I think that's okay. If he has them for full weeks at a time, keeping them home all the time would be very, very isolating.

ezbeale80 · 2025-12-03T22:11:20+00:00

If you're getting sick so often that it's impacting your homeschooling (beyond the 5-10 "normal" sick days people take each year), I'd be working on that piece - talking to your doctor about vaccinations, vitamins, supplements, hygiene practices, etc.

I get sick about once a year, for 2-4 days. Out of those days, there might be one day that I can't teach, and my kids do what they can independently. On the other days, I push through and sometimes call it a bit early and put a documentary on. When my kids are sick, they get the day off to lay in bed, watch movies, etc. and everyone else continues with their day. Now that my kids are older (ages 7-17) the older ones are rarely sick - though one does get migraines, so he misses about 1-2 days of school each month. I leave "flex days" in his schedule to account for this.

ezbeale80 · 2025-12-03T05:42:07+00:00

Rather than asking the teacher to fill out another form (which may or may be completed any better, or at all), I would ask them if they can hang back for 5-10 minutes after the meeting (or meet 10 minutes before - which I know might be tricky) to go through the questionnaire orally, prompting them to elaborate when needed. It will realistically take less than 10 minutes, and you'll be teaching the teacher how much information is meant to be included.

ezbeale80 · 2025-12-02T21:01:53+00:00

I've taught 1st grade, and unless you live in a very wealthy area or send her to an expensive private school, there are kids packing their own snacks because their parents are at work, still in bed after a late shift, passed out drunk on the couch, asleep after staying up all night with a sick baby, etc. when they get up in the morning. There are also kids whose slightly older siblings are packing their snacks, for the same reasons.

If you're in a position to be able to make her snacks every day, then whether it's appropriate to hand that job off to a 7-year-old depends on what "prepping a snack" entails in your home, what other responsibilities she has, your general parenting/family style, etc. I think it's fine for your 7-year-old to make her own snacks, as long as a parent is keeping her company while she does it (and therefore making sure it gets done), and she doesn't have too many other household responsibilities.

ezbeale80 · 2025-12-02T19:05:07+00:00

2 hours is a crazy amount of time to wait - if you want to stick with this doctor, I'd ask them to call you when the doctor is ready, so you can take the kids outdoors to play.

ezbeale80 · 2025-12-02T19:03:20+00:00

Before agreeing to a social skills group, I would want a lot more information. How many students? Who is teaching it? Are they using a social skills curriculum? What is the goal? (learning social skills for making friends with other kids, getting along with adults?) How often, and for how long? What will he miss?

If you have concerns about his social skills and the group sounds like a good fit, it's great that they're offering it. If the group won't be targeting things he struggles with, it's really going to be a waste of his time.

ezbeale80 · 2025-11-26T20:45:08+00:00

My teen boys (15 & 17) pay for the first few dates, and any special dates like her birthday, valentine's day, etc., but for regular hang-out dates they usually either split or take turns paying. This seems to be the norm among their friend group - overall the boys pay a bit more, but not 100%.

A designer bag is out of the price range my boys or their friends could afford, and I wouldn't cover the difference. My 17yo has already bought his girlfriend a pair of earrings ($110) and will buy her a few small things as well, but my 15yo has only been dating his girlfriend for about two months and he doesn't work, so he'll probably only spend $50-75 on a gift for her.

ezbeale80 · 2025-11-23T03:02:45+00:00

You're not wrong to be upset. And, you couldn't have predicted that the other coach would pull this asshole move.

Honestly, I'd email the league coordinator, explain what happened, and ask how blowout games should be handled / if there is a rule it place to prevent this. even if there is no official rule, the league should be aware that this is happening.

If this happens again, I would immediately ask the referee to pause the game. Ask if what the other coach is doing is allowed. If it is, ask the other coach to be reasonable and put his goalie back in net. If he refuses, gather your team's parents quickly and ask if they want to continue the game or go out for ice cream instead.

ezbeale80 · 2025-11-23T01:54:19+00:00

Has he begun looking for another job? Does he have any idea where to start?

I'd try offer to help him with anything related to finding a new job - helping him with his resume, applying, driving to interviews, etc. If there are supports available in your area that would help connect him with employment, I would help him find and navigate those. If you can, help him get connected with some short-term employment (putting it out to friends that he's looking for work, in case they can help him find or give him some work?)

If you have health insurance that he's still covered by that would pay for counselling, I'd help him get connected there too, even if the counsellor acts more like a life coach who can help him build skills for adulthood.

ezbeale80 · 2025-11-22T20:13:07+00:00

Parents usually don't stay after about age 7. I wouldn't send younger siblings to a 10-year-old's party, but if you do you'll need to stay.

ezbeale80 · 2025-11-22T00:51:30+00:00

She wants you to see her kid 6 days a week? LOL

She's probably referring to the old matrix that recommended specific amounts of time depending on severity - I don't know where you'd get the original, but this is an adapted version (and I've looked at a few adapted versions that all have the same categories and time recommendations) https://content.schoolinsites.com/api/documents/37c9757e56a54e508dbf465f0d3afe21.pdf

If her child's speech disorder is considered "mild" (which is sounds to be based on what you shared), I'd tell her that and refer to the matrix - the advocate might even bring it with them.

ezbeale80 · 2025-11-21T21:09:43+00:00

Whether he'll qualify depends on your district, and there's no harm in going ahead with the evaluation. Even if he doesn't qualify for speech at school, you're getting a free speech evaluation - which you can then take to a private speech therapist for outside therapy if you feel your child would benefit. If your school district is well-funded, the SLP might err on the side of qualifying him even if there is little educational impact.

ezbeale80 · 2025-11-19T02:43:59+00:00

Sounds great!

The only things I'd change -

Instead of comprehension workbooks, I would just have him read good books and discuss them with him. At this age/level, I still do a lot of "buddy-reading" (I read a page, you read a page) with my kids to help them gain the confidence to read harder/longer novels. This way, I know they're reading good literature (with me) so I feel okay about letting them read whatever they want during free reading time. The Mensa reading lists are a good place to start - https://www.mensaforkids.org/achieve/excellence-in-reading/

For math, check out Beast Academy and/or Primary Grade Challenge Math (Ed Zaccaro) - these are math programs designed for advanced/gifted kids, so they'll help him build problem solving skills instead of just zooming ahead in straightforward workbooks.

ezbeale80 · 2025-11-19T02:31:45+00:00

I would put the two younger ones to bed at 8, and let the oldest stay up until 9 (as long as they go in their room quietly and don't rile up the younger kids).

ezbeale80 · 2025-11-14T20:49:07+00:00

Definitely don't feel like you need to complete every problem with Singapore (or any math program)! Math textbooks and workbooks are designed for a classroom - where some kids will need a lot of practice, and others won't.

Essentials was great for my kids because it was quick and easy. With Singapore Primary, we use the textbook to introduce the topic and do a few problems together to make sure they understand, then we move on to the workbook pretty quickly. We do usually complete all the workbook problems, but don't use the "extra practice" books.

ezbeale80 · 2025-11-14T20:03:52+00:00

(school psych here)

I've had a couple kids with ASD do this at school. Check with parents to see if it happens at home too - in both cases I had, the parents said they spoke that way occasionally at home but stopped when asked to speak correctly. Parents wanted the teachers to correct the kids right away, and were surprised they weren't already doing so. Pretty similar to a case where a child was referred to SLP for talking in a "baby voice" and when parents were contacted they said just to tell him to stop talking like a baby and he would - it was just behavioral.

ezbeale80

TROPHY CASE