Learner Unable to Learn Phonics Now Reads at Grade Level

I have a child who will not pass a billboard or advertisement without reading it out loud in the car! For a long time, this was not the case.

Hendrick was what we thought was a late bloomer. Everyone told us that he was just a boy who preferred to play and would read and write eventually. I home-schooled my two children but struggled to teach Hendrick phonics. I would teach him a sound today, the next day and the day after that. Each day it felt as if I had to start all over again. I became frustrated and could not understand how an intelligent child could not remember basic sounds. Letters just did not make sense to him.

After a year and a half of struggling, I searched the internet for reading programmes in our area. I contacted Edublox. After Hendrick’s evaluation, they suggested that he join their Easy programme. I still wanted Hendrick to be home-schooled, so I only brought him for the extracurricular classes in the afternoons. He came three times a week, only focusing on one language for nine months.

We saw an improvement and realised that Hendrick must attend the Easy classes daily. The teachers were kind, patient and trained to deal with all of Hendrick’s struggles in a fun way. The classes were small so that they could pick up on any issues. They also challenged the kids with different projects and spelling bees.

My son has so much confidence now. Nothing can stop him! He used to be very sensitive. Someone could look funny at him, and he would run away or cry. He could only sometimes interpret what people said to him, and there was a lot of confusion. That all changed now. He made friends at school and is now able to interact with people of different ages.

The “eventually” everyone told me about is here now, and it would not have been possible without Edublox. It has been a five-year journey of crying, not knowing what to do next, hoping, and being excited. Hendrick’s reading improved so much that he now reads at his grade level. His spelling still needs attention, but we have hope, and there is technology to help him one day. If you are in the position of not knowing what to do next, Edublox might just be your answer too.

Sunelle Koch