I loved the decade I spent running intensive reading clinics, but I watched child after child shut down at the emotional toll of learning differently. I witnessed little humans that didn’t feel good enough, unable to learn as their brains were in the throes of judgement and low self-esteem. I knew their brains couldn't learn under so much stress and empathized with these sensitive kids.As an actively recovering perfectionist, I knew the value of a growth mindset in attacking life’s challenges and felt compelled to integrate this emotional learning with my reading expertise.Now I teach foundational literacy skills in an organic way that fosters self-esteem and engages a child’s natural curiosity. I believe that play and emotional validation are key to making learning feel good, and that infusing these elements into classrooms and homes alike radically shifts the educational experience.I love helping anxious kids fall in love with reading, and I love supporting their anxious parents along the way. Reading is really important, but learning to read can be easy and even fun!