On Reading: Simple is Not the Same as Easy
Pinyon Montessori child practicing reading Pinyon Montessori children reading together
In an era of education technology, learning apps, and sophisticated reading programs, Margaret McDonald's most powerful insight about teaching reading is straightforward: "The priorities are the basics. Keeping it simple. Making sure it's something we can sustain."
At Pinyon Montessori, a Wildflower school in Salt Lake City, Utah, simplicity is what makes consistency possible. The classroom is beautiful and uncluttered, materials clean and complete, nothing competing for a child's attention. Work time is protected. You move through a phonics-based reading program: to yourself first, then to a buddy, then to the teacher. A simple chart tracks progress. Older students inspire younger ones, congratulate milestones, make themselves available as reading buddies.
None of this is fancy or innovative. But as a small, teacher-led Wildflower school, Margaret knows every child intimately and has both the teaching and administrative authority to ignore what doesn't matter and protect what does: reading, every single day.
A kindergartner arrives without prior school experience and with speech challenges that she's hard to understand. Margaret raised it with the family; they did not pursue the referral for specialist support. Margaret has no formal speech training, but she does what good teaching has always required: observe closely, stay curious, get practical.
A speech pathologist visiting for another student offered a few tips– slow down, let the child watch your mouth, help her use her hands to feel where sounds happen in her own throat and cheeks. Margaret builds it into every lesson, exaggerating her own lip and tongue movements, pausing to let the child mirror and feel before moving on.
At the same time, she introduces reading early, not because the child can read, but to expose her to the experience: turning pages, following a story, recalling what happened. Noticing exceptional memory, Margaret leans into it, helping her identify sight words within stories she's already recalling. Meanwhile, daily phonics builds the decoding underneath.
By now the child enunciates more clearly, is almost at level 3 in the reading program, and notices and celebrates her own progress. In a world that keeps reaching for something more sophisticated, simple and consistent turns out to be the hardest thing to do.
People think it's magic. The magic is that it's so straightforward.
Do you want this kind of school for your child? Learn more about Pinyon Montessori and apply at pinyonmontessori.org.
Do you dream of running a small Montessori school where you decide what matters most? Wildflower helps Montessori educators start teacher-led schools in their own communities. Learn more, or pass this along to someone who should, at wildflowerschools.org/for-educators
