Orton-Gillingham as My Instructional Backbone
I was trained as an Orton-Gillingham trainer in my early thirties, and more than two decades later, no approach has proven as effective--or as enduring--in teaching reading with true mastery. Orton-Gillingham did not simply give me a program; it gave me a deep understanding of how the English language works and how the brain learns to read. That knowledge changed everything about my teaching.
OG trained me to be diagnostic rather than reactive. Every student error tells a story, and instruction follows the learner--not a script or pacing guide. Through explicit, systematic, multisensory instruction, I am able to break reading down to its foundational components and rebuild it with intention, clarity, and cumulative mastery. This structure allows me to support struggling readers, students with dyslexia, English learners, and even advanced students who benefit from a clearer understanding of language.
While many modern programs borrow Orton-Gillingham language, they often remove the very elements that make it effective: mastery-based progression, cumulative review, and responsive instruction. Orton-Gillingham respects the complexity of reading and the individuality of learners. It gives teachers confidence because it replaces guesswork with knowledge and trends with evidence-based practice.
Whether I am teaching early phonics, upper-grade intervention, academic vocabulary, or writing, Orton-Gillingham remains my instructional backbone. It is the foundation that has allowed me to teach reading not just successfully--but responsibly--for a lifetime. read more
