Whose Idea was This?!

I was a parent long before I was a teacher.

At multiple points in my parenting journey, I’ve asked myself, “What were those crazy people at the hospital thinking when they let me leave with this baby?!” My children aren't babies anymore, but if I'm being honest, I still ask myself that. Who qualified me for this? No one. I learned on the job, and I gained my valuable skills the hard way.

As parents, we're responsible for our children's needs, including education. Deciding which school is best for your child is only one of the many decisions you'll make in regards to your student's learning path. Helping them with homework or even taking on homeschool can feel overwhelming.

You need skills but don't feel that you have the right ones. Maybe you just don't know where to start. No matter what you feel you're lacking, you don't have to learn the hard way.

In the words of a former student, who every time I would lose my phone or coffee in the classroom, he would bring it to me:

"I got you, girl!"

The Call for Help

Since my very first year in the classroom, I’ve had parents ask me, "What can I do to help my child at home?"

I have also been the parent sitting on the other side of that table, asking that exact same question. And if I’m being completely transparent, part of me was always secretly hoping the teacher would say, “Nothing! I’ve got it all covered here.” Then I would look like an awesome, caring parent who totally didn't just offer to help with something I felt in no way equipped to actually do.

Even now, with a teaching degree and years of classroom experience, I still understand that underlying worry of not having the right tools.

I am the absolute last person to judge a parent for feeling overwhelmed or wishing the school could handle it all. But I also recognize that there are countless parents who truly, deeply want to help—they just don't know where to start.

The Answer to the Call

When parents ask for advice, I always start easy: Have your kid take a book everywhere they go.

Read More: I talk about this and a couple of other low-stress, easy-to-implement strategies in my post, Bite-Sized Tips.

Those everyday habits are great. But my mama didn't raise no dummy. You need more than those snippets of advice.

• Maybe you’re a homeschool parent looking for a structured roadmap.

• Maybe you’re considering homeschooling and feel intimidated by the phonics side of things.

• Maybe your child has fallen behind grade level, or is struggling with reading, and you want to help in any way you can.

You don't need a teaching degree to change the trajectory of your child's reading journey—you just need the right framework. That's where the Science of Reading comes in. This probably sounds like Greek right now, but I'll break it down for you.

Literacy isn't a mystery; it's a combination of explicit skills like decoding (breaking words apart) and comprehension (making sense of it all). When you understand how these puzzle pieces fit together, you gain the confidence to become your child's teacher. Or as the current school jargon goes: educational facilitator. Now you can add that to your resume. You're welcome.

Let's Team Up: Parent Literacy Coaching

For those of you who want to dive deeper, I offer small-group and one-on-one parent coaching through Bespoke Literacy. I don't just tutor your child; I teach you the explicit, evidence-based literacy strategies used by reading specialists, transforming you into your child’s number one educational advocate.

If you're ready to move from feeling unprepared to feeling fully equipped, let's connect!

Let's Chat!

Are you struggling to figure out how to support your reader at home? What is your biggest hurdle right now?

Ready to get started? Call or text 479-259-2184 or email me directly at erica@bespokeliteracy.com to learn more about upcoming parent coaching sessions.