About Miss Wendy
Almost 25 years ago, I gave up the search for a truly phonetically correct set of beginning reading books. I wanted to add to my Montessori reading unit for my students, but I could not find anything that didn’t have little sight words (are, one, was), which would only confuse and frustrate them. I kept thinking, “Why would I use these books for beginning reading students? Just because a word is little, doesn’t mean that it’s easy to read.” The word “one” would have been equally as confusing to them as the bigger word “because”. I did not want to set them up for failure.
So, I wrote my own books, using correct letter sounds (short vowels/hard consonants). I also used only three sight words (a, the & is), which my students would be prepared to read before even beginning the books. That’s it! No surprise little sight words that the young students may not be prepared for. I was able to help set them up for success!
As a dyslexic, I found it incredibly difficult to learn to read. I remember crying and complaining, “It’s too hard! I can’t do it!” I remember what it felt like to be utterly confused that the letter sounds seemed to “work” with some words, but not with others. I was totally frustrated!
When I was in 4th grade, inspired by a wonderful teacher, I became determined that I would teach someday. When I was 15, I taught in my first Montessori school. It was as if the light shone down on that little school in Phoenix, Arizona. I knew that I had found the key to unlock the mystery of reading for my future students. After college, I trained and taught in a Montessori school and began tutoring, which has been very fulfilling! Over the past 30+ years of teaching, I’ve taught many students with a variety of learning styles, including students with dyslexia. With great delight, I would look them in the eyes and say, “Guess what? You and I have the same kind of brain!” The relief and joy in their faces would make my heart happy.
As my wonderful husband Jeff and I have raised our four daughters, I have continued teaching and working on my ideas for a truly phonetic set of books. Finally, the day came when I found an idea to make my phonetic books even more fun! Why not include a toy reading phone that looks like a cell phone? The children could use it to hear their own voices when they read the books, which would increase fluency and encourage independent reading. At long last, I finally felt ready to go forward with my books—confident that young readers will experience success. I hope that you and your child will have a blast with Miss Wendy’s Favorite Phonetic Books!