We Were Sold Another Story—But There's a Better Way

Challenging the Phonics-Only Fix for "Dyslexic" Kids

This morning, 4 February 2026, I came across Melinda Karshner's thoughtful Substack post, "We Were Sold Another Story" (Feb 04, 2026). As a parent of a dyslexic child and an advocate who's been in the trenches, she raises valid frustrations about how the big push for Structured Literacy and heavy phonics hasn't delivered the promised miracle for many kids—especially those with dyslexia. She describes her own daughter's ongoing struggles (shutdowns, anxiety, headaches) despite intensive phonics through programs like Fundations and Into Reading, sometimes three times a day. She rightly calls out box-checking curricula that look perfect on paper but fail in practice: mismatched pacing, lack of depth, no rich texts for application, and overload that ignores nuance and real engagement.

Group Dynamics, Misdiagnosis, and Systemic Error

 

The phrase often attributed to George Carlin — "never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups" — is catchy, but it misdiagnoses the problem. It suggests that dysfunction arises from individual stupidity, when in reality, the danger lies in systemic misdirection and the dynamics of group behavior.

Consider evidence that contradicts your beliefs.

 

The image above and its message resonate deeply with me, especially in the field of reading instruction and dyslexia

"You must always be willing to truly consider evidence that contradicts

your beliefs, and admit the possibility that you may be wrong.

Intelligence isn't knowing everything, it's the ability to challenge

everything you know."

Gatekeeping and Dysteachia: Ethical Dilemmas in Literacy Instruction That Prevent Student Success

                                    

        Get a copy of 'Teach Your Child to Read' LINK

Today, 29 January 2026, I read a post on LinkedIn by Sheron “The Ethicist” Fraser-Burgess, MSc. It invited educators to share ethical dilemmas they’ve faced, anonymous or named, to shape monthly dialogues.

 

After more than 20 years tutoring children labeled “dyslexic,” I’ve reached a clear conclusion: most reading struggles are not incurable brain-based disorders. They are often dysteachia—preventable failure caused by confusing, mismatched, or dogmatic instruction, later mislabeled as dyslexia. Children shut down, disengage, and fall behind not because they cannot learn, but because the system blocks clear, evidence-based paths to success.

Responding to a LinkedIn Post by Judine V on Teacher Burnout and Student Misbehaviour

  (For parents with dyslexic kids get a copy of 'Teach Your Child to Read') LINK

The Missing Piece—Shame Avoidance in Intelligent Children

A recent LinkedIn post powerfully captured the hidden toll of modern teaching: the constant emotional labor required to be present for 20+ students, regulate the classroom, respond with empathy, and manage behavior—all without adequate structural support. The author rightly points out that student misbehaviour often communicates unmet needs, but teachers' burnout, disengagement, or departure from the profession communicates something too: care without backup has limits. Student well-being and teacher well-being truly are the same priority, and sustainable classrooms require counseling teams, shared leadership on behaviour systems, and policies that don't place the entire emotional burden on one adult.

Debunking the Phonics-Only Myth:

 

A Balanced Approach to Teaching Reading to Dyslexic Students

In a recent LinkedIn post, reading consultant Brian Vieira argued strongly against sight word or whole word instruction, calling it the “worst way” to teach reading. He emphasized the superiority of phonics-based methods, pointing to the vast number of English words, the finite set of speech sounds, and scientific evidence favoring sound processing over memorization.

When Minds Shut Down – Confusion, Fixed Beliefs, and the Tipping Point

 

I’ve seen it countless times in my work with ‘dyslexic’ students: the moment when a child is present in body but absent in mind. They hear the words, but they’re not really listening. They’re not processing. Their mind has quietly “switched off.”

 

And truth be told, this isn’t unique to dyslexia. It’s something all of us experience in everyday life.

Dyslexic Children and Reading Comprehension

   

                               

 

We’ve already seen how poor teaching methods—whether Whole Word or phonics—can leave children confused about the very basics of reading. But what happens when decoding looks fine, yet comprehension falters? Too often, the label “dyslexia” is applied without asking the harder question: is the real issue fluency, or language itself?

A Parent’s Guide to Reading with Children

 

Why Reading Aloud Still Matters

Yesterday, I reflected on the challenges children face when learning to read, and the importance of balancing phonics with sight word instruction. Today, I want to turn to something equally vital but often overlooked: the power of reading aloud.

If decoding skills are the mechanics of reading, then reading aloud is the heart—it brings stories to life, nurtures comprehension, and builds the emotional connection that makes books more than just words on a page.

Mastering Sequencing Challenges in Dyslexia: From My First Student to Practical Strategies

 

Fifteen years ago, when I first began tutoring children with dyslexia, one challenge stood out above all others: sequencing difficulties. These struggles—processing and ordering information correctly—often became the most persistent and frustrating hurdle for my students.

The Pygmalion Effect: Unlocking Potential Through Expectation and Encouragement

 

What Is the Pygmalion Effect?

The Pygmalion effect describes how belief and expectation can shape performance. When teachers or parents expect a child to succeed, the child often rises to meet that expectation. It’s a powerful reminder that encouragement is not just emotional support—it’s a catalyst for achievement.

It’s Often the Teaching, Not the Child – And Why Phonics vs Whole Language Misses the Point

 

In my last post, I argued that most children who struggle with reading are not “disabled” in the clinical sense, but rather victims of poor or confusing teaching. When the foundations are muddled—wrong sounds, distorted input, or unclear strategies—many children disengage, and once that shut-down happens, remediation becomes far harder.

Why So Many Children Struggle with Reading

 

It's Often the Teaching, Not the Child

In 2010, my mentor, Dr. Richard Selznick, shared a profound insight that has stuck with me ever since: most children on the left side of the bell curve aren't truly "disabled" in the clinical sense. Instead, they are often "teaching disabled" or "curriculum disabled." These kids thrive when given structured, explicit instruction with ample practice and immediate feedback. True dyslexia—where a child struggles profoundly even with the best teaching—is far rarer.

Dystechia

 

Here is a comment I made this morning, on a FB post by Dyslexia Inspired.

This resonates deeply with views I've been expressing since 2010. Back in 2004, when I began investigating why many intelligent children could fluently read in Malay and Pinyin (Hanyu Pinyin) but struggled with English, the prevailing explanation was a phonological awareness deficit as the root cause of dyslexia.

I wrote extensively on social media challenging that theory, arguing it couldn't hold because these same children demonstrated strong phonological skills in more consistent orthographies like Malay and Pinyin.

That dominant theory faced significant scrutiny and was largely reframed or debunked around 2017, with emerging research highlighting its limitations.

Now, it feels like the same old idea is being repackaged with new terminology—what I'd call putting fresh lipstick on the same pig.

For more on my early writings, Google search "phonological awareness luqman michel"

Here are comments on the post:

 Jan Orocobix

Yes, Dr. Tim Conway has used this term for years. Did he originally coin the term?

 

 Tim Conway

Thank you Jan Orocobix - I’m sure that term has been around for decades before I mentioned it online.

Sadly, there are minimal improvements in the field of education towards becoming a truly evidence-based profession, ie having the same standards and caliber of scientific support for literacy instruction as all healthcare services for children are required for have before they are given to children - schools

use children as “guinea pigs” every day with untested and unproven and even proven to be ineffective literacy programs. Thankfully, healthcare is ethically and legally prevented from using children as “guinea pigs” for treatments and healthcare services. We must demand the same standard of care with scientifically proven and highly effective services for our childrens’ education too.

#DyslexiaScience and #EmpoweredDyslexia are two terms that I have not seen others use online, but those additional terms, like #Dystechia, are ones that I know Dyslexia Inspired understands very well and helps educate families and children about too.

 

 

Luqman Michel

Jan Orocobix This is the guy who deleted my discussion with him when he could not answer many questions I asked. LINK 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Walking Wounded: Adult Dyslexics and the Silence Around Their Struggles

                                                                       

Intro 

For years, I have written about dyslexic children who leave school unable to read, only to discover literacy later in life. Their stories raise an uncomfortable question: Why do so many fail in school, yet succeed as adults? The answer lies not in their intelligence, but in the way they were taught.