The structured-literacy method of teaching had all but lost the so-called \u201creading wars\u201d by the 2000s, amid concerns memorizing letter-sound associations was repetitive and, as a result, was destroying students\u2019 motivation to learn. Schools pivoted to prioritizing exposing children to a wide variety of interesting and increasingly difficult texts.<\/p>\n
Led by researchers and frustrated parents, the international \u201cScience of Reading\u201d movement has reignited the debate in recent years.<\/p>\n
Human rights investigators across Canada have endorsed a return to back-to-basics \u2014 <\/strong>structured literacy \u2014<\/strong> lessons for all kids, but especially those with suspected or diagnosed learning disabilities.<\/p>\n An 11-year-old boy showed up to the Manitoba legislature on World Dyslexia Day<\/a> (Oct. 8) to call on elected officials to take action locally.<\/p>\n Little did Jacob Dyck know that he, now a student at Laureate Academy, would inspire others to share their first-hand struggles with reading.<\/p>\n The Free Press interviewed four elementary students to learn how the school system, despite teachers\u2019 best efforts, failed to help them become fully literate.<\/p>\n Their experiences mirror the Right to Read\u2019s conclusions that there\u2019s a patchwork of teaching, intervention and strategies, and that Manitoba families are paying thousands of dollars out of pocket to help their children master a basic skill.<\/p>\n Blake Neufeld, a Grade 4 student at Princess Margaret School in North Kildonan<\/strong><\/p>\n Cost estimate:<\/strong> $3,000 per school year for twice-weekly tutoring<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Blake Neufeld with a letter activity.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Blake got dressed on the morning of Oct. 24 in a bright red shirt \u2014 a symbol of the ink often associated with grading mistakes. Last year, at the end of Grade 3, she was formally diagnosed with dyslexia by a school psychologist.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t get taught the right way and it made my reading worse,\u201d the nine-year-old told a news conference put on by Dyslexia Canada.<\/p>\n It was a week ahead of the Right to Read release, and she was surrounded by a sea of other students and parents in red in downtown Winnipeg.<\/p>\n Blake did not read from a script. She spoke directly to reporters, some of them equipped with video cameras, about how difficult her early schooling had been. While she noted private tutoring is helping her gain confidence, it cannot wipe away the tears she has shed in frustration.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was really hard because I felt really sad,\u201d Blake said. \u201cSometimes, after school, I came home and cried in my bed because I was so sad because I didn\u2019t know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Mom Brianna Neufeld said their family was lucky to book a \u201cvery rare\u201d appointment with a public school-based clinician in April, five months after they requested it.<\/p>\n The mother of three said she suspects her middle child\u2019s poor mental health made her a priority. If anyone suspected Blake had a learning disability, it was never raised to the Neufelds, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t get taught the right way and it made my reading worse.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The family took it upon themselves to seek assistance because of Blake\u2019s report cards \u2014 she was not meeting grade-level expectations \u2014 and well-being.<\/p>\n Blake was registered in her school\u2019s Reading Recovery program in grades 1 and 2. Asked about whether these extra lessons made an impact, the nine-year-old replied: \u201cNot really.\u201d<\/p>\n What has made a difference is twice-weekly tutoring, but it comes at a hefty cost and it isn\u2019t yet enough to help Blake \u201cunlearn\u201d old habits, her mom said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure she will ever fully overcome the harm done,\u201d Neufeld said of interventions that urged Blake to use context clues to read rather than phonics.<\/p>\n She said her daughter continues to guess words she does not know rather than sound them out, because that\u2019s how she was taught in class and Reading Recovery.<\/p>\n Rowan Pokrant, a Grade 5 student at Arthur A. Leach School in Waverley Heights<\/strong><\/p>\n Cost estimate<\/strong>:<\/strong> $5,500 for 12 months of tutoring<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Grade 5 student Rowan\u00a0Pokrant’s current reading obsessions include the Harry Potter series and manga. <\/p>\n Not only is Rowan a confident reader of English graphic novels, but he\u2019s also a fan of flipping through manga \u2014 or what his dad calls \u201cthe backwards books.\u201d<\/p>\n The popular genre of action-packed Japanese comics are read from right to left.<\/p>\n As far as his parents are concerned, their 10-year-old son\u2019s latest obsession is a welcome one.<\/p>\n It was only three years ago that he asked his mom, \u201cWill I ever love to read like you?\u201d<\/p>\n (He\u2019s not quite there yet, but as of the beginning of Grade 5, Rowan told the Free Press, \u201cI like to read now.\u201d)<\/p>\n His mom, a pediatrician, is a self-described reading fanatic who ripped through phonics workbooks \u201cfor fun\u201d as a kid.<\/p>\n Dr. Jina Pagura recalled her surprise to learn Rowan, the oldest of her two boys, wasn\u2019t being taught to read with the same kinds of decodable texts \u2014 let alone structured literacy \u2014 at school.<\/p>\n Pagura\u2019s concerns peaked when Rowan, then a Grade 2 student, presented her with a made-up story that was impossible to decipher. He didn\u2019t know how to insert vowels into his writing, she said.<\/p>\n The family hired a private tutor and, for 12 months, Rowan regularly woke up early to do extra literacy lessons before school.<\/p>\n The 10-year-old is currently meeting grade-level benchmarks.<\/p>\n Rowan said his mom is particularly talented at leading their nightly readalouds, but he volunteers to tap in on occasion.<\/p>\n They are about 100 pages from finishing the fifth novel in the Harry Potter series, after which the family will screen the film adaptation of J.K. Rowling\u2019s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.<\/p>\n The longest novel in the series has been boring in comparison, he said, noting that No. 4 was far more exciting. It was his favourite fantasy book-and-movie combination to date.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d always thought, \u2018They\u2019ll get to school and school will do the rest.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Pagura has long been passionate about getting books into the hands of young patients and urging families to do readalouds at home.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d always thought, \u2018They\u2019ll get to school and school will do the rest,\u2019\u201d she said, adding her son\u2019s experience was a wakeup call that Manitoba was not embracing evidence-based practises to teach reading.<\/p>\n The pediatrician said it was \u201cabsolutely heartbreaking\u201d to learn many children, including those with and without suspected learning disabilities, are not getting the instruction they need to become literate.<\/p>\n \u201cI have patients from all socioeconomic statuses, new immigrant families, and what they are hearing from school because the school isn\u2019t picking up on things \u2014 \u201ceverything is fine\u201d \u2014 is really terrifying,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The mother of two noted that students might stop attending school and fall further behind if they feel ashamed about their skills. \u201cIt\u2019s this continual, self-fulfilling prophecy.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Pagura has begun writing letters asking for school-based assessments when a child who enters her office is struggling with literacy skills.<\/p>\n The response is often, \u201cThey are getting interventions,\u201d she said. But she noted that when she follows up to request structured literacy, \u201cI don\u2019t ever hear anything back.\u201d<\/p>\n The Manitoba Pediatric Society has endorsed her calls on the province to ensure all children have access to evidence-based instruction. Its national counterpart has taken a similar stance.<\/p>\n \u201cIn-class quality reading programs must include phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading practice to improve word-reading accuracy and speed,\u201d according to the national advocacy organization\u2019s 2024 statement on literacy education.<\/p>\n Hazel Pancoe, a Grade 6 student at Laureate Academy in St. Norbert<\/strong><\/p>\n Cost estimate<\/strong>: <\/strong>$3,000 for a private dyslexia assessment, $10,000 in tutoring and $24,000 for private school in 2025-26 alone<\/p>\n Hazel\u2019s mother Colette Pancoe took in the crowd of more than 200 people gathered at the Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain for the unveiling of the Right to Read findings at the end of Dyslexia Awareness Month on Oct. 30.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you looked around the room, it was 95 per cent white women \u2014 white, affluent women,\u201d said Pancoe, a self-described member of that demographic group.<\/p>\n \u201cThose are not the only families that are experiencing dyslexia.\u201d<\/p>\n For Pancoe, the contents of the human rights commission\u2019s report were all too familiar.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Hazel Pancoe, with her mother Colette, has dyslexia and struggles with reading. She had to move from public school to a private one to be in a more supportive environment. <\/p>\n She is among the parents who have extensively advocated on behalf of a child with a learning disability. It\u2019s often uncomfortable because parents are pitted against each other, owing to the limited resources, Pancoe said.<\/p>\n The St. Vital family opted to pay for a private clinician two school years ago and, equipped with results, searched for an after-school tutor who specialized in dyslexia.<\/p>\n During Hazel\u2019s last year at \u00c9cole Varennes, the then-Grade 5 student relied on older classmates for help in her multi-age homeroom.<\/p>\n The Pancoes expressed gratitude for the \u201cunofficial tutors and homework helpers\u201d in 2024-25, but they acknowledged it was not sustainable. Hazel reluctantly agreed to attend an alternative school located south of the Perimeter Highway this fall.<\/p>\n Hazel noted that the school doesn\u2019t have music, shops or French classes. \u201cI am the only girl in Grade 6!\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Before meeting with \u201cDr. Chris\u201d at Red Ladder Optimized Learning in Grade 4, Hazel said she attributed her reading challenges to being in French immersion and learning two languages at once.<\/p>\n For a chatty student like her, school has always been a welcome opportunity to socialize. That wasn\u2019t the case for tutoring. Hazel admitted she had to be bribed to attend sessions via treats from the Crusty Bun bakery.<\/p>\n Moving schools has been an adjustment, but she said she\u2019s relieved to no longer require tutoring.<\/p>\n Finances aside, the Pancoes are privileged with the time, skills and confidence required to navigate school, clinical and government systems, her mom said.<\/p>\n One of the \u201cseries of hoops,\u201d involved applying for a tax credit available to children with disabilities, Pancoe said. \u201cHazel was lucky enough to get it \u2014 if you can call it \u2018lucky,\u2019\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Cece Friesen, a Grade 6 student at Laidlaw School in Tuxedo<\/strong><\/p>\n Cost estimate<\/strong>: <\/strong>$2,500 for a one-time private dyslexia assessment and $35 per tutoring session at the Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Cece Friesen is an 11-year-old student at Laidlaw School in Pembina Trails who gets private tutoring.<\/p>\n Cece, 11, used to be an aspiring author or fashion designer, but she is now planning to pursue medicine.<\/p>\n And while there\u2019s no rush to decide on a career path, the Grade 6 student is still developing a key skill \u2014 reading \u2014 that will serve her adult self.<\/p>\n During a sitdown interview this week, Cece described all of her favourite things about Laidlaw School. She likes its intimate size, her friends and her teacher. As for her preferred subjects, it\u2019s a tie between art and history.<\/p>\n Mother Michelle Ward said moving Cece to another school was never a serious option, even though status-quo programming has not always met her daughter\u2019s reading needs.<\/p>\n Cece\u2019s classes were never taught phonics explicitly, directly or systematically. While many of her peers learned to read through exposure to diverse reading materials, she never had an a-ha moment.<\/p>\n The 11-year-old recalled feeling embarrassed about her slow reading pace and using a finger to help her follow sentences.<\/p>\n Cece said regular tutoring and listening to audiobooks, as per her current classroom teacher\u2019s advice, has helped build her confidence.<\/p>\n \u201cFor a while, you didn\u2019t really want to use anything that made you feel like you were different,\u201d her mom said, adding that Cece has always loved stories, especially when they\u2019re laid out in graphic novels, but getting through other texts can be a challenge.<\/p>\n Cece\u2019s current pick is The Girl Who Drank The Moon by Kelly Barnhill. Her favourite book of all time is Sisters by Raina Telgemeier.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Cece had been screened sooner, I think the gap with her peers would\u2019ve closed a lot sooner. It\u2019s still not closed,\u201d Ward said.<\/p>\n She added that her family is \u201chappier now,\u201d given they have answers and know where to find support.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Cece Friesen and her mom Michelle Ward.<\/p>\n Ward and Cece met with the education minister Nov. 4 to celebrate a unanimous vote in the house to enshrine regular early-reading screening into law.<\/p>\n Following the third reading of Bill 225, the Public Schools Amendment Act (Early Reading Screening), Education Minister Tracy Schmidt revealed she knows what it\u2019s like to raise a struggling reader. (Schmidt\u2019s office declined to share further information, citing her desire to keep her children out of the public eye.)<\/p>\n Her department is developing a plan to address the Right to Read\u2019s \u201cgreat recommendations,\u201d Schmidt said.<\/p>\n The minister noted that scanning every student\u2019s progress regularly between kindergarten and Grade 4 is a first step.<\/p>\n The Manitoba Teachers\u2019 Society endorsed the new legislation, but its leadership flagged concerns that \u201cidentification must be paired with real support.\u201d<\/p>\n The union, which represents 17,000 public school teachers, said in a bulletin that schools need more specialists and screening should be \u201cteacher-led, flexible and adaptable,\u201d rather than tied to a single commercial tool. It also condemned a one-size-fits-all approach to reading instruction.<\/p>\n maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Maggie Macintosh<\/strong> Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie<\/a>.<\/p>\n Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS <\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS <\/p>\n![\"Maggie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/maggie-macintosh-mug.jpg\")
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Education reporter
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