She started tutoring a 14-year-old with dyslexia the summer after college.

Just a summer job, she thought.

That was 50 years ago.

She never left.

And after five decades of watching kids struggle to put words on a page, she's got something to say about why writing instruction keeps falling short in K-2 classrooms.

Here's what stuck with me most:

Writing doesn't come naturally.
Not for most kids.
Not even for kids who can read well.

And yet so many of us assume that if we teach reading, writing will follow.

It won't.

Joan Sedita lays out exactly what explicit writing instruction should look like for your littlest learners — and it's a lot simpler than you might think.

No fancy curriculum required.

Just intentional, consistent practice woven through the whole school day.
If you have students who can decode but still can't get their ideas onto paper — this one's for you.