You followed the program.

Step by step.

Every lesson, every activity, every page in the right order.

And still — some of your kids aren't getting it.

That feeling is so specific. You did everything right. And it still didn't work. And then you start wondering: is it me?

Here's what I want you to know.

It's not you.

Even the best phonics programs leave gaps. And when those gaps aren't filled, kids struggle — no matter how carefully you teach.

There's one mistake I see over and over again. Programs that don't follow a clear, step-by-step order. Skills just scattered around, jumping from digraphs to vowel teams and back again, with no logical path for kids to follow.

Think about it this way.

You wouldn't ask a baby who just learned to crawl to run a marathon. But that's basically what happens when programs skip the foundational stuff and jump straight to complex patterns.

Kids need to go from individual letter sounds → to digraphs → to magic E → to more advanced skills. In that order. Every time.

When that order is missing? Kids hit a wall.

I broke down this mistake — and four more — in this podcast episode from season two of The Science of Reading Formula. If you've ever stared at your lesson plan wondering why it's not sticking, this one's for you.