I took one class on teaching reading in college, Niepodam.

One. That was all my program required.

I wish I could tell you it was incredible and gave me everything I needed. Instead, on my first day teaching second grade, I stood in the middle of my beautifully decorated classroom and realized half my kids couldn't sound out cat or dog.

And I had no idea what to do next.

My degree hadn't given me a plan. It had given me a theory that kids learn to read by being around enough books, and that theory turned out to be wrong.
I've heard so many versions of this story since.

Teachers with almost no training in how reading actually works and even more teachers handed a curriculum and told to teach it exactly as written. No changes, no questions.

It's a terrible position to be in. You can feel that something isn't working and still have no standing to say so.

If you've ever wanted to speak up and ask questions but weren't sure how to do it without rocking the boat, I have something for you.

I sat down with Kari Kurto, Director of Policy and Partnerships at The Reading League, and she said this:

You're allowed to ask whether a curriculum is actually research-backed before you commit a whole year to it.

Then she walked me through The Reading League's Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines.

They're free, and they're built for exactly this.

We get into what red flags to look for in a teacher's manual, how to bring concerns to your principal without sounding like you're attacking the program, and what to do when the curriculum is already locked in for the year.

If you've ever opened a teacher's manual and just hoped it was right, this one's for you.