Spread Your Wings and Fly — A Celebration of Our Readers

There is a moment at My Learning Farm that never gets easier for me — the moment a student graduates from our Orton-Gillingham structured literacy program.

It is joyful.

It is proud.

And yes — it is always a little bittersweet.

These students didn’t just complete a program. They rewrote their story.

Many of them arrived carrying heavy words:

“I don’t like to read.”

“I’m not good at reading.”

“Reading is hard.”

Some arrived quietly, unsure, hesitant to try. Others arrived frustrated, worn down by years of struggle. All of them arrived brave — even if they didn’t yet know it.

And then… they got to work.

Through consistency, determination, grit, and an incredible amount of effort, these students learned how their brains learn. They built strong foundations in decoding, spelling, and encoding. They practiced when it was hard. They showed up on the days when reading felt tiring. They tried again when something didn’t click the first time.

Slowly — and then suddenly — everything changed.

Words started to make sense. Patterns became familiar. Confidence began to grow.

Reading transformed from something to avoid into something to enjoy.

Today, these graduates can pick up a book and say, “I can read this.”They read with confidence, joy, and curiosity.They understand more of what they read. Their vocabularies have expanded. Their spelling is stronger and more intentional. Their writing has grown in complexity, voice, and depth. They make real-world connections between texts, ideas, and experiences.

Most importantly — they believe in themselves.

Watching students shift from self-doubt to self-trust is one of the greatest honors of my life. Seeing their posture change, their voices grow stronger, and their pride shine through reminds me why this work matters so deeply.

As they graduate and move on to new chapters, I feel that familiar tug — I’ll miss them. I’ll miss our lessons, our laughs, the lightbulb moments, and the quiet victories.

But I also know this:

They are ready.

They leave My Learning Farm carrying confidence, resilience, and a deep knowing that they can tackle hard things. They go out into the world not just as stronger readers — but as stronger learners and stronger humans.

To all of our graduates:

Spread your wings and fly.

Keep asking questions.

Keep choosing books.

Keep reading — for joy, for learning, for adventure, and for yourself.

Spread your wings and FLY-you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to!!!!!!!!!

I am so proud of you. 🌱📚✨