🎧 Episode Summary

In this episode of the Reading Symphony Podcast, I sit down with early childhood educator Salley King Edwards, whose 25+ year career spans classrooms, coaching, and national literacy work through Cox Campus.

We explore how language, knowledge, and everyday interactions lay the foundation for reading long before formal instruction begins.

Salley shares her personal journey as both an educator and a parent navigating reading challenges, including the early signs she noticed, what she missed, and what she wishes more families understood.

This conversation is both deeply practical and incredibly reassuring: reading development doesn’t start in kindergarten—it starts from birth. And there is so much families can do, in simple and meaningful ways, to support it.

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Cox Campus (free courses for families and educators)
• Brilliance of Babies (Salley’s book series and resources)
• "How Knowledge Helps" (Willingham)

In this special live episode of The Reading Symphony Podcast, Katie sits down with colleague and friend Kindred Obas for a conversation about joyful reading culture, complex texts, identity, and the kinds of classroom experiences that help children see themselves as readers.

Together, Katie and Kindred discuss:

• how to build a classroom culture where reading feels joyful, social, and meaningful
• why classroom libraries should include both mirrors and windows
• what Kindred learned from watching students move from books like Dog Man to much more complex texts over time
• how her sixth grade Jane Austen book club is helping students grow as readers, thinkers, and community members
• why exposure to complex text, paired with support and belonging, can strengthen comprehension and confidence
• how families can talk with children about harder histories with honesty, empathy, and care
• why it matters to offer books about children of color that are not only rooted in struggle, but also in joy, curiosity, and possibility
• Kindred’s next chapter at Stanford, where she will study curriculum, teaching, race, language, and healing-centered approaches to teaching hard history

This episode is a beautiful reminder that reading growth is not just about skill. It is also about identity, access, belonging, and the communities we build around books.

Katie Megrian | 10:15 AM (0 minutes ago) | |
to me

Fundraiser by Kindred Obas : Fund Our Journey to Jane Austen's England https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-our-journey-to-jane-austens-england https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-our-journey-to-jane-austens-england?attribution_id=sl:e9fcfcf6-52f6-4666-8406-5c5cc968e35a&lang=en_US&ts=1773612248&utm_campaign=man_sharesheet_dash&utm_content=amp17_tb-amp20_t2&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

Books and Texts Kindred Discusses

• Kindred by Octavia Butler
• Emma by Jane Austen
• A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L’Engle
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
• Persuasion by Jane Austen
• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
• One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
• Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty
• The Youngest Marcher by Cynthia Levinson and Vanessa Brantley-Newton
• Love Is by Diane Adams
• The Great Cake Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith
• The Breakfast Club Adventures series by Marcus Rashford
• The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
• Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee
• Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time by Lisa Yee

In this episode of The Reading Symphony Podcast, Katie sits down with national literacy consultant John Bennetts to discuss what reading development actually looks like in real classrooms and real families.

John shares how an unexpected start in education led him to work alongside renowned literacy expert Linda Farrell early in his career, shaping his approach to evidence-based reading instruction.

Together, Katie and John explore a question many parents quietly carry:
How do we know if a child is progressing normally in reading?

Their conversation unpacks the difference between healthy developmental variation and signs that a child may need additional support. They also discuss how screening data should be used by schools, how parents can ask better follow-up questions, and why strong literacy systems depend on coherence across instruction and intervention.

The episode also highlights the powerful early literacy work of Reach Out and Read, a national program that partners with pediatricians to help families build read-aloud routines from birth.

Whether you're a parent trying to understand reading benchmarks or an educator working to build stronger systems, this conversation offers clarity, compassion, and practical guidance.

• Reach Out and Read
• Research on phases of reading development (Linnea Ehri)
• Stephanie Stollar’s work on MTSS