Finally, a path that teaches reading properly to induce independent reading later.
Introducing...
Reading Can Be Puzzling
Inside Reading Can Be Puzzling, you'll get everything you need to help your child read independently, so that you can have all of the confidence in them starting school at the top of the class.
Join today — There are 6 spots open for per cohort!
Your Child Will Learn
How to read at a D level (1st grade 1st quarter)
Once you enroll into the program, you will receive:
- 12 weeks of content organized in a password protected learning portal
- A total of 80+ live lessons with a professional teacher
- Zoom recordings of cohort classes
- 80+ student-paced NearPod lesson for home practice
- Printables and worksheets that go with each lesson
- Video explanations and written explanations for parents
- 1:1 assessments scheduled at your convenience every month
- Leveled readers (books) that are level appropriate
- The guarantee that I will tutor for free if you/your child meet all requirements and contingencies after the 12 weeks is up until they are assessed at and meet a "D" level.
Tell me if this sounds like you:
- You want your child to love reading and you want to see that spark when they learn something new on their own.
- You need to feel confident and secure in your child's educational future.
- You have too much uncertainty about what public school will look like (or maybe you're already not impressed).
- You've over trying to teach them yourself.
- You're tired of feeling frustrated with them because they just don't get it.
- You wish there was a way to avoid this problem and just have them reading (and loving it) by the wave of a wand.
Good news!
I help parents with those same problems every single day.
And if you're like any of them, you've probably made some of the same mistakes.
Mistakes like...
Relying on the school teacher.
Teacher shortages are a growing problem that impacts communities across the globe. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimates that 69 million new teachers are needed globally to provide basic universal education by 2030.
We cannot continue to put the amount of stress and the amount of kids in classrooms at the rate that we have the past several years on a single elementary school teacher. They're not superheros and the districts are not setting them up for success. Even more, districts are, at this point, just hiring bodies to fill classrooms. They don't pay quality dollar for quality teachers, so what happens? They're hiring the people who need a job - any job. Not people who have spent their lives studying education, neurology, behavior, disabilities, PLUS their specialty.
How many of your kindergarteners and first graders are brave enough to raise their hand in a full classroom and say, "I don't get it. Will you slow down for me to catch up?"
I can tell you from experience teaching THOUSANDS of students in this age group - if I ask a question with the expectation of getting a specific answer and the child does not know... they say, "Yes." every. single. time.
Reading at home
Don't hate me... But hear me out...
Most native English speaking parents do not teach phonics correctly. There, I said it.
The majority of you are very likely teaching and helping your child incorrectly.
Why?
Simple. Because you weren't taught properly either. The science of reading is fairly new and even then, a lot of teachers in the U.S. were never taught how to teach it!
There is this idea that if you can read, then you can teach reading. a is for apple. a-a-apple. B is for ball. b-b-ball. And so on... But we need to be teaching synthetic phonics. Essentially, take out all of the 'uh's and 'ah's from the sound you're working on. For example, STOP teaching m sounds like 'muh-muh-muh'.
The average American reads at the 7th- to 8th-grade level, according to The Literacy Project. It isn't because we're dumb... It's because the teaching was never there.
Waiting to get help!
I've worked with thousands of students in a range of countries on several continents. I've worked with kids who learned English as a second language and I can tell you from experience over and over again, probably THE biggest mistake is not getting help fast enough. Thinking, "They'll get it. It is a process." "One day it will click." "It only because... when they ____ it will get better."
No it won't. It won't get better until they know what they're doing. And if the teacher at school doesn't have the time or resources for every kid and parents are literally teaching it wrong at home... how is it going to get better?
Reading is not an innate ability. It is a scientific process using statistics and repetition to learn written language. For most of your kids it will never "just come".
Imagine...
There was a way to teach them to read without banging your head into a wall... You could watch them love school and learning and see that intrinsic motivation soar... You could have them wanting to read a book instead of melting on YouTube...
All of that's possible inside:
Reading Can Be Puzzling
Join today!
Spots are limited!
Parents of Children Ages 3-5
If you have a 3, 4, or 5 year old child who is just now learning to read and is at the beginner stages...
Reading Can Be Puzzling: BEGINNER is for you! I show them (and you) how to read properly and teach them the skillset needed to read independently in the future.
Parents of Children Ages 6-7
Maybe your child isn't a strong reader or you're not sure where to go after they learn how to blend letters together.
Reading Can Be Puzzling: ADVANCED is for you! I bridge that gap between sounding out CVC words and full on blending by learning the most used sight and high frequency words in a way that they not only remember and can read, but are taught the definition and how to use the words in the future. This class will bring them from sounding out c-a-t to full on reading at an level F (end of first grade level) on their own.
**To make sure your child is ready for this level, book an an assessment with a professional Tutor below**
Parents whose first language is NOT English
If you are a parent whose first language is not English, this class is extremely helpful because we work on those skillsets that build independent reading abilities.
Therefore, you don't have to stress at home about not being able to help them since they will be set up to put the pieces together on their own.
Basically, this is for you if...
- You want your child reading before they ever start school so you don't have to worry about them falling behind.
- You've tried teaching them at home, but don't know where to get started.
- You've looked into tutoring, but you're overwhelmed by the amount of programs.
- Your child knows letter sounds, but you don't know where to go after that to get them actually reading books.
- You want an easy, straightforward system to get your child reading so they're set up for school and confident reading in front of peers.
On the flip-side...
This is not for you if...
- You’re looking for a magic bullet.
- You prefer to crowdsource free groups rather than get real, actionable strategy from experts.
- You like to move slowly and see a delayed return on your (time and money) investment.
Need Options?
No problem! Purchase the product you need
PARENT-PACED
$347
one-time payment
You will get a password protected learning portal to use at home
This includes 65 reading lessons organized in chronological order
All modules include an interactive NearPod lesson for your child to use on their tablet
All lessons include printables and even level appropriate booklets and decodables
This package does not include live tutoring
LIVE GROUP TUTORING
$1,200
$200 discount if paid in full
2 cumulative and interactive lessons per week with a private cohort
Plus 5 extra interactive drop-in lessons to attend as you need or see fit
1:1 assessments every month
Password protected learning portal to use at home
The guarantee that your child will read at a 1st grade level or they stay with us at no extra cost until they are!
PAY PER CLASS
$12
per lesson
Want to test the waters before you buy a bigger program?
Enroll with one of our teachers on Outschool for a weekly class!
Group classes are charged at $12 per lesson
1:1 private tutoring is also available
Create a new Outschool account and receive a $20 credit to use on your 1st class with Shields Scholars!
Hi, I'm Cassondra
(Ms. Cassie)
I'm a tutor and the owner of Shields Scholars, a tutoring company that teaches young children to read before starting school, so that they are "reading to learn" instead of "learning to read" when they finally get there.
My greatest joy is being a mom. I have 4 children, who are the funniest and most perfect little beings I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.
I've worked with kids in some capacity my entire life, and I think I've always been primed to be a mom, so teaching is just one step removed from that. I love working with kids and in all honesty, my maturity level is about 4 years old, so they're my bestest little friends. I'm just like a really, really smart kindergartener, so they listen to me really well, learn easily with me, and have lots of fun in class.
Why I created this:
I wanted to package up what I knew and the results I had and share it with more people. I chose to create this course because I'm a mom myself and nothing is more important than my kids. The world also had/has me afraid for my children's futures and what that looks like especially when it comes to their education. Knowledge is power and anyone who disagrees is plain wrong. But what if they hate school...?
"My 4 year old loved this class! It was interactive and kept her busy! Love it! "
Amy Y.
What they're saying about Reading Can Be Puzzling
"The teacher is patient and super nice, she likes to encourage students promptly and kindly. 30-minute class is funny and interesting "
Lili
What they're saying about Reading Can Be Puzzling
"Fantastic Class!!!! My 6 year old daughter had so much fun. Teacher Cassie is engaging and so sweet with the kids. She uses a neat tool called NearPod to allow children to actively participate in class. My daughter loved that she could follow along and do the activities in "live" mode. We would give this class 10 stars and certainly looking forward to participating in future classes with Teacher Cassie "
Florencia Z.
What they're saying about Reading Can Be Puzzling
"Ms. Cassie is wonderful! My son has so much fun learning how to read with her - he’s always smiling or giggling! He enjoys all of the tricks and tips and rule breakers she teaches as it relates to phonics and learning all of the “popcorn words” from Part 1 and 2. He’s excited for Part 3! "
Rachelle F.
What they're saying about Reading Can Be Puzzling
"My daughter reading skills have greatly improved because of this class. She looks forward to this class each week. I thought she would have trouble flipping back and forth from Nearpod but that wasn't the case at all. Nearpod is her favorite part of the class. Mrs. Shields is so patient and helpful with each student. She makes sure each student fully understands the topic they are working on. "
Damaris R.
What they're saying about Reading Can Be Puzzling
There's more! You'll also get...
A total value of $4,700
Get started today for
$1,200 USD
**$200 discount if you pay in full!*
Frequently Asked Questions
They are live classes with me! Depending on the section, classes are on average 3 times per week during the length of the program.
I focus on level - not age necessarily.
I've had 6, 7, and 8 year olds in the program as well, so it really depends on where they're at in terms of reading.
I do advise that you wait to put your child in the program until they're at least 3 years old though.
You can absolutely purchase the course and use all of the material to work with them at home. Once they turn 3 we can enroll them into the live classes.
You can purchase the course at a cheaper rate and teach your child at home without the live teacher. The course has video explanations for the parent, so you know exactly what to do (and what to not do).
By age 2 or 3, a toddler has twice as many synapses in their brain than an adult. What does this mean? A synapse is essentially a space between neurons in the brain. Synapses are responsible for brain communication and necessary for learning and memory. As we get older and continue to experience the world, synapses begin to die. The ones that survive, are the ones that are used.
Remember the saying, "Use it or lose it"? That is basically what happens. This is why it is said that kids learn second and third languages much easier as a baby or toddler than as adults. This is also why reading at a very young age is extremely beneficial to their overall cognitive maturity.
It depends on your child's skill level (not their age).
Your child needs to be in the BEGINNER section if they cannot blend letters or words together easily or quickly.
Write down simple words like cat, milk, dog, smog, sit, rat, frog, etc.
If they can figure these out fairly quickly and independently, then they need to be in the ADVANCED section.
If you enroll into the ADVANCED section, we will start week 1 with an assessment and I will let you know for sure if they are in the right cohort or not. If we need to move them down to BEGINNER, we can do that right away so you don't miss out or waste your money.
Refund Policy
All sales are final and no refund will be offered under any circumstances. Although, I do hold a guarantee to tutor FOR FREE if your child does not make the assessment we want to see at the end of the program! I've been doing this for a long time, so as long as you log your child into class and work on the resources at home, they will hit that 1st grade level easy peasy within the program timeframe. But hey, if not, they stay in the program and continue to work on the coursework with me until we see them hit the assessment marks the specific program guarantees.
If you've read this far...
You have two options:
1. Continue to spend more time and energy trying to figure it out on your own...
OR
2. Finally have a proven system for teaching your child to read, so you can stop worrying.
Imagine where you could be just one month from now.
You're ready to get your child reading.
You're ready to stop stressing about what will happen when they start school.
You're ready to start watching them read to learn.
You're ready for a way to teaching reading properly.
You're ready for Reading Can Be Puzzling.
Need Options?
No problem! Purchase the product you need
PARENT-PACED
$347
one-time payment
You will get a password protected learning portal to use at home
This includes 65 reading lessons organized in chronological order
All modules include an interactive NearPod lesson for your child to use on their tablet
All lessons include printables and even level appropriate booklets and decodables
LIVE GROUP TUTORING
$1,200
$200 discount if paid in full
2 cumulative and interactive lessons per week with a private cohort
Plus 5 extra interactive drop-in lessons to attend as you need or see fit
1:1 assessments every month
Password protected learning portal to use at home
The guarantee that your child will read at a 1st grade level or they stay with us at no extra cost until they are!
PAY PER CLASS
$12
per lesson
Want to test the waters before you buy a bigger program?
Enroll with one of our teachers on Outschool for a weekly class!
Group classes are charged at $12 per lesson
1:1 private tutoring is also available
Create a new Outschool account and receive a $20 credit to use on your 1st class with Shields Scholars!
