Phoenix, AZ, May 06, 2025 — Crazy Simple Education (“CSE” or “the company”), a Scottsdale-based education resource and consulting company focused on improving educational outcomes for every student, has partnered with Phoenix Christian Preparatory School (“Phoenix Christian”) to implement a reading process making waves through their classrooms. The sounds of frustration typically heard in elementary school classrooms learning to read clearly can be avoided.
It is no secret that the experience of learning to read and write can set the trajectory for a student’s education. Reading levels among elementary students have been on a steady decline. With less than 60% of Phoenix’s first grade students reading at grade level the team at Crazy Simple Education decided to examine the root cause of these declining rates. What they discovered was quite simple: when young readers have a frustrating start to their learning experience, they carry that frustration and defeat with them for years to come. Dr. Lyle Lee Jenkins, founder of CSE, summarizes his findings, “Delays and missteps when a child is first learning to read cements their mindset that they can’t read. While each child requires their own roadmap to learn to read, the fundamental step is for each student to know they have the brains, support and encouragement to succeed with reading. I have found that once students know they can make a ‘go’ at reading, nothing can stop them. It is critical for educators to remember that reading is not a subject, reading is a skill; we as educators have to ensure students have a solid foundation and develop a love of reading right from the start.”
Each kindergarten and first grade classroom at Phoenix Christian has implemented the company’s unique process and all teachers report high levels of success and joy from their students. The key to these positive results? Wordless books! Most schools and local libraries have wordless books available and students frequently utilize them to flip pages and tell stories, but that is just the beginning. When Dr. Jenkins approached Lauren Lewis, a first grade teacher at Phoenix Christian, proposing the implementation of this supplemental reading process there was immediate agreement. Lauren recognized that reading was too often a hurdle and decided to give it a try. Within days of introducing the activity to the classroom she knew they had uncovered something impactful. Students, regardless of their reading skill level, were engaged and excited to write their stories. Lauren recounts an experience with one of her students, “When I sat down with him to dictate his story, he could hardly contain himself. He was so excited and kept telling me how much his parents were going to love this book and he couldn’t wait to show them. This, coming from a student who really struggled to get interested in reading before we made this simple adjustment. You can feel the joy from students as they exercise their imaginations and are growing their reading skills and confidence daily.”
The process soon expanded to the other first grade classroom and both kindergarten classes. You can hear the excited chatter of students creating their own stories to go along with the Bear, Rabbit and Chipmunk pictures on the pages. The ability for Crazy Simple Education to guide educators as they take this activity from creativity to long term knowledge is the key difference. Once students have come up with their own story, they dictate the words to the teacher who types the words onto labels, which children place in their personal wordless books. Now students have authored a whole book from their own imagination and language. Because students wrote the story, they are able to read every page and are delighted to share their books with adults and peers.
With methods so powerful yet so simple, we can’t afford for this level of excitement and learning to stop. Crazy Simple Education has a Wordless Book Series, Wordless Books for Young Authors, featuring a Bear, a Rabbit and a Chipmunk available on their website, or you can find wordless books at your local library. With a pad of sticky notes and a pen parents can easily follow the same dictation process at home. They will be amazed at the creativity and confidence young authors and young readers exhibit once they hear themselves read with normal inflection and speed.
The team at CSE is actively consulting with schools across the nation to implement simple and impactful education practices redefining the lives of students. Whether you are an educator, an administrator or parent, they have practical resources and processes capable of meeting your specific needs. Crazy Simple Education is offering introductory consultations, giving educators and families an opportunity to discuss unique support and resource needs. For more information or to book your discovery call, email their team at info@crazysimpleedication.com. Together, we can make a difference in the education success and the lives of children across the globe.