Reading Realities
Changing how we teach reading isn’t simple. It’s complex, ongoing, and often overwhelming—and no one should have to figure it out alone.
Reading Realities is a podcast about what it really takes to change how we teach reading. Host Rose Else-Mitchell of the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz talks honestly with educators about the instructional shifts they're making, what they've learned about how humans learn to read, and what it takes to teach it. Guests discuss what they've tried, what worked (and what didn’t), and what they are learning to do differently now — making change durable, practical, and compassionate for anyone on this journey teaching reading.
New episodes coming August 2026. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Reading Realities
Latest Episodes
Official Trailer: Reading Realities
** New episodes beginning August 19, 2026 **What does it take to change how you teach reading?Reading Realities is a podcast for teachers who are somewhere in the middle of that shift, trying new strategies, reading the evi...
I Can't Differentiate My Way Out of This feat. Faith Howard
Faith Howard, a grades 6–12 literacy specialist and former secondary English teacher based in Pinedale, Wyoming, joins host Rose Else-Mitchell to discuss her journey from teaching Shakespeare to teaching older students how to read.Faith ...
A Random Pamphlet Changed My Instruction feat. Anjanette McNeely
Anjanette McNeely, a kindergarten teacher and former literacy coach in Kaysville, Utah, joins host Rose Else-Mitchell to discuss her professional journey from a whole-language teacher preparation program to becoming an advocate for evidence-bas...
Everyone Sees Themselves as a Reader in My Class feat. Danielle Honsberger
Danielle Honsberger, a grade one teacher and former literacy coach based in Prince Edward Island, Canada, (our first international guest) joins host Rose Else-Mitchell to discuss her journey from classroom teacher to literacy coach and back to ...
Centering Text with Middle School Readers feat. Sara Quinn
Sara Quinn, a middle school reading interventionist in Atlanta, Georgia, joins host Rose Else-Mitchell to talk about her journey from teaching kindergarten to supporting adolescent readers. Along the way, Sara questioned familiar practices, wen...