Sarah Dieck McGuire and Sarah Lumsden Watchorn are the founders of The Reading Academy, a specialised tuition service for children with dyslexia.
The Reading Academy offers specialised tuition to readers and children with dyslexia and employs the renowned Orton Gillingham approach. A new online course for teachers, parents, and anyone interested in learning how to teach a struggling reader or individual with dyslexia will be available soon. Here, the co-founders, talk about building a business with real purpose and how to grow a business while still in full-time work.
Our backgrounds in teaching
We have over 35 years of combined teaching experience in Chicago; Dublin; Mayo; London; NYC; Paris; and South Carolina. We both have Masters degrees in special education.
Our backgrounds of teaching children with dyslexia (for over 30 years combined) helped us enormously when we set up The Reading Academy.
“We know that the majority of our students feel frustrated in school, and many have low self-esteem as a result.”
How did the business come about?
We both realised the ever-demanding need for a clear, easy-to-follow, concise, and tailored programme to meet the individual needs of people with dyslexia and struggling readers.
Did you receive any funding or grants when you first started?
We have not received any funding or grants. We applied to the ‘New Frontiers’ programme and were shortlisted.
“We will offer virtual learning to both students and teachers in the future.”
What is the biggest issue you come across with children reading and writing in your classes?
We find that most of our students’ individual needs are not being met in the traditional methods of education. From talking to their parents, we know that the majority of our students feel frustrated in school, and many have low self-esteem as a result. Class size is a serious problem in Ireland as a child with dyslexia will not be
