DEARBORN – We Shall Read, a non-profit organization aimed at improving children’s literacy, is partnering with the Dearborn Public Library to offer a series of free workshops for parents, in both English and Arabic.

We Shall Read uses a program called Brain Friendly Reading that equips teachers, tutors and parents with instructional strategies via training and mentoring to improve children’s reading, writing and spelling skills regardless of age, ability or background.

Founded by teacher Kristin Dwyer in 2021, this organization is rooted in meeting children’s needs and enhancing how they learn. Dwyer is Orton-Gillingham trained — an approach used by dyslexia specialists — and also has experience as a Montessori classroom teacher for first to eighth grades. She is both the founder and executive director of We Shall Read, as well as co-founder of Brain Friendly Reading.

The series of free workshops — given in both English and Arabic — will begin on June 18 and continue throughout the duration of the summer. These sessions are designed to provide parents with the necessary skills to teach their own children how to read.

Classes taught in Arabic will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays June 11 for first and second grades; July 9 for third and fourth grades and August 6 for Pre-K and Kindergarten.

Classes taught in English will be held at 10:30 a.m. June 18, first and second grades; July 16, third and fourth grades and August 13, Pre-K and Kindergarten.

All classes will be held at the Henry Ford Centennial Library, 16301 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn, and children are welcome at all of the workshops this summer.

“We believe in meeting families where they are, whether it be with resources, encouragement and trusted partnerships,” said  Dearborn Public Library Director Betty Adams. “We are proud to support We Shall Read’s bilingual parent workshops this summer, which not only nurture early literacy skills, but also honor the diverse languages and learning journeys of our community. Together, we are helping families grow confident readers from the very start.”

“The brain learns to read one way, in every language across the world,” Dwyer said. “This helps English language learners to read more fluently and efficiently.”

Dwyer told The Arab American News that when she originally created the Brain Friendly Reading program and began training people, she saw how effective it was. Feeling inspired to expand it on a larger scale, she said creating a nonprofit organization was a way she could make it accessible to anybody who wanted to use it, while maintaining a barrier-free approach. That vision led to the inception of We Shall Read that brings the Brain Friendly Reading to people.

“We wanted a program that one, children would enjoy, one that we could teach other adults how to use — even if they weren’t educators — and that they could be highly successful at it,” she said. “And ones that also were low cost, low prep, so that there weren’t these packages of stuff you have to buy, that if you just have pencil and paper and the book, you could teach everything for years.”

She said that the program’s model is designed to train anyone interested in becoming a tutor. Many of those who complete the training are teachers and paraprofessionals who go on to implement the program in their own classrooms. For those who have interest in creating their own tutoring business, she said that We Shall Read forges the path by providing a business skills development course and weekly zoom meetings every Monday, led by mentors to address questions and provide ongoing support.

“Dearborn public library has been very welcoming and flexible… and really meeting the needs of the community that has allowed us to be able to do this work,” Dwyer said.

Fatima Altahira, a substitute special education resource teacher, found her own success with We Shall Read. After moving to the United States from Lebanon — where she had worked as a biochemist — in 2020, she told The Arab American News that adjusting to a new country was challenging — especially during COVID-19 pandemic.

While navigating her new life in the U.S. with her husband and children, she said she was supported by various women along the way. She began working for the Dearborn Public Schools and then eventually discovered the Brain Friendly Reading program through We Shall Read in 2022.

After completing her training, she said she immediately implemented the program with her students, who she said demonstrated remarkable results. She also used the program with her four children, noting their academic improvement. She shared that her youngest, a kindergartener, is the highest in his class —- an accomplishment she attributes to her training.

Now she works full-time at an elementary school while managing her own tutoring services. She said the job itself is incredibly rewarding and allows her to make a positive impact in her students’ lives.

“Feeling like you’re a light in someone’s life is amazing,” Altahira said. 

She reflected on the route her life has taken since leaving her home country, sharing that her life has a mission.

“I just feel like what I do, my journey is not a career change,” she said. “You know, I was a biochemist and now I’m teaching. It’s a mission and a testament that what’s possible when people believe in one another and lift each other up is amazing.” 

For those interested in starting their own tutoring business or receiving this training, visit the We Shall Read website here.

Photo provided by Kristin Dwyer