A common misconception in reading instruction is that phonics-based programs—particularly structured approaches like Orton-Gillingham—are rigid, conservative, or somehow opposed to creativity. In reality, the opposite is true.

 

At Harmon School, we believe students need both structure and creativity. Learning to read is no different from learning a sport, an instrument, or an art form: play and expression are only possible once the fundamentals are secure.

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Consider basketball. Players don’t begin by scrimmaging all day and hoping skills emerge. They practice dribbling, footwork, free throws, and form. Or music—students don’t improvise confidently on the violin before learning scales, finger placement, and bowing technique. Art, too, relies on foundations: understanding shapes, proportions, perspective, and line before expressive freedom takes hold.

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Reading works the same way.

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For students who struggle—especially those with dyslexia—an open-ended, discovery-only approach often leads to frustration rather than progress. Asking a child who cannot reliably decode words to “just read more” is like asking a student who cannot draw a circle to simply keep sketching and hope accurate forms appear. What they need instead is explicit instruction, clear sequencing, and guided practice.

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That is why Harmon School uses Basic Language Skills (BLS), an Orton-Gillingham–based structured literacy approach. BLS systematically teaches the building blocks of reading—phonemic awareness, sound-symbol relationships, decoding, spelling, and fluency—so students develop real, transferable reading skills. These fundamentals create the foundation students need to eventually read naturally, fluently, and with confidence.

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This does not eliminate creativity or joy. In fact, it enables it. Once students are no longer struggling to decode, they can focus on meaning, expression, comprehension, and engagement with rich texts. Play, choice, and exploration become productive rather than overwhelming.