Susan Barton loves hearing from parents about the impact Barton tutoring has had on their child, as this parent shared:

This is my daughter — today.

Three years ago, her confidence was basically nothing. She didn’t feel comfortable getting up in front of others, and her reading and writing were just terrible.

We started her on the Barton System in the summer of 2020.

Her confidence has improved so much that she decided to try out for theatre last year – even though that meant reading lines in front of others.

This winter, she was cast as Annie at a theatre near us. I wanted to share this  photo because it almost speaks of her journey. She went from lost, defeated, and discouraged to determined, hopeful, and thriving.

Thank you for making this curriculum.  It has helped my daughter find her wings.

Theresa Wegner, parent
Rochester, MI

Susan Barton loves hearing from parents about the impact Barton tutoring has had on their child, as this parent shared:

When my daughter began second grade, she was only reading at mid-kindergarten level. So I had her tested. Clara was diagnosed as severely dyslexic.

I immediately hired a Barton tutor to work with Clara twice a week after school.

Clara’s reading was retested at the end of January. She is now reading above grade level.

She has gone from missing every single  word on weekly spelling tests to only missing one or two.

Her progress has me in tears.

Her Barton tutoring is worth every single penny.

Here’s our story:

When my daughter, Clara, was ready to start kindergarten in August 2020, our local schools were closed due to COVID.  So I decided to homeschool her and her older brother.

We loved homeschooling, and her brother thrived. But Clara did not. I tried a variety of reading curriculum, but nothing worked. I could not teach her to read. I felt defeated, Clara was frustrated, and it put a real strain on our relationship.

So this year, I enrolled Clara in a private school.

During the enrollment process, the administrator expressed concern that Clara would not be successful at their school. But after some discussion, she allowed both my children to enroll. Clara was almost 8, so she was put into second grade.

Very quickly, her second grade teacher said Clara should be switched to first grade – because Clara’s STAR reading test showed she was reading at only 0.8  – which means the eighth month of kindergarten.

Luckily, this school has a private Barton tutor who recommended I watch the Bright Solutions videos on dyslexia.  It was mind blowing how Clara fit almost every single symptom in those videos.

I then had Clara tested. The results were hard to take. Clara’s dyslexia was severe. Yet after we explained to Clara what dyslexia was, I saw her relax a little bit.

Yet I began to worry about her future, about how much she would struggle in school, and whether she would be successful as an adult.

Clara started Barton tutoring two times a week, after school, for an hour. Those tutoring days are very long. And we pay for her tutoring on top of the private school tuition.

But it is worth every penny.

After a few weeks of tutoring, I noticed Clara was reading some words when we were out and about, and reading some things at home. Over time, I saw her confidence grow.

At the end of January, when she took another STAR reading test, Clara was at third grade reading level, 3.2.  She had improved that much after just a few months of Barton tutoring.

The best part is how proud of Clara is.  She tells everyone about her reading level.

She’s also doing much better in class. She went from missing every single spelling word on the weekly test to only missing one or two.

So now I don’t worry very much about her future. I will make sure Clara continues Barton tutoring until she has finished the program.

I encourage other parents who have a child who struggles with reading, writing, or spelling to watch the videos on the Bright Solutions website. Watching them was eye-opening and the first step in my daughter’s growth.

Courtney Eastepp, parent
Vacaville, CA

Susan Barton loves hearing from parents about the impact Barton tutoring has had on their child, as this parent shared:

Dear Susan,
I could share this with a friend, but it would not mean as much to someone who does not have a dyslexic child.

My son is 13. He is dyslexic, and we used your program 4 times a week. When we started, he could not read at all. Not “cat,” not “at,” not “me.”
He could not rhyme or decode sounds.

He’s had three big milestones in the last month.

Milestone 1:
This year, for the first time, he tested in the normal range for reading at school.

Milestone 2:
I still read to him nearly every night because it’s our thing. And I’m going to keep it up until he tells me he’s done.

Last week, he was annoyed at the place I stopped. So he picked up the book and continued reading it to me out loud. Usually, he picks books to read that are well below his grade level. But this one is rated for grades 6-8, and he handled it with little trouble.

Milestone 3:
He had friends over today and they were playing a board game. He thought one of his friends was making up the rules, so he pulled out the rules and read them out loud to the group. HE READ SOMETHING OUT LOUD TO A GROUP. ON PURPOSE. And he understood what he was reading!

I have been concerned about him moving on to high school in a year and a half and having to read for comprehension.

But I’m not worried anymore.

Jennifer Streetman, parent
Grand Junction, CO

Susan Barton loves hearing from homeschool parents who have completed the Barton System — and the difference that has made in their child’s skills. 

My daughter struggled learning to read. Most days in Kayla’s early elementary years involved tears over writing and reading. By the end of third grade, she was clearly falling well behind her peers. Yet she tried to hide her inability to read.

In our attempt to find answers to her struggle, we discovered that dyslexia was the root of her issue. After much research on program options, we were convinced that the Barton Reading & Spelling System was what she needed.

We were blessed to find a Barton tutor in our area. She was amazing! Within the first couple months of using the program, my daughter, who used to cry at the thought of reading a simple paragraph, would be curled up with her nose in a book for hours. She suddenly loved to read and a whole new world was opened to her.

Proficiency in reading came quicker than in writing. In sixth grade, she still could not write a cohesive paragraph. So her tutor worked with her through seventh grade until Kayla far exceeded her grade level.

Kayla’s experience with the Barton System really changed her path in life. Previously she’d had no thoughts of college. But with her boost in confidence, she decided she would like to try it. I can’t tell you how thrilled we both were, when prior to eleventh grade, she passed an English placement test and was accepted at the college of her choice. She even passed the College Composition CLEP test!

Kayla completed a number of dual enrollment classes her junior and senior years of high school and even graduated a year early.

She graduated college with an associate degree at age 18! She was on the Dean’s list every semester and graduated with high honors. She excelled as an intern in her field of study, where she is now happily working full time. She is confident and loving it.

We are so grateful to have discovered the Barton System. Thank you so much!

Lisa Wadel, parent
Marion, PA

Susan Barton loves hearing from homeschool parents who have completed the Barton System — and the difference that has made in their child’s skills. 

We did it! My son has successfully completed the Barton Reading and Spelling System.

We began homeschooling shortly after I started Barton with him, which allowed us to really focus on it and do it at a time of day when he had the energy reserves to tackle the challenge the program presents.

We started Barton in June of 2018 and just over 3 years later, he can read just about anything. A boy who could barely get through two pages of a Percy Jackson book recently read five chapters in one sitting.

A boy who couldn’t spell basic vowel team words like “cool” or spell the word “magnet” the same way twice in 4th grade (in spite of the word “magnet” being provided in the title of a writing prompt and in spite of science being his favorite subject), can now successfully spell sentences like “My cousin Jim, a sophomore, is studying anthropology.” (That’s a Book 10, Lesson 10, sentence. He nailed it.)

He has discovered that he has a superior sense of narrative and creativity which he has applied to writing a couple short plays (one of which was chosen to represent the class in a talent show at our homeschool community) and short stories.

His confidence has improved so much.

Just wanted to share our success to encourage all of you still in the trenches to keep going, because it’s worth it!

Michelle Pollace, homeschool parent
Campbell, CA