{"podcast":{"title":"play on words","slug":"play-on-words-6399561","podcast_index_feed_id":6399561,"rss_url":"https://feeds.zencastr.com/f/B4HeOMxA.rss","website_url":"https://www.bigcityreaders.com/","image_url":"https://media.zencastr.com/image-files/643d94b7e5cd786efbd7958c/e7504645-5337-4b02-8927-e5d3e551d61d.PNG","author":"miss beth","episode_count":83,"summary":"Learning to read starts with learning to play. This is the podcast for parents and teachers of kids ages 0-8 who want to have FUN learning evidence backed early development and literacy strategies in a short amount of time. This is the podcast for the teacher who needs a bestie to ask questions to and the parent who wants to know the best developmental practices to implement in the 3 minutes a day they have. You're not alone. Ask your questions here. If I can't answer them, one of my friends will be on to help! There are so many confusing parts about the learning to read journey. Miss Beth is here to simplify it, affirm you are the best person to teach your child, and give you the confidence you need in the early childhood education years. This podcast is for fun, community and confidence making tough topics more bite sized for every parent teacher and child.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-23T02:21:13.034856+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-on-words-6399561"},"episode":{"title":"Why Kids Can't Read","slug":"why-kids-can-t-read","published_at":"2026-01-23T16:11:45+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-on-words-6399561/why-kids-can-t-read","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-on-words-6399561","url":"https://zencastr.com/z/iwyWqzAx","audio_url":"https://redirect.zencastr.com/r/episode/69739dc11273eb5577364625/size/176107073/video-files/643d94b7e5cd786efbd7958c/584b0a94-787f-48f2-a051-54bbf9392c5e.mp4","summary":"Episode 83. In this episode of Play on Words, reading specialist and early childhood educator Beth Gaskill discusses overcoming perfectionism, rejection sensitivity, and learning to advocate for your child's education during America's literacy crisis.Beth explores the alarming statistics behind the U.S. reading crisis — 67% of fourth graders cannot read proficiently — and shares the success story of Mississippi's reading instruction reforms. Mississippi's evidence-based approach to teaching reading, including intensive teacher training in phonics and the science of reading, has transformed student outcomes and proves that reading failure is preventable.This episode is essential listening for parents of struggling readers, those struggling with fear of rejection, and anyone who wants to understand how to advocate for better reading instruction in schools. Whether you're concerned about dyslexia, phonics instruction, or your child's literacy development, this conversation offers practical strategies and hope. ⸻ In This Episode About Reading Advocacy and Literacy Crisis, You'll Learn: Why perfectionism holds parents back from advocating for their children's education How rejection sensitivity and ADHD can make it harder to ask for help What Mississippi's reading reforms teach us about science-based reading instruction and phonics Why evidence-based reading instruction (structured literacy) is critical for all students How to overcome fear of rejection when advocating for your struggling reader Practical steps to build confidence in educational advocacy, starting small Mentioned in This Episode:Big Feelings, Bigger Reactions: Parenting Kids With ADHD [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/play-on-words/id1689430556?i=1000740217537] ⸻ About the HostBeth Gaskill (Miss Beth)…","meta_description":"Episode 83. In this episode of Play on Words, reading specialist and early childhood educator Beth Gaskill discusses overcoming perfectionism, rejection s…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2213,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/play-on-words-6399561/episodes/why-kids-can-t-read/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-on-words-6399561/why-kids-can-t-read.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}