Reading is a deliberate, practiced skill

When Brandon first started reading to his daughter Bella, he had a common misconception: "I thought reading naturally happened, as you heard a bunch of books, as you got read a bunch of books, and you just followed with your finger. I literally just assumed it was like talking, we just picked it up."

His approach to Bella's education has always been intentional. "I've been reading to her since she was a baby, and we've always had nightly book time." But his understanding of reading development was about to change dramatically.

The search for effective learning

For Brandon, "it was a very rude awakening early on that [reading is] a skill that you have to put a lot of time and effort into." After following our newsletter, he connected with our educational philosophy and approach.

"I love the way that y'all approach reading differently with the blending," Brandon explains. His research into educational options led him to Mentava with confidence. "I followed all the emails, so I was very confident that y'all had a plan and it wasn't just some video game."

The breakthrough moment

When Bella was halfway through Mentava's curriculum, Brandon began supplemental leveled reader books. During their regular reading time, something remarkable happened.

"[Bella] was like, 'Hey, do you want me to try to read it?' And the way that she just went through [the book] literally without even missing a beat, that was the huge moment for me that was just like: 'okay, she just read a book to me. That's insane.'"

Brandon recalls his astonishment: "I was just almost humoring her, but as she went through each page, my mouth kept falling open more and more. At the end, she just had the biggest proud smile." This wasn't memorization—"she probably has 20 of those books, so it's not like she's memorizing them."

Throughout their journey, Brandon appreciated the software’s evolution. "It was very apparent y'all were making improvements all along the way. The graphics got better, the colors got better. Every time there was a new character, she got excited, it kept her interested for this whole time."

Building confidence through consistent progress

Before Mentava, Bella was satisfied being read to. "I think she would've loved listening to me read her books forever, but I don't know how long it would've taken her to actually try to read herself."

At the beginning, Brandon "could see through her eyes in the beginning like, 'what a giant mountain that is to climb.' But we just slowly climbed it one activity at a time, and it just all came together to that moment where she was like, 'boom, I'm just gonna read you a book now.'"

When asked about Mentava's most significant impact, Brandon is definitive: "100% giving [Bella] the confidence to start reading by herself. There's no question that this did that."

Opening a world of possibilities

Brandon has been deliberate about reinforcing Bella's progress: "Anytime I see her make progress, I highlight it immediately: 'You see how you just read that? That's because of the work you're putting into learning.'" Through this encouragement, he "feels those light bulbs going off more and more as I'd say it."

After graduating from Mentava, Bella's reading ability has soared. "She's already blasting through the Learn to Read series. She's reading through those [level 2 books] like it's nothing." Recently, she learned the word "desolate"—a seventh-grade vocabulary word.

Brandon finds the most joy in watching Bella apply her skills naturally. "When she just starts reading random stuff like signs or things on her toys or things in stores, she starts to understand that 'okay, this is useful in my little kid world.'"

For Brandon, this achievement connects directly to his educational goals: "I think once you learn how to read, the world is completely open. Whatever she wants to follow, whatever passion—she can learn it without restrictions."