Why Tita Sally Shifted to the Science of Reading—and Why You Should, Too

Meet Rizalina Labanda or Tita Sally. With over 50 years of classroom experience, she was a longtime advocate of Whole Language (WL) instruction. But when she discovered the Science of Reading (SoR), she made a pivotal shift. She realized that learning to read isn’t a natural process like speaking; the brain must be explicitly and systematically wired to map sounds to letters. Today, Tita Sally serves as BINHI’s go-to resource speaker for teacher training, helping public school educators transition to evidence-based instruction.

In this exclusive Q&A, Tita Sally breaks down why structured literacy is the key to closing the reading gap for students. From building strong foundational decoding skills in the early grades to preventing the “silent dropout” in upper elementary, her insights show how we can safeguard every child’s right to literacy. When we teach the way the brain actually learns, we ensure no learner gets left behind.

1. Can you tell us about yourself and your background in education and literacy?

I’m retired but not tired, I have 5 decades of teaching high school, college, elementary and middle grades. A high school teacher of English by profession but found my love teaching early grades. I was a Whole Language (WL) & Balanced Literacy (BL) advocate but realized I had to make a mind shift teaching reading when I met Science of Reading.

2. What first inspired you to focus on the Science of Reading?

In 2013 when I went back to the USA to finish my 10 years of teaching to earn my SSS retirement, I was introduced to SoR when my principal at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy (BSCA) sent me to seminars on brain research. It took me 5 years to embrace SoR because I was a Whole Language advocate. I realized that I have made a lot of mistakes in most seminars I have given based on the psycholinguistic principles behind Whole language & Balance Literacy. It boils down to frustration with what doesn’t work, seeing what does work, and realizing who gets left behind if I don’t act. I was told “Kids learn to read naturally,’’ or ‘’Don’t correct decoding, it kills love of reading.’’ I found out that there were 50 years of cognitive science that were nerve taught.

3. How did your previous Science of Reading training with BINHI go, and what impact did you hope it would create?

The training went well, at least on the awareness level, that there is a Science of Reading. Teachers learned that they need to stop teaching reading instruction like a matter of opinion, style, or tradition. We have evidence – based solutions. Being aware of SoR means:

• Reading isn’t natural like speaking.
• One doesn’t blame a 7 year old for not getting it. We ask: “Have we taught the sound symbol code explicitly and systematically?”.
• We know what works & why it works.
• When one is aware of SoR, we don’t skip straight to comprehension, we build the foundation first, like teaching addition before algebra.
• We stop guessing & start testing.
• We feel responsible for using methods that work for the farthest child, not just the easiest one.
• If we are aware of SoR we see ourselves as a ‘’guardian of the code’’.

Being aware of SoR means knowing that reading is a skill we can teach every child if we teach it the way the brain learns explicitly, systematically & early.

4. What key ideas about the Science of Reading do you believe teachers should understand most?

• Reading is not natural. The brain has to be rewired to connect sounds to letters. Teach the code explicitly.
• Decoding comes before comprehension. You can’t understand what you can’t read.
• The code must be taught systematically and sequentially; English has 44 sounds but only 26 letters. Kids need to learn sound – spelling patterns in a logical order. Follow scope and sequence.
• Orthographic mapping is how words become sight words; kids don’t memorize words as pictures. They map the sounds they hear to the letters they see. Once mapped, the words become automatic. Use Elkonin boxes and decodable text.
• Fluency is the bridge between decoding and comprehension. Fluency = accurate + automatic + expressive reading. After decoding, do repeat reading of the same decodable text 3 reads minimum.
• All kids can learn to read if taught this way, SoR works for English learning, kids with dyslexia and kids with no books at home.

SoR doesn’t kill the love of reading. It makes it possible. Kids don’t fall in love with books they cannot read.

5. Why do you think this approach is important for Filipino children and their reading development?

SoR structured literacy is important to Filipino children and their development because:

• It’s the fastest way to close the reading gap. In a country where most kids learn to read in a second or third language, often with few books at home or none.
• Structured literacy starts with sounds and letters not meaning.
• It protects kids who don’t have books at home. Without the code kids from low literacy homes stay behind, with the code they catch up.
• It prevents the silent drop out in Grades 4 to 6. Structured literacy fix. If you teach decoding in K-2, kids entering Grade 4 actually able to access the text comprehension instruction can finally work.
• Its support for multilingual brain development research shows bilingual kids who learn to read with explicit phonics transfer those skills across languages.
• Structured Literacy in the Mother Tongue or Filipino first makes learning reading easier not harder. It is not “Tagalog vs English.” Its code first, transfer later.
• A child who can decode by grade 3: can learn anything from a text, gains confidence and agency, can help younger siblings and parents, and becomes a reader who can choose what to learn next.

6. Why do you work with BINHI?

Because we are working on the same page. BINHI believes in SoR. I believe BINHI can be a change maker. Also, BINHI provides support to teachers in order to help children become readers and future leaders.

7. What motivates you to keep advocating for literacy?

• I know what it feels like when a child smiles, traces his hands, and still can’t read ‘’cat’’, I know that sinking feeling of “I followed the program, but the kid didn’t learn.” I keep going because I don’t want other kids to have that moment now that I know SL works, not using it feels like choosing who gets left behind and that’s not an option for me.
• I care about equity, not just events.
• I see myself as a guardian not just a teacher. That’s why I give teachers and parents training. I am building a system, so the work doesn’t die when I leave the room.

Striving for the Science of Reading is about honoring every child’s fundamental right to literacy through methods backed by decades of cognitive research study. Reading is not a natural process; it is a learned skill that requires explicit, systematic instruction to rewire the brain and unlock the sound-symbol code. When educators shift to evidence-based structured literacy, instruction becomes a guaranteed foundation for equitable learning. By mastering decoding early, students gain the tools and confidence to access complex texts, bridging academic gaps, and giving every child—regardless of background—the power to read, learn, and succeed.