Teacher turns years of classroom experience into YouTube literacy business

by Emma Kingkeo, Reston Letter Intern

When she was destaffed from teaching, due to budget cuts, Stephanie Krasij began to focus fulltime on her online literacy program. Photo contributed by Stephanie Krasij.

Whenever she has a moment away from her bustling household, Stephanie Krasij retreats to a peaceful corner of her home, props up her phone, and hits record. Drawing on years of experience as a part-time teacher, she creates short instructional videos to help children learn to read and write.

“I’ve been a mom for so long; it’s been fun to put my energy into something where I can help others and use the skills I’ve gained over the years to give back to the community,” she said.

Krasij launched her YouTube channel, “Learn to Read with Stephanie,” six months ago as a way to offer extra support to her students. “When I was teaching part-time and my kids were younger, I also tutored on the side. Parents would often ask, ‘What else can I do?’ It seemed like there was a gap in structured support,” she said. What began as a small project for her classroom has grown into a resource she hopes will reach early readers everywhere.

Just a few months after starting the channel, Krasij received unexpected news: due to budget cuts, she would not be returning to her longtime role as a part-time teacher this year. Now, she’s working to expand her channel into a sustainable business. Her goal is to generate income through YouTube ad revenue and the sale of digital learning resources, such as printables and guided activities that complement her videos and reinforce key reading skills.

Reading intervention has always held a special place in Krasij’s heart. She traces her passion back to her first teaching job in a first-grade classroom—that magical year when many children first unlock their reading potential.

“I was really excited to see first-graders start out not knowing how to read, and then by the end of the year, they could. It’s just a magical experience,” she said.

Before becoming a teacher, Krasij earned a degree in media arts and design in the early 2000s. Comfortable with cameras and editing long before social media became ubiquitous, she saw an opportunity to merge her creative and educational skills.

“It’s been a lot of learning over the last couple of months,” she said. “The real challenge has been figuring out how to make videos that are engaging while also sticking to systematic instruction.”

Each video features easy-to-follow lessons and visual graphics that help students connect letters and sounds. While her content is designed so a child can follow along independently, Krasij believes her lessons can help anyone who needs extra reading support, including adults learning English.

Her teaching began with a balanced literacy approach, which uses picture clues and context to help students make meaning from text. Over time, though, her instruction has shifted to a systematic phonics method that emphasizes consistent letter-sound relationships. This approach, she believes, builds confidence and skills—students may not know every word, but they can break it down and decode it.

“The foundational step in reading is being able to hear a word like ‘cat’ and know it has three separate sounds. Each lesson adds a new component,” she explained.

While handwriting isn’t the primary focus, her videos also feature simple animations that show students how to form letters correctly.

In just six months, Krasij has already seen encouraging results. Former students and friends have reported that children struggling to keep up in class have made noticeable gains through her videos. One early success story came from a student who had fallen behind and was receiving extra help at school.

“He still wasn’t on grade level in the second half of the year. He started watching my videos, and his teachers asked his mom, ‘Did you hire a tutor?’ That was awesome to hear,” she said.

She believes the short, straightforward nature of her lessons helps kids stay focused and retain what they learn. “Sometimes, if a teacher is long-winded, students tune out,” she said.

“My videos are concise and build on themselves. Kids know what to expect—they’re familiar with the format.”

Looking ahead, Krasij hopes to expand her content to cover more advanced reading and writing skills—up to second or third grade—and to offer additional resources to help parents support literacy learning at home.

Scan to check out Stephanie's YouTube channel!