The SMUS Junior School is dedicated to supporting students through their learning journey by providing the tools and resources they need to succeed, as well as fostering an environment where curiosity and initiative are celebrated. This Fall, Naia, a determined Grade 3 student who, with the proactive encouragement of teacher Rebecca Steele, contributed to a solution that went beyond her classroom.
The SMUS Junior School has a school-wide subscription to the TextHelp Read&Write tools, available for use on provided Chromebooks. This program can support and enhance reading and writing capabilities for all levels. While the tool is helpful, Naia quickly noticed something that didn’t sit quite right with her—the AI voices used to read text aloud sounded too robotic and unnatural. Despite scrolling through the settings, none of the options met her satisfaction. But Naia, being the tenacious and thoughtful student that she is, didn’t let that stop her. Together, Mrs. Steele and Naia started to problem solve.
“Why can’t they use a voice like Alexa or Siri?” asked Naia, referring to the two most user-friendly voices from Google and Apple smart devices.
Quickly recognizing the opportunity to turn Naia’s frustration into a moment of growth, Mrs. Steele encouraged Naia to draft an email to the company, TextHelp, voicing her thoughts. Within one day, Naia received a reply. To her surprise, Naia’s suggestion was already in motion.
“Thank you for the feedback,” said a replying Brendan from TextHelp support. “We are currently working on implementing AI voices into Read&Write for Google Chrome, which should be a significant improvement in this regard. We're internally testing these voices currently before launching for all users.”
This moment is an inspiring example of how a young student's tenacity, coupled with the encouragement of a teacher, can bring about real change. A persistent frustration was coached into an opportunity to empower a student’s voice and a solution that could impact so many other students.”
“It is so exciting that a student who benefits from assistive technology, had an idea, did something about it and got a positive response within one day of initiating this change,” highlighted Mrs. Steele. “It goes to show the difference that one voice can make when you speak up.”
For SMUS, technology is not just about improving learning outcomes—it’s about creating opportunities for students to lead, innovate, and leave their mark. Naia’s tenacity and her teacher’s encouragement remind us that with the right support, even the smallest voices can create meaningful change.
