About Us

The Fix We Couldn’t Find — So We Built It

The Struggle We Know Too Well

We didn’t set out to build a program. We set out to help our own children.

Michelle, a veteran educator and reading coach, watched three of her four children hit invisible walls when it came to reading. Even with years of teaching experience, she couldn’t explain what was going wrong — or why traditional methods kept failing.

For Michelle, this became more than professional. It became personal. Her kids weren’t lazy. They weren’t falling behind on purpose. Their eyes just weren’t moving the way they needed to.

And no one had ever told her that it could be fixed.

Coach M is amazing. We found her through friend of friend and couldn't be happier. My daughter enjoys her sessions and has not once complained about doing them.

We have seen a huge difference, and her progress has been amazing. We would highly recommend this program and love it so much.

My daughter has made huge strides in her reading thanks to Michelle’s help at Eyes Up Reading. She really knows what she’s doing and my daughter looks forward to her lessons.

Then Came Annica.

For Annica, a mom and future reading coach, the frustration was building.

Her son Damian was clearly smart, but reading had become a daily battle. Every effort ended in confusion, exhaustion, and doubt.

“I knew he was intelligent, but nothing was clicking. I was on the verge of testing for dyslexia or something deeper. We needed answers.”

Those answers came through Dr. McMurray.

During a simple assessment, he noticed Damian’s eyes weren’t working together the way they should — a convergence issue, something no one had ever checked for before.

The Science Was Personal

For Dr. Eldon McMurray, the journey started much earlier.

He didn’t learn to read until the third grade. School was a battlefield — full of effort, frustration, and the quiet weight of not being “like the other kids.” At the time, no one recognized the signs of ADHD or dyslexia, they only saw a kid who seemed distracted or behind.

“Graduating from high school in 1975, I couldn’t imagine going to college. School was that hard for me.”

— Dr. McMurray

And yet, he did. He pushed through. Graduated. Then kept going.

Over the next 40 years, Dr. McMurray would teach, lead, research, and write — helping thousands of students and training hundreds of teachers to do the same.

And yet, even with all that success, one question kept nagging at him:

Why were so many bright, capable kids still falling through the cracks?

The Genesis Moment

He went back to the research, determined to prove his theory: that reading was the same process for everyone — that with the right curriculum, any student could succeed.

“I set out to prove that all kids' eyes saw the same thing. What I found was that I was wrong — in the best way possible.”

— Dr. McMurray

That moment led to the treatment Eyes Up Reading employs today.

Through studies in eye movement, attention, and visual processing, he discovered that many struggling readers didn’t need better strategies — they needed stronger muscle coordination.

Their eyes weren’t tracking properly. And no one was addressing it.

This was his Genesis Moment — the spark that launched a completely different way of supporting struggling readers.

He began developing a system to retrain the small muscles that control eye movement, helping both eyes work together smoothly.

The result? Improved attention, comprehension, and reading fluency — often for the first time.

From Struggle to Confidence — For Life

Through those initial efforts, the Eye Awakening Method was born… a practical, science-backed approach that fixes the root issue behind so many reading struggles.

This same method has helped hundreds of children go from stuck and shut down — to fluent and proud.

No more tears at reading time

No more guessing

No more feeling broken

My daughter just read and memorized the Declaration of Independence.

I'm so glad I decided to start my son on vision therapy early, and because of all the hard work, he really enjoys reading (and I even catch him reading big books "just for fun!!!"

(Coach Michelle) created an environment that was not overwhelming for my son, and was always very encouraging when he was trying new things. At 6 years old, my son just finished his first chapter book, all on his own.

What We Believe

We believe kids aren’t broken.

We believe parents deserve real answers.

And we believe reading doesn’t have to be a fight.

Eye tracking can be strengthened.

Focus can be built.

Lasting confidence can be restored.

Who We Are

Dr. Eldon McMurray

Founder, Researcher, Educator

Dr. Eldon L. McMurray has taught reading on all educational levels, from elementary school to college. He is a university professor, a textbook co-author, a scholar of brain-active learning, a researcher of best practices for teaching and learning effectiveness, and an award-winning educator. He served as the co-director of the Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence at Utah Valley University.

He completed his doctorate in Reading at Brigham Young University in 2006. Following this, his postdoctoral research interests have focused on investigating and treating ocular-motor function, specifically the eye tracking during reading. This post-doctoral work has led to the development of the breakthrough treatment known as Eyes Up Reading.

He has taught Reading and Critical Thinking, Power Reading and Learning Strategies, and Speed Reading at UVU, as well as developmental reading at Mt. Hood Community College, Literacy Foundations at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, and Brigham Young University.

Eldon has co-authored several textbooks, including Accelerated Reading for Students and Professionals, The Peer Mentor Companion, and was the National Advisor for Becoming a Master Student, 11th and 12th editions.

Eldon was forced to take an early retirement from his teaching profession after he was diagnosed with several health issues. During his recovery, we began exploring new ways to continue contributing to those who might need his reading expertise. We discovered the best way to achieve this was to start an online service to help children and adults with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia or ADHD, who wish to improve their reading skills. This includes students who are struggling readers and may be falling behind in their studies, adults who want to improve their reading skills or feel they are not good readers, and parents who want to help their children read more effectively. This includes homeschool parents who feel that they lack the expertise to teach their children to become excellent readers. Dr McMurray has the training and experience to diagnose eye-tracking problems or other issues that may be keeping children or adults from excelling in reading. This includes eye exercises and the development of coordination. As well as several reading drills.

We are dedicated to helping as many people as we can, so when we do need to charge for coaching, we will keep the prices as low as possible, currently $39 for a 30-minute session. We are well aware that those who need our help the most are often unable to afford it. We actively seek patrons to help families. Our genuine desire is to help others, and we feel very blessed by the support of those who are already part of our journey. We are an online coaching program where Dr. McMurray meets with students through a simple online Zoom meeting. He observes the eye movement patterns, listens to your child read, and can diagnose most eye-tracking problems that your child might be experiencing. He can then answer any questions you have and offer help or information that you can use to improve your or your child's reading. The assessment takes 10-15 minutes; it works best if the computer camera is positioned at eye level.

Michelle Novak

Reading Coach, Homeschool Mom, and Certified Instructor

In 2022, I enrolled two of my children in Dr. McMurray’s vision-based reading program and simultaneously began training to become a certified coach. As a homeschooling parent with a deep commitment to education, I was amazed at the progress my children made—reading became smoother, easier, and far more enjoyable. This breakthrough inspired me to expand my role from mom to mentor, helping other families identify and overcome hidden vision-related obstacles that often go undetected in traditional academic evaluations.

My name is Michelle Novak, known to my students and families as “Coach M.” I’m a certified reading and vision coach with a passion for supporting struggling readers through targeted, evidence-based methods that address the root causes of reading difficulty—especially issues with eye tracking and convergence. My professional background blends over a decade of hands-on homeschooling experience with specialized training in vision therapy support, allowing me to tailor lessons to a child’s individual learning style and developmental needs.

Before discovering Dr. McMurray’s program, I tried numerous curriculums and techniques with my own children. Despite strong verbal skills and a desire to read, my children continued to struggle with fluency and recognition—even after eye doctors confirmed they had 20/20 vision. It wasn’t until I connected with Dr. McMurray that I understood how eye alignment and muscle coordination can dramatically affect a child’s reading experience. What I once thought was a learning delay turned out to be a correctable visual processing issue.

This approach has transformed not only my children’s academic success, but also my professional focus. I now coach families across the country, helping parents gain clarity and confidence in supporting their children’s reading journey. My coaching sessions are one-on-one, highly personalized, and grounded in both science and empathy.

Outside of my coaching work, I live with my husband and four children on a working cattle ranch in Humansville, Missouri. After relocating from Minnesota several years ago, our family has embraced a hands-on lifestyle—raising grass-fed beef, chickens, pigs, ducks, and horses. What started as a personal health journey has grown into a homestead fueled by continuous learning, resourcefulness, and a commitment to wellness. I bring this same mindset to my coaching practice: thoughtful, thorough, and always focused on equipping families with tools that truly make a difference.