The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of educators who utilize differentiated instructional methods through the lens of Jan Richardson’s (2016) The Next Step Forward in Guided Reading in rural, Title I elementary schools in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. Vygotsky’s social learning theory guided this study. Ten to 15 Title I elementary educators will participate in this study. The central question guiding this study was: What are the lived experiences of educators in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina who differentiate instruction using Jan Richardson’s (2016) The Next Step Forward in Guided Reading in rural, Title I elementary schools? Guiding sub-questions are as follows: (a) What are the lived experiences of Title I teachers with integrating social interaction into small group literacy instruction? (b) What are the experiences of Title I instructors when facilitating guided literacy instruction through discovery and meaning making? (c) What are the lived experiences of Title I educators when implementing instructional scaffolding during guided reading? Data collection included: interviews, a questionnaire, and t focus group. Data analysis included epoché, phenomenological reduction, textual and structural descriptions, and imaginative variation. The themes that developed were: (a) time; (b) teacher self-efficacy; (c) structure; and (d) student performance. Seven sub themes emerged from the themes: (a) stress; (b) burnout (c) collaboration; (d) decreased stress; (e) language skills; (f) thinking independently; and (g) student self-efficacy.