Literacy Corner: 09/16/08

"Teaching... can be likened to a conversation in which you listen to the speaker carefully before you reply." -Marie Clay

Literacy Corner: 09/02/08

I keep a notebook where I write down quotes from the books I read that stand out to me. I think I will share some of these in my literacy corner at times. This one comes from the book The Color of Water by James McBride:

"There's such a big difference between being dead & alive, I told myself, & the greatest sin a person can do to another is take away that life. Next to that, all the rules & religions in the world are secondary; mere words & beliefs that people choose to believe & kill & hate by. My life won't be lived that way & neither, I hope, will my children's." (p. 229)

Literacy Corner: 08-26-08

“You're the same today as you'll be in five years except for the people you meet and the books you read.”- Charlie "Tremendous" Jones

I'm not sure I agree that the only two factors that will change a person over the course of five years are people and books, but I do think they could be two of the most important! Right now, I am spending the majority of my time reading the books pictured above to prepare for a book study with some of the newest people I have met- the teachers at my school.

In many ways, this has felt like such a heavy burden. I don't think I read my grad school textbooks with as much thoughtfulness and depth as I have been scrutinizing these two huge books! I have never led a book study before and certainly not one covering a topic as important as guided reading instruction in elementary classrooms. I am considered the resident "expert" at my school, but at my worst moments I feel completely inadequate. I so badly want these teachers to understand what good reading instruction looks like in an elementary classroom and I want them to be excited about it!

No matter what, reading these books is building up my own knowledge of effective reading instruction and I can only hope that studying these books for the next nine weeks (teachers will study just one- primary or intermediate) will positively affect all the teachers who attend, including myself. Our first meeting is tomorrow.

Literacy Quote: 08/19/08

Teachers do the most important work of our time.

This was the theme of our district convocation this year. Our superintendent repeated this statement, 'Teachers do the most important work of our time,' over and over again. I don't know if this is an original statement or if he heard it somewhere else, though. I like this statement (of course!) because it validates what I have chosen to do with my life. And this video offers a great explanation why the teachers in our society play a pivotal role in shaping the future.

Literacy Corner: 08/12/08

“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
- Ray Bradbury

This is one of my favorites.

Literacy Corner: 06/03/08

Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics and factories. Literacy is a platform for democratization, and a vehicle for the promotion of cultural and national identity. Especially for girls and women, it is an agent of family health and nutrition. For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right.... Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential.
-Kofi Annan

Literacy Corner: 05/13/08

“So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install, A lovely bookshelf on the wall.” -Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

My favorite Roald Dahl books include Matilda and The BFG! If you haven't read anything by Dahl, take a break and pick one up. You're sure to knock it out (with much laughter) in just a few hours. Even better, if you have a kuddie (or access to one), read it to him/her!

Literacy Corner Statistic: 05/06/08

Adults with the lowest literacy skills earn a median income of $240 per week, compared to $681 for those with the highest skills.

Literacy Corner: 04/29/08

The more types of reading materials there are in the home, the higher students are in reading proficiency.

Students who do more reading at home are better readers and have higher math scores.

-The Literacy Crisis

Literacy Corner Statistic: 04/15/08

61% of low income families have no books in the home.
-National Institute of Literacy

Education

A 1% increase in high school graduation rates would save approximately $1.4 billion in incarceration costs (or about $2,100 per each male high school graduate).
-Alliance of Excellent Education

What I think is important about the statistic this week is how it shows the affect of education (or lack of it) on society as a whole. I think it is easy to forget how success/failure in an academic setting can indicate success/failure in other areas of life.

I am lucky, so far, to have been successful in life. But, it is primarily because of important educators.

It's amazing how the perfect people entered my life at the perfect time to pull out of me an unknown passion that was hiding inside. When I moved to Colorado Springs, I had already been hired to teach fourth grade at an elementary school that was just opening for it's first academic year. The principal, Annie, had a strong literacy background and was passionate about reading instruction. For me, the atmosphere she created-one of high expectations and genuine discovery- built in me the confidence to flourish. At the same school, there was a wonderful literacy coach, Karen. She was extremely knowledgeable about reading and writing instruction, she was supportive and approachable, and she took the time to model, observe, and provide me with feedback as I began to pursue my desire to know more and more and more. These two people inspired me to go to graduate school to learn more about a simple little thing that I was growing ever more curious about- teaching kids how to read.

It was in graduate school, where a very special instructor taught me that this "simple little thing" (teaching kids how to read) really wasn't so simple at all. For three long school years (and two short summers), Dr. Barbara Swaby and other professors at UCCS taught me about the utter complexity of a child's brain and the infinite factors that could prevent a child from mastering the fine art of reading and writing this complicated english language. They instructed me on how to diagnose deficiencies in a child's reading ability based on their behaviors, and they gave me strategies to develop the reading performance in my students. Dr. Swaby's powerful presence and mesmerizing Jamaican accent kept me alert during the hours of class after long days of teaching.

I will never forget when Dr. Swaby compared the profession of teaching to that of a doctor. A patient will come to a doctor with a bodily "ailment" and it is the work of the doctor to examine the patient based on the symptoms, diagnose what is wrong and determine the best combination of treatments to fix the problem. A student will come to a teacher with a reading "ailment" (often affected by the brain, the eyes, or the ears) and it is the job of the teacher to examine the student based on the reading behaviors, diagnose what is wrong and determine the best combination of strategies to fix the problem. The difference between doctors and teachers (besides the respect and the paycheck)... a teacher will do her job for 20 students at once, yet a doctor sees one patient at a time.

Dr. Swaby had high expectations- of all her students. And she saw results. "Accepting a low level of mastery is unacceptable! Many people today have an inappropriate view of excellence," she said in class. I will spend the rest of my career trying to live up to Dr. Swaby's expectations.

So, it seems appropriate that the week I posted the quote above was the same week that this influential graduate school professor of mine was featured in our Sunday paper.

Sadly, this was also the same week that eight third graders plotted to kidnap their teacher after the teacher scolded a girl for standing on her chair.

I hope we have not lost sight of the impact of education on our society, and we continue to validate the importance of those people who spend their days teaching our children the invaluable skill of reading.

Literacy Quote: 04/01/08

“One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures.”

-George W. Bush

If our president were not so awkward and bumbling in the way he speaks and ignorant in his ability to develop the educational system in our country, I don't believe I would interpret this quote quite so negatively. Delightfully, I am able to look at this quote (spoken by W.) and gleefully grin at the idea that Mr. President can't seem to find value in books except for the pictures. But, in fact, this might be one of the few things our president has said that is right on. There are so many books out there with lovely illustrations. One of my favorite illustrators of children's books is Giselle Potter- the wonderful artist who created the pictures in a previous post that perfectly illustrated my anxiousness about returning to school after spring break. She has also illustrated books like Kate and the Beanstalk, The Year I Didn't Go To School, and (a personal favorite!) The Big Box which was written by Toni Morrison. (Seriously, if you haven't read that book, you must check it out. It is truly wonderful!) Another favorite illustrator is one from my childhood. I loved the book, The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. The illustrations in that book were created by Robert Lawson. They may not hold quite the same fascination for me now, but when I was a child I was enamored by this story and the pictures! I still think it is such a special book with an important message of peace and I can't wait to share it with my own children!

Literacy Corner: 03/15/08

You're the same today as you'll be in five years except for the people you meet and the books you read. -Charlie "Tremendous" Jones

I don't know if I completely agree with this quote, but I love (and absolutely believe) the idea that books can change us.

Literacy Corner: 03/18/08

The average student learns about 3,000 words per year in the early school years (8 words per day). -The Literacy Company

Literacy Corner: 03/11/08

“Through literacy you can begin to see the universe. Through music you can reach anybody. Between the two there is you, unstoppable.”
-Grace Slick

This quote reminds me of Nathan, and his talent for writing songs.

Literacy Corner Statistic: 03/04/08

In a class of 20 students, few if any teachers can find even 5 minutes of time in a day to devote to reading with each student. -The Literacy Company

Literacy Corner Quote: 02/26/08

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."

-Emilie Buchwald

(We Both Read books are great resource to help parents read with their children.)

Words of Wisdumb

"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.” -George W. Bush

Literacy Corner Statistic: 02/12/08

50% of American adults are unable to read an eighth grade level book.
-The National Center for Education Statistics