RES 5535: Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research (summer 2009)

HI! I’m Tamera Wilson, mother of three and married to my best friend who I began dating at age 14. I am a first grade teacher at Northwest Elementary and teach in the same county where I went to school. I am also a Stampin Up Demonstrator on the side - only to support my scrapping and stamping habit. For fun, we love to camp in the mountains and at the beaches. When not traveling or working, we are running the roads of Davidson County to sports events of all kinds. I am also a country music fan and spend 1 day every summer tailgating at a Kenny Chesney concert with friends. It has become a summer tradition.
Like Dr. Jackson, I too grew up in a working class family. My mother and father worked at Western Electric. They rode to and from work together every day. I grew up in a single wide trailer for the first 8 years of my life. At times when my parents were laid off I remember using food stamps. When I was in third grade my parents built a 3 bedroom house on the same property where they still live.
I was lucky, though. Mom always made a point to buy books and 45 records. It was always fun to open her bag and see what she had for us. Mom read to us all the time and instilled in me a love for books. I was known to read veraciously. I would read walking around, in the car, and even while everyone else was fishing. I always had a book in my hands. I remember my favorite books were Dr. Seuss, Go Dog Go, Barney Beagle and this one little book called Candy Store that was a scratch and sniff book.
School was my favorite place to be. I strived to do well and enjoyed the praise and attention from teachers. I remember being an above average student and was encourage, nurtured, and loved by my primary teachers. However, it all fell apart when the focus of literacy shifted toward comprehension in third grade. I remember it did not come easily and at that point my love for reading began to change. I had to work much harder at it than I liked. In fourth grade the difficulty showed up in the science content area where I made a B and was NOT happy. So, I just worked harder at it. I also hated oral book reports. I did not mind writing them, but I hated giving them out loud. I loved it when my teacher’s got creative in how we could express what we learned (commercials, partner posters, art projects, etc.)
In college, I remember being highly frustrated with reading comprehension during a World History Class. I would read, highlight, reread, and take notes. Still, I would fail the pop quizzes. Luckily, I took the class pass/fail. I don’t think I was ever taught strategies for how to comprehend. You were just expected to read it and get it.
It was not until college when I took a children’s literature class that my love for reading all came back to me. I began to spend a lot of money on the purchase of children’s books. Now, they can be found in almost every room of my house. However, it has only been in the past couple of years that I began reading adult literature for enjoyment. It seems I have come full circle.
As a teacher, my first love was teaching math and science. I loved the hands on nature of the curriculum. It was not until having training as a literacy teacher that I fell in love with teaching reading. I couldn’t believe I had not been taught how to adequately teach reading in college. Now, I could spend all day in small group reading lessons. I would jump at the chance to team teach and be the literacy person.

Hi,
I am so glad to be in this class, progress toward my goal of completing my masters in less than two years. I am a "mature" student so I am sure my viewpoint will be slightly different from the younger generations. I have learned a lot while enjoying the classes that I have taken.
I am happily married and a proud mother of two, grandmother of a five year old, one year old and another on the way! Life is great! Unfortunately they all live in Oregon.
Background:
I was born in NJ, moved to Alaska at 5, lived there until my senior year when my parents moved us back to NJ. As one of ten children in a very poor family, the oldest girl was responsible for the house and siblings, I assumed this responsibility at 13. School was not a priority in our family, staying home and taking care of the house was. Teachers did not like me before they met me because they had experienced my five older siblings, who were trouble makers.
I loved school, it was a safe zone where I could be appreciated after proving myself. I read about "real families" that gave me hope, I knew I didn't want to be like my family when I grew up. I am the only of ten that graduated on time, however all the girls have since achieved at least a high school dipolma.
Sad to say I am the only sibling to hold down a responsible position at this time. I love to read for relaxation and grad school has allowed me an excuse to hide away and read for hours, uninterupted.

Hi, my name is Melissa Lange. I have only one semester of grad school under my belt, so I am still new. I am originally from Indiana and did my undergrad at Indiana State University (for any basketball fans that is where Larry Bird went to college.) I am from a small farm town/county where when you drive down the interstate all you see is corn fields. My father suddenly died when I was in third grade, so I was raised by a single mom who did her best to support my sister and me. She made sure that our education came first. My sister and I are both teachers and both moved to North Carolina to get a job. My mom and the rest of my family are still in Indiana. I love to watch sports: racing, hockey, football, baseball, and so on. I have a one year old nephew who is the love of my life. He was born with heart problems. He had heart surgery at two weeks of age and finally got to come home from Duke Hospital when he was five weeks old. He is a healthy and happy little man now even though he is a bully at daycare, but we still love him.

I have a minor in Reading Education from ISU. I wanted to get this minor while in undergrad because during my elementary school career I had reading problems and went to “Reading Lab.” I wanted to help all the readers in my class. I loved going to Reading Lab. The teachers were great and all the other students had reading problems like me. I was not afraid to read aloud, ask questions, or share what I had read. My passion to help struggling readers has made me want to continue with my education and get my masters.

I am finishing up my fourth year of teaching. I teach 3rd grade in Winston-Salem. This year my grade level had decided to team teach, so I get to teach reading all day. It has been great and I love it. We have a large Hispanic population at our school, so a lot of my students come to me reading below grade level. I have some of the best students and love them to pieces.

Hi All!

I apologize in advance for any oddities you may find in this post. I am a seventh grade Language Arts teacher, who spent the morning in another teacher’s very hot classroom with twenty-five of my favorite people retaking the 7th grade Reading EOG. We played musical classrooms in order to accommodate mod groups. My students were complaining not only about the heat & the funky air-freshener in our borrowed space, but also about the stark white walls. Our room rarely has naked walls because I love color, art, and evidence of student work. We keep 705 highly decorated with middle school flair.

All of that to say I have a rough sinus headache that is still lingering now. I’ve never actually left school early and come home to bed…before 1 in the afternoon. Today was a first! I am going to self-diagnose with the EOG sickness. I love my kids, but think the EOG is a gross misuse of time, funding, and the word “assessment”. How’s that for a political beginning of the semester? 

Reading has never been optional in my family. My parents are both teachers, even if not employed as such. My Mom is a suburbanite from outside of Philadelphia. Dad is from Duplin County—the land of hogs & tobacco—in Southeastern North Carolina. They met one another while working in a home for children in New Jersey. So, Mom packed up her things and moved down South, where she underwent a cultural revolution (or perhaps initially revulsion), learned that hushpuppies weren’t just shoes, and had to figure out language patterns like, “I liked to have got…”

We lived in a rural area of the state where literacy resources were minimal. However, my parents had shelves and shelves full of books on a range of topics. My big brother, who is five years older than I am, was reading when I came into the world. So, when I was old enough to have a competitive nature—which, according to my mother was probably around 5 days old—I wanted to read like Matthew. I would get so upset when we would go to restaurants and he could read the menu but I couldn’t. Not only did I want to be able to read like him, but I wanted to do it better!

Each night, when my Dad would get home from work, our family would all crawl into my parents’ bed to read. (This sounds really cozy, but we lived in an old house with no air-conditioning, except in their bedroom and the living room…so it was cozy born of necessity.) We read Bible stories, picture books, travel brochures, etc. Discussion was always encouraged. We also took weekly trips to the Kenansville library during the summer. We would load up our old, raggedy blue station wagon (the kind with hideous wood paneling) and drive the 30 minutes to the library. I can still remember the dank smell of the old green carpet in the children’s section. Heaven on earth!

Now, as an adult reader, I see those habits carry over. My bedside table is generally overrun with nighttime reading options. I have to be careful to choose a book that is not overly engaging or stimulating, or I wind up staying awake too late. I live in Greensboro and one of the primary reasons I chose the corner of town I live in is the great public library close by. I have a country girl’s heart with a twist of city girl’s desire for cultural diversity. So, to me there is nothing better than a public library with wi-fi, a porch full of rocking chairs, and landscaping done with rain water caught in eco-friendly barrels!

I teach seventh graders. We spend a lot of time talking about reading skills & about the power or writing and self-expression. This year, I started to share more of my personal writing with them. It’s made such a difference in my confidence as a writer and in my relationship with my students. I journal, write poetry, and sometimes write expressive short essays. I had considered a career in photojournalism and still sometimes toy with the idea.

The older I get, the more I realize how integral literacy has been to my life. It—along with wonderful parents and public school teachers—afforded me opportunities I would not otherwise have had. Literacy provided “an out” from Duplin County. (I’m allowed to say that because I’m from there.) It continues to give me a way to process my reality and sometimes escape from it. I treasure my shelf full of journals, that I’ve kept since high school and love nothing better than to stay inside on a night like tonight to read, well, just about whatever.

I’m looking forward to this semester & hope to learn ways to better serve the diverse students that I get to spend each day with. For now, it’s time to take some more Advil & hop back in bed. It’s almost time for “So You Think You Can Dance” my one summertime TV show addiction.

Ruth Johnson

Hello, my name is Misty Mistretta! This is my sixth graduate class at ASU. I am currently a third grade teacher at Casar Elementary School, in Cleveland County. This is my fifth year teaching! I have taught first grade for four years and this is my first year in third grade! Wow what a difference! I loved teaching first grade because of my passion for teaching children to read. However, I have found a new love, third grade! I am so excited about teaching older students! There is so much more that you can teach them! I live in Rutherford County; I am married and have a five-year-old son that will begin kindergarten this fall! One interesting fact about me is that I have an identical twin sister! Almost every time that she is out shopping, she sees some of my students that assume that she is me. My sister and I look so much alike that my collogue’s and even my own son get us confused (she does not have children).
Misty Mistretta

Hi, my name is Annie Croon. I am a “Literacy Specialist” (is there really such a thing?) at Gamewell Elementary School in Caldwell County, and have been here for the past two years. I work with kids who are struggling with reading, grades K – 5. I will use any intervention tool at my disposal to help kids make meaning of what they read. I will borrow, copy, or steal something if I know it works and will make reading fun for my students. I’m not afraid to be a fool in front of my students, and have been known to resort to comedy to engage otherwise disinterested or unmotivated kids. Who wants to do dreary meaningless tasks all the time? We don’t, how can we expect our students to?
I learned to read with Dick and Jane, and I seem to remember I couldn’t spell worth a darn for a long time. I know I learned the code quickly, because from a very young age I was reading anything I could get my hands on. That was me under the covers with a flashlight late at night. Some of my favorites were fairy tales from all over the world. I just couldn’t get enough. My favorite book was an oversized, beautifully illustrated anthology of tales from many countries. Kids just don’t read fairy tales any more. Too bad.
I’m still an avid reader, although I rarely get to choose what I’ll be reading. I am constantly reading for homework or school work. When summer comes, I usually find the fattest, trashiest novel I can and work on my tan until I finish it. I read War and Peace one summer, and Anna Karenina followed shortly thereafter. Something about the length of an incredible saga turns me on. I guess this summer I’ll have to forego that pleasure.
I became a reading teacher because I was crushed by the knowledge that my own child will never be a joyful reader. My son struggled with reading, and now has the idea that he is a poor reader. Because it’s hard for him, he avoids reading at all costs. Somehow I will find that “just right book” that turns him on and hooks him for good. It is my desire to help other kids overcome their difficulties with reading so they can actually stop struggling and enjoy, understand, and learn to love reading.
I suppose some day I will find out who I really am as a reader / writer. Right now I am so busy fulfilling requirements; I don’t ever have time to write just for me. I used to write quite a bit of poetry; now at least I am journaling, thanks to Dr. Frye. It’s amazing – the things you begin to notice when you start living like a writer. At least that keeps me honest. I can’t expect my students to write when I don’t do it myself.
I look forward to what lies ahead in this course; many of our students are disaffected and marginalized within our classrooms. I’m looking for ways to make my methods more inclusive, more worthwhile to all my students. Working within the framework of curricular guidelines, that’s a tall order. I need inspiration for new ways to turn kids on, and keep them reading, even when it’s hard. If only the love of reading were a contagious bug!

Hello, hello! My name is Erin Farrington, and I live in Boiling Springs, NC. I’m married to Colton Wayne and am a mother to Bella Rose (four-years-old) and Caden Gene (two-years-old), and I like calling them by their first and middle names! I graduated from ASU in 1998 with a degree in English. I’m ashamed to say that I don’t remember anything much that I was supposed to have learned. This is not a bust on ASU; it’s just my reality. I want to learn. I’d like to learn. I just can’t say that I’ve done it in decent proportion to all the years I’ve spent in the classroom. My formal teaching experience includes three years in middle school, one semester in high school (interim), and one semester in community college.

Currently, I’m teaching two-year-olds parttime at Aldersgate Playschool in Shelby so that I can be at home (as much as financially possible) with our children. I started grad school last fall so that by the time our daughter is ready to begin her formal education, I will have graduated and be ready to go back to work full-time if this is what is best for our family. I chose to major in Reading Education because I've had students in the past who were grosely below their grade-level in reading, and we were both at a loss because I didn't know how to work with them on a technical level. Another reason I chose Reading Education is because it is a major somewhat kin to a major in English. (I felt like I would get bogged down with all the reading required for a master's degree in English, so I chose the next best thing!)

Having said that, it may come as no surprise to you that reading is not something I've ever done an incredible amount of. When I was growing up I don't ever remember seeing anyone in our home sitting around and reading anything but the occasional newspaper; I'm sure this had a direct influence on my interest in reading. I mean, I probably read more than the average bear, but in school I've always tried to get by with reading the least amount possible. I don't mind reading, but I want to read what I choose; it's hard for me to get excited about reading what someone else has chosen for me. Oddly enough, I've always been a fluent reader and am always one of the first to volunteer at the chance to read aloud. It's the opportunity for dramatic expression that draws me to read aloud in front of groups; I'm an actress at heart!

Writing, on the other hand, is something that I've always enjoyed doing and rarely--if ever--have tried to find a shortcut around it when asked to do so. I believe my childhood environment had a direct influence on this as well because my dad is an excellent writer; I've been a witness to him doing a good bit of song-writing, and he was always first in line to help me with any creative writing assignments I had in school. Because of the lack of discipline I have in the area of reading and because of my bend towards writing, my undergraduate degree in English was fashioned towards a concentration in writing; I took only the minimum amount of literature classes required. Interestly enough, though, I don't spend my spare time writing, but I certainly have never minded writing assignments--especially creative ones.

Erin Farrington

My name is Heather Houston. I am a 4th grade teacher at Taylorsville Elementary in Alexander County. I am about to finish my 8th year of teaching, and have been teaching 4th grade for the 8 years I have taught. When I decided to pursue my master’s degree, I pondered what area I would do it in. I chose reading because I feel that is an area I need to improve and grow in. Thinking about teaching a lower grade level, especially kindergarten made me nervous, not only because of the age group, but because I didn’t know where I would begin with teaching children how to read from scratch. So…that solved the problem with which area I needed to go back to school for. Through the courses I have already taken in the program, I have learned so much invaluable information.
Now what to do next??? We just finished End of Grade testing at our school, and our first reading results were terrible. Only fifty percent of my students passed. The re-tests turned out better, but I have got to find a way to improve my students reading skills. I teach at a school where the majority of students are either African American or Hispanic. Many of our parents are uneducated, disinterested in education, or have a language barrier. That makes my job even more difficult. I have got to find a way to provide my students with the skills they need, despite the lack of parental/home support. So….if anyone already has ideas or solutions…what more can I do?
Posted by Heather Houston

Hi everybody! My name is Erica Spicer. I teach 2nd grade at Jenkins Elementary School in Hickory. My love for reading began at a very young age. My father and I took weekly Saturday morning trips to the public library to pick out new books and he would tuck me in each night reading a different story. I used to love when he read me the Uncle Remus stories of Brer Rabbit. I have carried on with reading stories at bedtime for so long now that I can't even go to sleep at night unless I've been reading! I've been in 2nd grade for two years now, and I really feel like this is my niche. I love how students are so curious at this age and one of the most exciting things about this age group is that they are for the most part finally getting the concept of reading and can begin enjoying it. I have enjoyed so much the past two years seeing children get their hands on books and just get "sucked" into it. Although most children that I have come in contact with have not struggled in reading, I have had a few that have seen learning to read as an uphill battle. This was initially my reasoning for starting this graduate program. I really wanted to be able to reach and and help these students. This has been an excellent program to help me learn more about reading and I can finally see the light of finishing it as this is one of my last three classes...HOORAY!!! Through the application and personalization of many ideas in this program, I have been able to see a difference in reading enthusiasm in most of my struggling students. I look forward to reading and commenting on everyone's posts...it sounds like it's going to be an interesting class!

Erica Spicer

Hi everyone,

My name is Loren Van De Griek and Iive in the George Hildebrand area which is between Morganton and Hickory. I say GH area, because I have a Hickory address, a Connelly Springs telephone exchange, but it is in Burke County. I am originally from Centerville, MA, which is on Cape Cod. I spent most of my childhood in Stuart FL, but as soon as I graduated I went back to Mass. I moved down here 14 years ago to get closer to family. I am married to my high school sweetheart and have 3 beautiful boys. One of my sons has autism. When he was 3, he was "labeled" moderate, but now he has almost been cured and is very high functioning.

I was a hair designer for 12 years and then 3 years ago I changed careers and became a teacher. I teach 5th grade. I don't know what inspired me to change, but I am so glad I did, because I absolutely love it. Reading comprehension has always been a struggle for me. I love to read and read often, but when I finish a book it is hard for me to remember details. I am pretty sure that I would not be able to take an AR test and get a 100 w/o looking back in the book. I do not visualize when I read. My mind wanders while I read and I have to really concentrate on what I am reading. Therefore, when I teach reading, I can put myself in the shoes of my struggling readers, but I don't know how to help them overcome their defecit.

Getting my masters in reading was a "no brainer" for me, because I want to be able to teach my struggling readers better. When I teach math, I can teach the same concept in a variety of ways using a variety of manipulatives. To me, reading is harder to vary. As a result, I hope to learn how to "spice up" my reading lessons and reach those struggling readers.

Loren Van De Griek

Hi! I am one of the few high school teachers in this program. I teach 9th grade English and 10th grade Civics and Economics. We just finished EOC testing and it went very well, so I am excited to wrap up the end of the year. This is a busy summer for me. As soon as this semester is over, my family will be arriving for my wedding! I am very excited to have them all here from many different parts of the country. I am also very excited to marry my wonderful fiancé!
Reading has always been a strength and love of mine. I have been reading for fun for as long as I can remember. I would rather read then watch a movie or a television show. Because reading has always come naturally to me, I was baffled when I first encountered struggling readers as a teacher. My brother had been a struggling reader in school, and in my mind I always thought he was just stupid. Now I realize that this is not the case. As I encountered many struggling readers at the middle and high school level, I became frustrated with my inability to help them. That is why I decided to enroll in this program and learn more about reading and teaching reading.
Shannon Keough

My name is Kelly Beckley and I am a first grade teacher at Hardin Park School in Boone. I am just finishing up my third year of teaching (we only have half a day left!) and can absolutely say that teaching first grade is my dream job. I am originally from Chattanooga, TN, but came to Boone in the Fall of 2002 for school. When I graduated from ASU in 2006 I didn't want to leave so I have been here ever since!

My favorite part of teaching first grade is teaching the early literacy skills. I love seeing my students blossom from only knowing their letters and sounds to being full fledged readers. It's amazing to see how much they change in first grade! I have always been an avid reader myself and consider myself a "life-long learner." These are values I hope to pass down to my young students. Teaching reading is my favorite thing to do, which is why I am pursuing a Master's in Reading Ed. I am nearing the end of the program and am very thankful for what I have learned, however, I am definitely ready to walk across that stage in December!

As far as my own literacy development goes... my mom loves to talk about how difficult of a child I was. I was raised in a middle-class home with educated parents and a stay-at-home mom. I have an older brother who was one of those perfect kids... you know the kind I'm talking about! I, on the other hand, was far from perfect. I was very active, stubborn, and independent. I wouldn't sit still with my mom and let her read to me for more than two minutes. I didn't become interested in reading until I was able to do it by myself. I learned to read in first grade and never struggled with it, but was never the best either. I was just a solid, average student. I started first grade in the fall of 1990 right when the whole language was in it's hay day. My teachers didn't use any phonics or small-group instruction at all; my whole class read out of the same basal reader. Now that I teach first grade I don't understand how I, or anyone for that matter, learned to read with that kind of reading instruction in first grade.

As soon as I learned to read I was obsessed with reading. My favorite books were Amelia Bedelia books. I can remember re-reading the part about her dressing the chicken over and over again. I also loved Green Eggs and Ham and other Dr. Seuss books. As I got older I got more and more into reading. I read a lot of series books through elementary school. Some of my favorites were the American Girls Books, The Babysitters Club, and The Boxcar Children. this is when I got into the habit of reading every night before bed, a habit that has stuck with me my whole life. I read in bed every night before bed... even if it's just a couple of pages. It's an important thing for me and I will continue to do it for the rest of my life.

Kelly Beckley

Hello! I am Jessica Jackson! I am in my second year teaching kindergarten at Pilot Elementary School in Davidson County. I have taught 5 years total. Prior to kindergarten I have taught two years in first grade and one year of third grade. Moving around has allowed me to work at very different schools with very different socio-economic status—yet one thing remains the same—wherever you go there are students who struggle to read. This is what helped me decide to pursue a degree in Reading Education.

My mom is also a teacher, but was a stay at home mother while my brothers and I were young. My father worked in construction, so he worked very hard so that my mom could stay home with us. We always had what we needed, but not really much extra. I remember being read to from the time that I was very young. After bath time we would choose two or three books (usually the longest ones that we could find) and crawl up on the porch swing where mom would read to us. She admits now that she often tried to skip pages on the REALLLLLY long books, but we always knew! Many of the books she read came from my grandma. My grandma was a teacher as well. For each holiday (and I mean ALL holidays) we got a new book from the Scholastic book order. It came in the mail signed and dated from Grandma and Grandpa Hornback and included a stick of gum and some stickers as well. I still read many of these books in my classroom today!

I developed a love for reading at a young age. I was the girl who packed a bag full of books to take on vacation and tried to finish the whole bag before getting home. In school I loved to read. I still remember the day that my teacher told my whole reading group what a nice job I had done reading with expression. That was a big deal to me! I never remember struggling in reading until I got to college. It was there that I realized that I am a good reader, but I am not the most efficient reader. I read slowly and word for word. I don’t comprehend well unless it is quiet and I can really focus. I did fine all through school, college included, but I missed out on many of the comprehension strategies that we now teach our students. It makes me wonder what kind of student I would have been if I were learning to read in today’s world of assessment! I think I’m glad that I learned a long time ago!

Jessica Jackson

Hi! I am Dana Eudy and I teach fourth grade in Claremont. I have taught fourth grade for three years now. I love teaching ten year olds, it is a great age. They are starting to gain some independence, yet they still want to please me. I have loved reading my entire life. I read every night before I go to bed and during any free time during the day. I like to help children who are struggling with reading. I have had several students who are on the primer level in the 4th grade and I want to be able to better help them. That is why I chose this program. I have completed 12 hours in the master's program so far. By the end of the summer, I will be over half way finished! I am looking forward learning new ways to better help my students.

Dana Eudy

Hello, everyone! My name is Janet Gross and I teach first grade at Love Memorial Elementary School in Lincoln County. I have been at the same school for almost 20 years, six as an assistant in Kindergarten and the rest teaching first. I took the assistant’s job in March of the school year when the other assistant moved away. I told my mom, “I can do anything for three months!” Well, as you see I was hooked. I finished my bachelor’s degree at Lenior-Rhyne College in 1996 in elementary education. My experiences in a Title I school have been great. The students are needy and appreciative of what you do for them.
My own education began in Orlando Florida, where I was born and lived until I was 7 years old. We moved to North Carolina to be close to family. I cannot remember not being able to read. It came easily and I enjoyed every minute I could get with a good book. Summers were replete with trips to the public library, bringing home stacks of books. I loved school too. It was my social outlet. My fourth grade teacher did not think it should be and I spent a lot of time writing “silence is golden” over and over again. It didn’t help though!
Teaching reading is the best part of my job. It’s what excites me and motivates me to press forward when paper work is burying me! I love the kids and they keep my young at heart.
Janet Gross

Hello! My name is Barbara Terauds. I am currently finishing up my last 3 days teaching first grade. I have absolutely loved teaching students to decode and read for meaning over the last four years. With the recent budget cuts I am in a transition right now to teach third grade next fall. So I am preparing for a whole new adventure with teaching comprehension skills and applying grammar and language conventions to reading. My husband and I moved down here from Michigan four years ago to teach. We both have a passion for making an impact in our student’s lives and are both continuing our education, in hopes, to learn how to better help our students. I chose reading education because I love to teach reading, but I do not feel that I have a strong reading background that can help me reach all students and their needs.

My own experiences with literacy learning are very vague. I grew up in the “whole group” basal reading era. I do not recall ever doing big book reading or guided reading/ literacy centers, but instead we did a lot of whole group phonics and basal reading. I cannot think of any time that we used expression in reading or writing. I am sure it was taught because I used it in my reading and writing in high school, but I do not have any experiences that stick out to me. My mom has said that I loved to read in elementary school and always had a book in hand or wanted her to read a book to me, but I grew disinterested in reading once I got into middle school. I wish I could pinpoint why, but it makes a whole lot of sense as to why I do not remember ever reading too many books for pleasure in high school, college, or now. This isn’t because I do not appreciate reading, because I think it is the most important factor in succeeding in school, but outside of my classroom I do not engage myself in reading, with an exception to the daily newspaper and my magazines. In my classroom right now, we read so many different types of genres in read aloud, guided reading, and big books so I can see what interests my students and continue to build on their interest in reading. I want my students to be strong readers and want them to continue to read and develop a passion for reading.

Because of all of this, I do not consider myself a good reader, or writer for the most part, but I love to read to my first graders and teach them how to develop reading comprehension and writing skills that will help them as they go through life.
I look forward to blogging with all of you,
Barbara Terauds

Hello, my name is Kim Shaw. Currently I am a stay at home mom with 2 little girls. Addison is 3 years old and loves to play with her friends and take care of her little sister. Addie just finished her first year of preschool. I am so amazed at how she has absorbed so much information. She loves to read stories--from memory of course and, make up her own. Sydney is 7 months old and is getting her first tooth. She is rolling over and soon to be sitting on her own.

My husband, Jay and I just recently moved to the Mooresville area and our enjoying our new house and getting to know our neighbors. We have been working on furnishing the house and creating a comfortable place for us to live. I love to shop, but interior designing is not my thing. I have enough trouble deciding which shoes to wear with an outfit, let along trying to figure out which fabric compliment others and what style of chairs are practical and stylish! So, I leave this job to my mother-in-law when she comes down from Kentucky to visit.

After graduating college I came down to N.C. to visit for the summer. I got a summer job working as a teacher assistant at a daycare in Cary, before getting my first teaching job in Wake County. My first two years of teaching Kindergarten were filled with a lot of challenging times. My college coursework prepared me on how to teach, but time spent in the classroom is what prepared me for the reality of teaching. There was a lot of trial and error, but eventually I did find a style of teaching that fit me. I returned to Kentucky were I began teaching in Middle School with a 7th and 8th grade revolving class. I continued teaching there for 4 years, and after getting married I returned to N.C.

When applying for a teaching position here, I knew that I wanted to return to teaching at the lower elementary level. I got a job teaching first grade in Forsyth County. Several of my first grade colleagues were beginning the program at App. State, so that encouraged me to begin too. I resigned from teaching in 2008 so that I could stay at home with my 2 children. However, I continued working on completing the Master’s program. With only one class left, I can see the light at the end of this seemingly very long tunnel.

Being in the Reading Master’s program, I have developed a renewed love for literature. Being exposed through various types of texts, authors, instructional strategies and teaching practices, has help me to instill this love in my students too! I am using practices that have been researched and proven to be successful with vitally every type of learner.

I have never been an avid reader by any means, but I would read a book here and there before having children. During the past 5 years, I have spent the majority of my reading time completing assignments for coursework. Although they were very rewarding in the professional sense, I wasn’t reading for enjoyment, but rather requirement. And, it goes without saying that I have read numerous children’s books over the past years. I can’t however remember the last time I read an adult book. I guess that really doesn’t matter—since my life revolves around children in both the personal and professional realms, children’s book is what I should be reading!

I am looking forward to blogging and sharing comments on the readings!
Kim Shaw

My name is Megan Machuga. I am from Gastonia, NC. I am a kindergarten teacher at H.H. Beam Elementary School. I am about to complete my third year teaching. My first year I taught 1st grade and the past 2 years I have been in kindergarten. I love this grade. The students are so fun and energetic. I love how my students get so excited about learning new things. I get such a joy out of watching my students grow and learn. When I see the expressions on their faces when they figure something new out it makes me rememeber why I do this job.

I do not remember much from kindergarten about learning to read. I do remember taking home little Saxon Phonics readers when I was in first grade. My mom tells me that in kindergarten I did fine beginning to learn to read but that in first grade I struggled in reading. She said that I would look at the pictures to try to figure out what the sentence was saying instead of trying to read. She said that I would get confused. Eventually I grew out of that and began doing fine in reading. I know we did a little bit of phonics but I think that most of our reading instruction was whole language during first grade. In second grade we did saxon phonics, but I don't remember much about that.

I began really enjoying reading when I got into third and fourth grade. I would read boxcar children, babysitter club, and goosebumps books. I would read to my parents some at night. One of my best memories from my childhood is at night my parents would sit and read a chapter of books that were still to hard for me to read. One book I very vividly rememebr them taking turns and reading to me was James and the Giant Peach. The way they read it made the book come alive. I contribute a lot of my success in reading to my parents taking the time out of their nights to sit and read to me and my brother. Those memories mean so much to me and at the same time helped to build reading skills that helped me further along.

I feel that through my elementary school years my teachers did a great job of introducing me to interesting and exciting literature. Most took the time to have storytime and read outloud to the class. This was always fun to me. I have always liked to listen to other people read books. Having this modeled for me showed me how important it is for students. I do this in my class daily.

I do remember starting to dislike reading in middle school because we had to take AR tests. I did not like having to read to answer questions. I think that this program turned me off to reading for a while because some of the books I wanted to read were not on the lists and so I had to read books that were not enjoyable to me. After middle school I continued to read books that I enjoyed.

I feel that in my classroom it is so important to expose my students to great literature. I know that if they do not get to hear them and look at them in my classroom they might not ever see them. I work at a Title I school and many of my studnets do not have books at home to read. I see how important it is for these students to be exposed to as much literature in school as possible because they may not get that at home. Reading is one of the most important skills for life and I want my students to understand that and learn to enjoy reading because it is fun not because the teacher makes you read.

Megan Machuga

Hi: I’m Toni Wheeler, a native of Charlotte (I still live there) and I teach 5th grade in Gaston County. I’ve been teaching for six years, and the last four of those years have been in Gaston County and the first two were in a Charter school in Charlotte. Now I know you’re thinking Charlotte, isn’t that close to Gaston County…But it’s only a 35 to 45 minute drive, and the way I see it getting around anywhere in Charlotte may take that long. So, I don’t mind the drive.
I’ve always wanted to teach but when I graduated from high school and went to college, everyone said, “Teachers don’t make any money”. Well after completing undergraduate in 1986, attending Pfieffer University and receiving a dual MBA/MHA in 1991…my job as a HR manager was eliminated, the company moved to Germany. So I was what they called a ‘displaced employee’. This was my opportunity to go back to school and get my teaching degree…So I did. Now I’m in Appalachians Graduate Program…loving it and learning a lot.
All the ideals, strategies, information, and the innovate approaches I’ve learned so far at Appalachian I’ve been able to apply in my classroom. My students are pleased when I tell them that I read this book and this is the exercise/activity we did in class. They enjoy it when I demonstrate what I’ve learned in my classroom as a student and introduce, and teach it to them in our classroom as a teacher. I feel that I’m blessed to be a teacher to be able to touch, affect, and reach out to so many children in a positive way. In the six years I’ve been teaching I’ve never looked back nor regretted the money I once made in corporate. [But now we all know that the money in corporate is drying up!] I love what I do with and for my students and I’m in it to stay! Toni B. Wheeler

Hello to all of you! I am late posting my entry b/c I am technologically challenged and our school email has not been cooperative lately so I am trying to play catchup on the last few days assignments. I am a teacher in Catawba County, at Lyle Creek Elementary (Go Crocodiles!). I have taught several different grades in my 16 years of being in education, those being 4th, 2nd, K, and 1st. The last 11 have mostly been in kindergarten, with a few in 1st or a K/1st combo. Next year I'll be moving to 1st again, so I am excited about that. I tend to get bored doing the same things year after year so change is good for me in that way. I love teaching little kids because there is sooooo much they don't know, and I get to be the first person to introduce them to so many interesting things. Plus, they think you are brilliant at that age and they are not old enough yet to think they know more than you do.

I am married to a wonderful man named Darren, my husband of 12 years. We have 2 beautiful girls, Alexa who is 11 and Regan who will be 8 next month. They are the center of my world and keep me busy 24/7. As a family, we stay very very busy, especially since I begin this program last fall. Lately, our family activity of choice (if we have any spare time) is just to hang out by the pool and rest. We love to travel, and try to go on a trip somewhere new with the girls once a year. We also love to garden, so my summers are usually spent canning and putting veggies and fruit in the freezers for the winter. It's a lot of work, but I love doing it and I like knowing what my family is putting into their mouths. My specialties are homemade salsa and peach jam. I imagine that I won't have much spare time for that hobby this summer, because in addition to this online class I am also doing my practicum.

I began working on my masters last fall, so I am only 2 semesters in. I have always wanted to get my degree, but many things have happened that have caused me to put off starting it. I have to admit, I have been very overwhelmed at times, and questioned why I ever embarked on such a journey, but I have learned so much already and I am excited about all the new things I have yet to learn about. Reading for me was always a breeze; I struggled at times with math, but reading and language arts always just came natural to me and I learned to read at a very early age, mostly on my own. I can remember my father (who passed away just this past March) reading to me every night as a young child, so I guess I just memorized words and learned to read that way. I learned about phonics and vowel patterns later on, but I was reading by myself when I walked into kindergarten the first day. It was interesting to me when I began teaching in a 4th grade classroom and there were children in there who could not read. Of course, you don't know anything when you get that first class, but I learned all about the diversities of abilities quite quickly. I also learned that for most children, learning to read does not come easily as it did for me, and that for some it is a painful and embarassing experience. Teaching reading has always been my favorite part of my job, and when I moved down to the early primary grades and began to work with children who were just learning to read, I knew I had found my niche. This is truly what I love to do. I am fascinated by differences in kids, and how they learn at different rates and by different methods. I love to watch them finally start to get how the language works and begin to be able to actually decode words on their own. I work at a Title One school, and we have a huge population of minority children at our school. Many of our kids are ESL, and many of those come to me as a kindergarten teacher knowing not a word of English. This presents new struggles for me in teaching as it is hard to teach a child that you cannot communicate with. I am interested in addressing that topic in our posts.

I hope to gain from this program new strategies to help those struggling learners for whom reading is an unpleasant thing; I want to be able to reach those kids that would otherwise slip through the cracks and get lost in the shuffle. I want to be the one who will make the difference in somebody's life.

Lorie Hedrick

Hello,
Better late than never. I have entered this class as a late add on and am trying to get caught up with the course overload I'm taking this summer.Here is some information about myself . I am a mother of two daughters. One is in Greenland in the USAF or better yet she is on top of the world. My other daughter is married with two boys, Trey and Clyde. They call me Nanny but I don't get paid. I am a teacher at Dudley Shoals Elementary in kindergarten where I have taught the past eight years. I am at the end of the MA reading leaving only the seminar and product left to complete after this summer session. I am currenly separated from my second husband and I have had my youngest daughter and two grandsons living with me since her husband is stationed in Korea at this time. She had been living there for the past two years where both Clyde and Trey had a career in modeling. Those who know me also know that these grandchidren are my world. I'm happy they are back in the Unitied States due to the missle crisis from North Korea. She was advised by the US Army to relocate back to the states because of red zone areas due to North Korea and their missle happy leader. In any case I don't have much else happening in my life at this time.I have always been interested in literacy due to my parents lacking a high school education. My parents are active readers with newspapers and Our State magazines. I grew up with my mother reading me fairy tells and telling me stories about The Three Little Pigs and such. I love to read romance novels and Barnes and Noble is a weekly shopping thing for me due to free readings of books and I love Starbucks coffee.I love children's literature and I have a library consisiting of over 1000 books in my storage building. I journal write daily after reflecting form the days events. I love to write and it keeps me on schedule and it's always nice to be able to look back upon incidences that have happened in the past. I just went to my thirty year high school reunion so now everyone can figure that I am the oldest one in this cohort. In any case, I'm very energetic and some people call me crazy because I am forever starting new projects that most people run away from. I look forward to blogging with everyone this semester and this class sounds really exciting. Thank you Dr. Jackson for allowing me to enter at this late date.
Robin Hand

After email, Internet, and computer issues I am trying to play catch up. It was a matter of everything that could go wrong with technology, actually going wrong for me.

My name is Caroline Walker. I teach ELL at Longview Elementary in Hickory. My school is about 95% free and reduced lunch. We are also a school whose students are mostly minority students, with a large population -- about 1/3 being ELL students.

2009-210 will mark my 7 year teaching ELL, before that I taught 4th grade. I am entering my 11th year at Longview and I absolutely love my school and the students. It is challenging, rewarding, frustrating, inspirational, and I absolutely love it. I honestly cannot imagine teaching at another school with another type of student population.

I am looking forward to this class helping me better reach and teach the students at Longview.