Hello, my name is Trish Edwards. I began working on my masters last summer and hope to finish next spring. I am currently teaching second grade at Piney Grove Elementary in Forsyth County. This is my second year back at teaching, since I took a seven year break to stay home with my three children who are now 12, 11 and 8 years old. Before I took my break I taught fifth grade for one year and second grade for three years. Last year I taught first grade for the first time and I learned a lot about the reading process.
At my school we use guided reading groups, so it was neat to see how much the students grew in reading. This year I continued to use guided reading groups. I also incorporated word sorts for my spelling. Word sorts were new to the parents and students, but it was very well perceived. I work at a predominately white middle class school. So, one concern the parents have is that they want their children to be challenged. I ended up with four spelling groups, which was a little challenging. I have very low level readers to those who are reading well above grade level. So, it can be a challenge to not let the low level readers get left behind. I would like to continue to learn how I can help those low level readers through guided reading and word study.
As for me, I started out in kindergarten and first grade as a struggling reader. The first two years of school were not positive ones. Things didn’t change until I entered second grade and my teacher figured out that I could not hear. I ended up getting my tonsils out and tubes in my ears. In second grade, I went from F’s to C’s to eventually A’s by the end of the year. My mom used to take me to the library during the summer. I loved to read. It was during the summer, that I grew the most as a reader, because I was reading books that I was interested in and I didn’t want to put them down. For me as a teacher, I hope to instill the love of reading and give students the necessary reading skills they need.
Trish Edwards
Comments (1)
I know that all children are faced with challenges, and it is hard to teach to different levels in the same room. Some people do not understand that we as teachers can’t just give a sheet to the whole class to do and everyone will do it and put it in their baskets. Students struggle, students learn at different paces, and no matter how hard we try to keep everyone up to pace, there are students who fall behind. I think it’s wonderful that despite the fact you couldn’t hear growing up you still found a love for reading. Keep reminding your children to read and take adventures through the pages of the books they read!
Meredith
Posted by Meredith Bromley | June 2, 2010 9:17 AM
Posted on June 2, 2010 09:17