RES 5535: Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research (summer 2010)

Hello, my name is Katy Dellinger and I am a 7th grade Exceptional Children's Teacher at Lincolnton Middle School. I have almost completed my second year of teaching. I graduated from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Special Education: General Curriculum K-12 in the spring of 2008. The school that I teach at is a Title One school and there are many pros and cons to teaching at this school. First of all, since we are funded by the federal government we have access to a lot of materials. I am hoping that one day we will all have smart boards or promethean boards in our rooms to teach with. We also have the privilege of having a literacy coach who comes in and helps us teach our kids. She is great at showing teachers how to differentiate instruction and she is also willing to come into our classes and co-teach with us. Title One schools such as ours also have Title One teachers. We have a Title One reading and math teacher. These teachers are very helpful in providing more intense instruction to a smaller group of students who struggle with something specific. The downside to teaching at a Title One school is that TEST SCORES MATTER, which I'm sure has become the case almost everywhere. Currently, we are the AYP situation where we have to make it this year or we will be in corrective action. So, this can be frustrating at times and it also puts a lot of pressure on both kids, parents, administration, and of course teachers!

So far in my two years of teaching, I have taught math inclusion, language arts inclusion, math resource, and language arts resource. I have had the privilege of using promethean boards in both my math inclusion and language arts inclusion classes. I have been trained in Corrective Reading, Language!, and Reading Foundations. For the past two years I have taught Language! in my Language Arts resource classes.

The school that I work at would be considered an "inner city" school. We would be considered a melting pot because of all of the different ethnic groups that we serve. Because of this there are many different cultures that I have learned about and what is important to one group of people may not be important to another group. Also, some parents are very much involved in their child's education while others do not think education is that important. Pretty much, I am excited about this class because I think that I could definitely apply what I learn to my everyday teaching.

Katy Dellinger

Hello Everyone. My name is Michelle Moffitt. I am married and I have two teenage daughters. I have been teaching kindergarten for 14 years. I have just finished my first two semesters in the masters of reading program at ASU. I graduated from Mars Hill College with a degree in elementary education. I am a national board certified teacher and I will begin renewing my certification next year. The school I teach at is a large elementary school. We have over six hundred students in grades k-5. It is a title one school and we have a diverse population.
I love to read. I enjoy reading many different types of books. I look forward to my summer vacation so I can catch up on my reading while sitting by the pool or at the beach. I have never been a big writer, but I can usually express myself better in my writing than speaking. I do have a journal that I write in at various times in my life. I like to record important events and milestones in it. I really do not remember much about learning to read or write. I remember reading the famous Dick and Jane books early in school. I also remember writing creative stories in elementary school. My mom saved many of my stories and I was always told that I had a talent for writing creative stories. I was in the academically gifted program in elementary school and middle school and I took honors and college prep courses in high school. I guess I was a typical teenager that really did not enjoy reading and writing in middle and high school. When i finished college I began to really enjoy reading again.
I come from a working class family. My parents both worked. I stayed with my grandmother during the day and I rememberd that she read many books to me. There are several teachers in my family so I followed in their footsteps. My family is from a rural area. My grandmother is 95 years old now and she still tells the stories that she told us so long ago. Her stories have been passed down through my family for many years. She remembers childhood stories and games that were told and played when she was a child, and she has taught each of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren them. The oral traditions have been passed down through the generations.
I am looking forward to this class. We touched on dialect in one of my other classes and how certain dialects are perceived in society.

Michelle Moffitt

Learning to read was a difficult task for me. I was always what teachers term a ‘slow learner.’ However, I came from an environment rich in print. Both of my parents read the newspaper nightly. My mother kept a towering stack of books by her bedside. We read together as a family every night, well into my elementary school years. By fifth grade I had a voracious appetite for books, although at that time my undeveloped tastes leaned toward the romantic fiction. Despite how much time I spent reading outside of school I hated assigned school reading, where the novels were invariable hard to relate too, difficult to read, and ended sadly. Not to mention that we would break apart and analyze every aspect of the book, thereby further draining the experience of any pleasure. Currently I teach second grade in a low income predominantly Hispanic school, and while my students are exposed to a much wider variety of interesting books, I seldom see the hunger I had at that age for reading. Reading ability is not only an integral part of education and a predictor of success in school, but a means by which every child has access to learning beyond their own life circumstances. I am passionate that my students find a love of literacy, if for no other reason than I know they will be learning long after they leave my classroom.
Rebecca Ashby

I am Amy Reep. I have taught for ten years now. The last three I have taught language arts to fourth and fifth graders at Clyde Campbell. This year I am the sole teacher of all fifth grade students in the area of reading and writing. I do not like this, nor do I like teaching class in 75 minutes. I feel that there is so much pressure to get the kids to pass the test, even though many are not ready to read at this stage. This is the first year in which I have truly taught students at their ability level, which means for some second and third grade. After taking other graduate courses I understand how important this instruction is.
I have always loved reading, and was taught to read by my mom before I started kindergarten. I was always the sneaky kid in class that had my book tucked inside the textbook to make it look like I was paying attention. I still love to read every chance I get. I have this corny thing where I make myself read one book a year outside my comfort zone. I feel that this is important part of growth. I am not saying that instead of fiction I may choose nonfiction. I am saying I read something that doesn't fall into my belief system or totally out of my area of interest.
I had never given much thought to writing until I had to teach narrative writing to fourth graders. I discovered that I love this. It was always my favorite part of the day. I even believe that my kids thoroughly enjoyed writing as much as I loved teaching it. That is what I miss about fifth grade. There is little to no time devoted to writing like in fourth grade, since that is when they are tested on it. I also found that I enjoyed the art of letter writing when my husband was first deployed to Iraq. There was nothing more exciting than going to the mail box and finding a letter from him. The same was true for him when getting a picture colored by our son. The art of letter writing is rapidly declining, with technology so easily assessable, but to hold the tangible piece of love in your hand is something to be cherished.
The reason I have decided to get my masters in reading is because I want students to love reading as much as I do. I want to reach those struggling students and help them finally feel successful at reading. I think that feeling confident in one area will bring more self assurance to the children, creating a better person.
Amy Reep

Hi! My name is Erin Whisnant. I live in Hickory with my family. I have been married to my husband for almost four years. I have a six year old stepson that stays with us as often as we can get him. We have a two year old Weimaraner that is like our child. He lives inside and loves to cuddle. He recently had knee surgery to repair a ruptured ACL. Our newest addition to our family is my son. He was born on April 24th. I have been fortunate to spend the last five weeks out of work with him. Life has been wonderful. Being a mother has many joys and blessing that I was unaware of until recently.

This is my fifth year teaching. The school that I work prior to this year closed due to a new school opening. My former school was a title one school where many of the students lived in low income housing and spoke English as their second language. I currently teach second grade at the newest elementary school in Catawba County. This school is not a title one school and many of the students come from upper middle class families with few speaking English as their second language. I have taught third, first and second. I completed my bachelor’s degree at UNCC. During student teaching, I was placed in a kindergarten classroom. I have been trying to get back in a kindergarten class since student teaching. I have found it very difficult due to kindergarten teachers not changing grades. We have two kindergarten positions opening up next year, so I am hopeful that my principal will move me!

I love to read. My passion for reading inspired me to attain my graduate degree in reading. This is my last class in the program. I love learning. I believe that is what makes me a great teacher. I have told my husband on many occasions that I could be a professional student, if the pay was good. Teaching reading is second nature to me. I find that my students are inspired to read when they notice my enthusiasm for reading. My goal is to return to college in two years to begin working toward a doctorate degree. I enjoy writing but find that this is one of my weakest areas when teaching. I don’t think that I am poor teacher of writing but I do think that this is the area where students progress the slowest so I feel that my efforts are not as successful as I would wish.

My name is Angie Sigmon. I am a third grade teacher at Shuford Elementary, and I am finishing my ninth year. I received my National Board Certification in 2006, and will finish the graduate program next spring. I taught third grade for eight and a half years, kindergarten for half a year, and now I am moving to second grade which I am extremely excited about. I have been married for eight years and have two beautiful daughters (2 and 6).

Literacy has always been a huge part of my life. My parents have always been big readers. In the house I grew up the whole back wall of our den had shelves filled with books. I have always enjoyed reading. When I was younger my parents would be looking for me and they would always find me somewhere curled up with a book.

As an adult I read every night. I can’t say that I read the “good books”, but I definitely enjoy reading. I was reading Jodi Picoult’s books, but found myself becoming too emotionally involved. As a teacher and a mom I find myself with a full schedule, so I like to read to take my mind somewhere besides the many many things I need to get done. I have been reading Tori Spelling and Jen Lancaster books. I can relate to many experiences Tori Spelling has had as a mom and I find Jen Lancaster’s books to just be hilarious.

As a teacher I am extremely interested in word study and guiding reading groups. As I take classes in the graduate program I feel that I am finally getting an understanding of how children learn to read. I am fascinated by the research that is out there about how children learn to read best and then what schools are actually choosing to incorporate in their schools. I am looking forward to next year and incorporating all the great things I have learned over the past year.

All About Meredith

Hello, my name is Meredith and I am currently teaching kindergarten in Catawba County, North Carolina. I have been a teacher for five years, two in kindergarten and three in first grade. I graduated from Appalachian State University in 2005 with a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education. After teaching for 3 years, I decided to start the master’s program in reading. I love to read as well as teach children how to read. There is such a great feelings inside when a child picks up a book for the first time and begins to read; the feeling of pride and accomplishment takes over. With the completion of my graduate work in August, I plan to go on to get my Doctorate. I want to educate rising teachers how to teach reading to their students, because I feel I came into teaching with little knowledge of how to teach reading, and did not fully learn until I began the Master’s program.

Growing up I was read to daily by my sister, mom and dad. Each night before bed I remember having stories read to me, a lot of the time the same story. If whoever was reading to me skipped a part in the story I would let them know they were not reading it correctly. My parents strived to me the importance of reading and a good education. They wanted me to be the best person I could be and go as far as I could in life. As I grew up I loved to read, and then that love dwindled away when I went to college. I did not enjoy reading things that were not of interest to me; things I was told I had to read. Throughout college, I cannot recall reading one book for pleasure, because I was always bogged down with other assigned readings. After college I began reading again and really enjoyed picking up a good book, and getting lost for hours in it. I recall nights where I would be so caught up in the story I was reading that I would be jarred from it when my alarm would go off to start the next day. As I’ve grown as a teacher, I now enjoy reading books that help me to become a better teacher. I try to attend as many credited workshops to help bring new ideas into my classroom, and I strive to revamp my teachings as often as necessary to help each student.

Now that I am teaching, I try my best to read to my students as often as I can. I will reread one story over and over because the children love it and beg for it to be read to them again. When picking stories for my class I take into consideration what they want to read, and try to meet the interest levels of all my students. As a kindergarten teacher, a lot of my students came to me at the beginning of the year with little knowledge of books. This saddened me, and I have tried hard to get them to have a love for reading as I did when I began school.

I truly believe reading is the foundation of all things in life. You read to learn, explore, and enjoy, and if you cannot read you will truly be lost in life. I cannot teach everyone in the world to read or to even love to read, but I can do the best I can with the people I meet and teach. If I can get one child loving books, then I have changed that child’s life for the better.

Meredith Bromley

My name is Natalie Enns and I am currently teaching 1st grade at Easton Elementary School in Winston Salem. I am completing my 3rd year as a teacher and I love it.
I graduated from Western Connecticut State University with my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education in 2007. After teaching for 2 years I decided that it was time to further my education and this past January, started taking classes towards my Master’s in Education. I think that teaching reading is the most important thing that you can teach to a child. In my school so many students come from a non- English speaking background so for them reading is a struggling. I find so much joy when a student comes to be not being able to read, and when they leave at the end of the year has made so much growth in reading!

As a child I read by the time I was 5 years old. My parents instilled in me a love for reading and we read all the time. I read during the school year and then we had to read during summer vacation. My mom and dad both worked. My mom worked out of the house and would always find time to listen to me read. One thing that she would do was I had to tell her what my book was about when I was done. I couldn’t just say “mom I’m done”. She’d say, “Ok now tell me about it” and I’d have to tell her what I read about. During the summer my mom would pay us 1 penny for each page that we read as an “allowance” for the summer but in order to get that money we would have to tell her what we read about. That taught me how to read and understand what I am reading instead of just read. I still love to read and when I am in a good series (whether fiction or non-fiction) I could get lost in it for hours. I remember reading to a kindergarten aid during free time and I loved it! I loved that someone would take time out of her day to just listen to me read “Dick and Jane”. That has always stuck with me during my time as a teacher. I love to find time in my day to let a child just read to me for fun and they love it as well!

I find that teaching reading is a difficult thing for me to do. I find that my students can “word call” but when I ask them what they read about, they have a very hard time articulating that to me. I am learning more and more how to teach them good comprehension skills. The main goal that I have when I teach reading is for my students to walk away with a love for reading. I try to instill in them a love and a passion. We read all sorts of genre in 1st grade, and I try to get them to pick what they like reading the most. The greatest joy I have is when my students have some time after they are done with their centers or during a rainy day when we can’t go outside, and I look over in the library and I see students reading and interacting with each other about what they are reading. To me, that is what teaching is all about!

Natalie Enns

My name is Katie Templeton, I am currently teaching Kindergarten at Shuford Elementary and will be moving to first grade next year. This is my ninth year teaching, I taught third grade for two years and have taught Kindergarten for seven years. I received my National Board Certification in 2006 and will be finishing up my Master’s next May. I have been married for 8 years and have two little girls, Sydney who is five and Riley who is three.
Reading has always been a huge part of my life ever since childhood. I can’t remember a time when my mom had a spare moment and she wasn’t reading. My mom was also a teacher so reading for both information and enjoyment was a big part of our family. I find myself passing on the same beliefs with my daughters. I love to see them getting just as excited over a new book as they do a new toy.
As an adult I read as much as I can. I go through phases where I am reading everyday and then I won’t pick up a book for months. I have found that in the summer when I am off from work I read constantly. I mainly prefer romance. I am a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks. Recently I have been reading autobiographies of celebrities who are around my age with children.
My main focus this year has been guided reading groups and finding ways to incorporate all of the components into my classroom. With Kindergarteners sometimes it is difficult to implement what I am being taught simply because Kindergarten is a completely separate entity from any other grade level. I am looking forward to going to first grade next year so that I can hopefully continue to improve on what I am learning about guided reading and also be able to do activities where I can work with a small group and my other students can work independently on word study and writing.

Hi! My name is Clyde and I teach pre-kindergarten at Northwood Elementary in Guilford County. I have taught pre-k for eight years. I began my teaching career in kindergarten and spent a little over nine years in that grade before quitting. I then finished the last three months of a school year in a second-grade class. Like some others have posted, I have my National Board Certification as an Early Childhood Generalist. I successfully renewed it a couple of years ago and it was so much easier than the initial process.

An unusual hobby of mine is collecting anything pertaining to hippos. I currently have over 200 items in my collection.

One of my big passions is traveling. If I have the opportunity to hop on a plane, I do it! I have been to Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, China, Canada, Mexico, and many states within our own country. My favorite place to travel over the past several years has been Denver, Colorado. I’ve been there eight times – three of those being within the past year.

As mentioned in the title, I am gay. It took me a long time to come to grips with that fact based on my conservative upbringing, but I now see my sexual orientation as an integral part of who I am. You may be wondering why I bring that up in this introduction to the class, but I see it fitting in with the topics of race, class, and gender that this class is scheduled to cover. During my years as a student, I do not remember seeing anyone who was gay portrayed in the literature being read in my classes. It was not until I was out of school that I found out that such literature was out there.

Another reason I mention my sexual orientation is that it greatly affected my development in the language arts. Because I was “in the closet” and afraid to voice my innermost thoughts, I developed a preference for listening over speaking, especially in groups. I was always afraid to offer my opinions because I didn’t want to say something that others might disagree with (such as the subject of homosexuality), thus causing them to dislike me. Also, I developed a strong preference for writing because this mode of communication allowed me the opportunity to carefully consider my words before responding, unlike with speaking. I considered this to be a much safer alternative. Lastly, I grew to love books because they offered me an escape. Through reading, I could be someone else and experience new places and things that, otherwise, would be unavailable to me.

While growing up, I was a good reader and was always in the top reading group in my class. I had a peculiar habit of reading books upside-down, which I remember getting in trouble for in fourth grade. Unlike others have mentioned, however, I did not see a lot of reading done at home. My mother always read the Bible in her bedroom before going to sleep and my dad would read the newspaper. That was about it. There were not a lot of books in my house, either, but I do remember being able to check books out from the church library, the school library, and the bookmobile that came during the summer months. Some of my favorite books were part of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew collections.

My decision to enroll in the master’s program in reading education involved an experience I had with a second-grade student at my school. His dad asked me if I would tutor the child. I told the dad that I would do it, but as I worked with the child more and more, I realized that I really did not know how to proceed with him past a certain point. From teaching pre-k and kindergarten, I knew a lot about teaching letters, their sounds, etc., but I was not very familiar with what I should be doing with a struggling second-grader. After a month, the child’s parents had him tested at Sylvan and the director there recommended that he should receive tutoring two or three times a week. I told the parents I could not commit to that amount of time so they began having him tutored at Sylvan. The experience left me with the desire to know what to do with students beyond what I do with my pre-kindergartners in their endeavors to learn how to read. I don’t feel this was something that was adequately addressed in my undergraduate work to become a teacher.

Clyde Rice

Hello fellow students in Race, Class, and Gender! I am Angela Steele, a member of the Appalachian State University Class of 2007. I have been married to my husband Chris for 5 years, we live in Lenoir. My teaching career began three years ago at Whitnel Elementary. I spent two years in 2nd grade and this year I taught 3rd grade.

As a child I remember being surrounded by books. My mom is an avid reader and any free time she had I saw a book in her hand. My mom read to me nightly. Stories I remember are those from the Bible and the Golden Books.

Throughout my early school days, I was a good reader, but did not enjoy the task independently. In elementary school, reading seemed to chore rather than enjoyment. I read the Saddle Club Books and the Baby Sitter's Club books. I grew up riding horses, so these books seemed to be a perfect fit.

I am a product of the beginnings of the age of Accelerated Reader. This limited my book selection. I was told to only choose books that I could take tests on and was bound by my grade to do so. This program stifled my wanting to read independently.

As I continued my education, I found a love for reading that extends to today. This love came from the freedom to choose books that drew my interests. After college, I was able to read things that I didn't "have" to read, but want to read. I enjoy James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, and the Twilight Series. Mysteries, suspense, and drama are what I look for in my own personal reading.

Even though I’ve been in Graduate Reading program for a short while, I feel that my views about literacy are evolving. Reading is a skill that cannot be taught in isolation. There are several layers to reading development that all depend upon one another. More than ever, I am aware of the importance of reading to students. I have taken this for granted in my brief years of teaching. Being aware of the process in choosing “quality” children’s literature has definitely impacted my teaching. Another importance is including variety in literature genre. I want to continue developing my knowledge of literacy and Reading Education.

Angela Steele

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

Hello, my name is Linda Bohland and I am currently working with Exceptional Children in Yadkin County at the K-5 level. I am pursuing a Master’s degree in Reading Education because through my years of working with EC kids I have developed a passion for finding ways to teach ALL my kids to read and to read well. I am Level 1 certified in Wilson Reading and use that as well as the Appalachian (Dr. Morris) methods of teaching reading.
I was fortunate as a child to have been taught a combination of whole language and phonics when learning to read. I store many special memories of wonderful characters such as Alice, Jerry and Jip and Sally, Dick and Jane. Yes, it was a long time ago! I also have memories of the dreaded black composition notebook that was used for all that difficult phonics study.
I have always enjoyed reading and attribute that to teachers who read wonderful stories to us in ways that made us feel a part of them. Learning to read as I think back on it seemed fairly effortless when I compare it to the difficulties some of my students have with accessing the printed page. Different kids respond to different methods of teaching which led me to try and discover all the possible ways to reach those who struggle.
Writing did not come as easily to me as reading. It was not stressed nearly as often or to the degree that it is today. When I look back at a few of my saved public school stories it amazes me how my 7th grade writings can almost be compared to 3rd grade expectations today. I have learned to spend less time focusing on the mechanics of writing and more time encouraging my students to express themselves freely. Without realizing it I was stifling them by placing limitations on them, stating what and how they should write. I want to make sure they don’t have the struggles with writing that I have always had.
I look forward to discovering how race, gender and class play a role in literacy learning and to sharing ideas through blogging.
Linda Bohland

Hello my name is Maria Blevins. I was born and raised in Statesville, N.C. When I got married I moved to Flat Rock, N.C. (the Flat Rock near Asheville not the one in Surry County). I lived there for several years and have recently moved to Lincolnton, N.C. Within my own state I have noticed many discourses in reading. When I worked in Henderson County we had multiple Reading Recovery teachers per school. A school of 300 students may have 2 Reading Recovery teachers. A school of 200 may have 1 and a part time person. My school hade 700+ students and we had 5 Reading Recovery teachers. It was apparent to me that reading was valued in a different way in this county. The school I am currently teaching at in Lincoln County has 300+ students and one reading specialist. Things are different from county to county as far as the way reading interventions are addressed. Now back to me and my own literacy learning. When I was young and in school I do not recall a reading teacher or specialist who addressed the needs of struggling readers. But that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t one. Maybe I just never saw them or knew who they even were when I saw them. I wasn’t always a good reader. Most of my trouble in reading was tied to my ADHD. I couldn’t read to comprehend but I could fluently read. I was read to as a child. My mom would read those Little Golden Books to me and my sister when we were real young. Then I remember she stopped reading to us at night as times got busier for her. There was a period where no one read to us and then I recall when my father started to read to us. He would only read what he wanted to personally read. This was no pleasure reading for us kids. If we wanted a read aloud it was going to be on something he was going to sit in the recliner and read anyway. So that is how I got to know Readers Digest. Most topics were above my head, but I think the actually flow of reading and fluency in my father’s voice is what I learned the most from in hearing his readings. Hearing good reading modeled gave me something to work towards in school. Now that I am older I do favor realistic fiction, nonfiction, and biographies. I wonder if the Readers Digest reading has anything to do with that? In my own classroom I do 3 units on biographies a year. I do a black history unit, a president’s unit, and a hodgepodge unit. I just love biographies. They are my favorite genre! I love to read about other people’s lives and how they tackled their problems. I look forward to our readings in this course!

Hello all, my name is Tracy Icenhour. I have been married to my best friend for 23 years now and we have three sons, Justin (21), Jake (18), and Joshua (14). I have been teaching for 3 years now. I was a stay at home mom until all my sons were in school, then I felt it was finally my turn to follow my own dreams. I had always wanted to teach so began the journey and here I am! I have been at Whitnel Elementary since I graduated from Lenoir Rhyne College in 2007. I taught 5th grade for two years and have been in the 3rd grade this year. WOW! That has been an adjustment!

It has been a real struggle for me this year to break through to my students and help them see how important reading is to them and how it will continue to be all throughout their lives. I want reading to be so much more than what they have to do. I want them to love it, like I do.

All my life books have been a way of escape for me. As a child I found that I could go places just by picking up my book and be anyone I wanted to! This is what I long for when I think of my students and their literacy.

I was not read to as a child; I cannot honestly remember one occasion of being read to other than by teachers in school. I, on the other hand began reading to my sons immediately and they now enjoy reading themselves.

My goal is to learn about literacy as a whole and to be better equipped to teach my students to be life long readers and learners.

As I thought about what to post on this 1st blog to help you all learn about me, all I could think of was the different roles I take on each day. I live in Hickory, N.C . and I’m married to a wonderful man named, Brian Rhoney. We will be married for 4 years on June 24th. He is an engineer at Corning. We are planning on starting a family this summer, which makes me a little nervous but excited at the same time.

I have two wonderful parents who live in Maiden, NC. My Dad is a barber and my Mother is an Art teacher. I love getting to spend time with my parents every chance that I get. I’m very blessed that they live so close to me.

I also have two great sisters, Beverly and Leah. Beverly lives in Maiden with her husband and three kids. Leah lives in Raleigh with her husband and two kids. We try to get together as much as we can. Family is very important to me and I truly cherish mine.

My husband and I are blessed with a wonderful group of friends. They are the kind of friends that will be there anytime you need them no matter what. We enjoy playing board games, cards, grilling out, going on vaction, etc. They truly bring joy and lots of laughter to our lives.

Last but not least I am a 1st grade teacher at Granite Falls Elementary School in Granite Falls, N.C. I have taught here for four years and love it! 1st grade is such a great grade to teach because I feel like my students grow so much in one year’s worth of time, especially in their reading skills.

At a very early age I knew that I wanted to be a teacher. My Dad actually built me an indoor playhouse/classroom where I would teach my baby dolls. Each night before I went to bed my mother read me a story from a children’s Bible and my Dad would tell me a “Just Right Story,” one that he made up in his head. I loved story time; therefore, as a child reading came very naturally to me. As a pre-teen and teenager I continued to have a love for reading and a desire to become a teacher one day. So, I attended Appalachian State and obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education.

After I taught for two years in 1st grade, I decided to go back to school and get my Master’s in Reading, because I realized the significant role literacy plays in one’s life. As I would watch my struggling readers, I had a strong desire to become more knowledge and capable of helping them become successful readers and writers.

I have enjoyed my Masters program at ASU way more than I ever imagined. I have gained so much knowledge and skills to help my beginning readers. I will be finished at the end of July. I am so glad I decided to obtain my Master’s in Reading Education. Through this process I’ve learned so much about myself as a teacher and as a person. I am excited about this class and learning to expand my knowledge on race, gender, and class through the use of literacy.

Emily Rhoney

I am Renée Hennings and I am a 2nd year 5th grade teacher in the Winston Salem/Forsyth County School System. I am a 2007 graduate of Appalachian State University in with a BS in Elementary Education. I started my first year teaching 5th in Yadkin County Schools. I worked as a 5th grade teacher and due to budget cuts, at the end of the first year, I lost my position. While I was there, I learned about ASU coming to Yadkin County to help train their k-2 teachers for higher literacy. At the time, I taught upper elementary, but felt that I too, would benefit from this program. Unfortunately I was no longer eligible to be a part of the add-on licensure, so I opted to pursue the degree on my own, and have never been happier!

I am very new to this profession, but at the same time I have always known that I wanted to be a teacher. I can recall stories my mother would share that I would line up my stuffed bears and dogs in my room and teach them using the chalk board that she had picked up a yard sale. She said I would put my brother through hours of “instruction” on how to add, subtract and read. I began working with kids as an 8th grader at my local elementary school. From the time I could hold a worker’s permit; I have either worked summers as a camp counselor, as a daycare worker/provider, or babysat. I love kids and their unique personalities, and cannot imagine any other job in the world that is more stressful, heart breaking at times, and more enjoyable and rewarding as being a teacher.

I started in the Reading MA program a year ago. As a first year teacher I struggled through lots of issues. It took me tons of time to plan lessons, learn my curriculum, control pre-pubescent 12 year olds and even keep my personal sanity. I was warned not to begin a Master’s level program my first year of work, because I would become burnt out, and lose focus of my job. I am so happy that I did not take this advice, because I feel that my exposure so far to literacy instruction has enabled me to help my lower level readers in the upper elementary grades.

Both this year and last year I have had students who read on 1st and 2nd grade levels. As an undergraduate student, I did not receive the knowledge and understanding of what it meant to properly help a child learn to read. I felt that I had excellent instruction on how to instruct children to think on higher levels, listen actively and prepare lessons that are appropriate for those who can read. I had a passion for these types of lessons, and wanted to see the other side of how to properly instruct students who cannot read on a higher level.

Right now in my literacy career, I am very interested in how supplemental texts and trade books impact students’ learning in social studies and science curriculums. I was fortunate to complete a research project last semester that incorporated the use of supplemental texts in science. This enabled both my skilled and lower level readers to feel successful in their academics. In NC, there is a TON of pressure put on teachers, principals and children alike to perform on the End of Grade Testing Program. I am excited to say that I feel that my students who are not on reading grade level have been uplifted by the use of lower level texts to understand the concepts behind certain science ideas.

I will leave with with what I believe is a great quote that I have come to take to heart in the past few weeks of school:

"I have come to the conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations it is my response that influences whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized."
~ Haim Ginott

My name is currently Abby Boughton, and am excited for it is about to change in four months as I am getting married in October! I teach third grade at Shuford Elementary in Conover and am finishing up my sixth year. I recieved my National Board certification last year and am getting geared up for a grade level change to Kindergarten next year, and finish this program in the spring!

Growing up I remember reading books every night before bed. My sisters and I would play teacher and read (or try to) to our pretend class. I don't remember a lot about my past with books, but I do know I didn't mind reading. I know it wasn't a subject that I disliked. My favorite series as a kid was The Boxcar Children. I think my mom still has the whole set!

As an adult, I don't take the time to read. I have tried to get into reading before bed but found I would read a few pages, then fall asleep. I wasn't getting any books read that way, and now that I am taking grad classes, I don't read at all for fun. I do enjoy reading, but I'd much rather read when I have no other reading that I have to do.
T
The area least familiar to me in teaching had always been reading. I felt I didn't know the correct strategies or didn't have the right knowledge and research to properly teach all my students. That was my major reason for starting in this program. Since starting this program, I have become more interested in bringing more projects into my reading block. past spring I didn't do that as much because I was focused on guided reading groups. I really wanted to make those groups as effective as possible, and found the structure of it all to be a constant work in progress. I think all the ideas that I have gained through my classes has inspired me to want to try more projects, but since I'm going to Kindergarten, I'll have to wait on that!

My name is William Byland and I am going into my third year of teaching as a Secondary English teacher at Lincolnton High School and I run an iPod and technology teaching project and one of the only poetry clubs, with 33 members, in the state. My wife and I just had our first baby girl, Ella, three months ago, as we celebrated our 4th year of marriage and our 8th year as a couple, who met in high school and actually made it together into adulthood.
To look at my own literacy learnings and accomplishments, I think it pertinent to first look at where I work. As an English teacher at a low income school that serves some of the richest and poorest students in the state, complete with gang issues and news making incidents, I have had a great deal of experience with a voluminous range of literacies, from the top teirs to the lowest. To give a better example, I recently performed a rough literacy evaluation my smallest class of 26 students, only to find out their highest reading levels ranged from fourth grade to sixth. Also, my main job at the school is to teach writing skills, so I have also had a lot of varied experiences with that, teaching the most developed writers, down to the low exceptional children. All of this has lead to my current search for this degree in teaching literacy across the spectrum, and has greatly influenced my readings and writing.
My current tangent in reading has been books that proffer fourth ideas, lesson plans, and teaching philosophies that engage students at the lower levels and help build their abilities as both writers and engaged readers. I am focused on finding unique ways of looking at and teaching students that come from “difficult” backgrounds and struggle to find success even at their greatest attempts due to racial, abusive, cultural, or other issues.
Outside of professional readings, I read for enjoyment purposes novels such as The White Tiger, a novel of an Indian man who must choose between a life of limited servitude as a driver for a rich man in India or riches that would cost him everything including his family. Another excellent book I read just a week ago was The Road by Cormack McCarthy, which is a post apocalyptical book focusing on the realities of human nature.
I read everything I can get my hands on and more, and I write as often as possible; both serve to develop my literacy as well as my teaching career.

I always enjoy reading everyone’s introductions because they are filled with such a fondness for reading. Your lives have been enriched with books since a young age, and you find pleasure in reading now. Well, I think I am the exception to the rule.
I don’t recall being read to as a child. We didn’t have a lot of books at home, I rarely went to the public library, and I don’t remember my parents reading a lot for their own pleasure as I was growing up. My grades in reading were not fantastic. I was a slow reader, and my comprehension was not the best. As I got into high school and college I avoided the library and reading like the plague. I simply did not like to read. I found it to be a grueling task that bored me to death.
After high school I went to ASU and earned a BA in English. Why English if I don’t like to read? I thought English was a broad enough degree to get me somewhere in life. After all, an English degree would prove that I could read, write, and follow directions. I skated through the numerous literature courses by skimming the reading then getting to class early to discuss the reading with my classmates. By discussing the reading before class, I could engage in the class discussion and pass the quiz. But I still refused to read on my own.
Just because I wasn’t a reader did not mean I did not enjoy Language Arts. I love the nuts and bolts of our language. I find words fascinating. I loved grammar and diagramming sentences in 7th grade. I find it mesmerizing that somebody can create a wonderful new story out of nothing but an idea. They merely put their pen to paper and from it flows something completely new.
After college I was a librarian, worked various office jobs, and then became a Parent Educator for a Smart Start program. It was there that I decided to go back to school to get teaching certification. I finished my K-6 certification in December 2008 and am now finishing my third year as a sixth grade Language Arts teacher.
So why did I choose to pursue a Master’s in Reading? I understand the importance of reading. Even though I choose not to read for pleasure, I still know that reading is a basic skill that we all need in order to be successful at life. I can empathize with my students when they grumble about reading. I tell them that is okay to not like it, but that it is a necessary tool for success. It is crucial to know how to read and understand in order to learn. Being able to read and learn can take a person to a new world, a new level of understanding, a new level of humanity. Not everyone has to love it.
As for my family....I am married to a firefighter, and after 8 years of marriage I still can't go back to sleep if he has a call in the middle of the night. I have two children; Cooper is 14 and Grace is 12. They both act exactly like me, and it scares me at times. Watch out world.

My name is Jamie Brackett. This is my 8th year teaching first grade. I teach at Costner Elementary School in Gaston County. I grew up in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, but currently live in Dallas. I have been married for almost four years to Michael Brackett. I do not have any children, but I do have a dog named Spunky. I am getting close to the end of my graduate studies (I have three classes left) and should graduate in December 2010. When I am not teaching or going to classes, I enjoy shopping, reading, hiking, and going out to eat. I believe that literacy is an important part of every person’s life, and I believe literacy begins in the womb.
I believe literacy begins in the womb when a mother reads or sings to the child. I think this begins a child’s first experience with language and words. Of course, we do not remember if our mothers read or sang to us before we were born. Therefore, I will begin my description of literacy where I begin to remember it.
When I was about two years old, my mama would read to me almost every day. She would start out by asking me about the pictures and telling me what things were. She might point to a picture of a duck and tell me “duck.” Eventually, I began to recognize the pictures my mama would show me, and I began to say the words back to her. This helped me to develop my first experiences with books and language. My mama would also read the story to me by telling me what the words said and talking about the pictures. I began to develop a love for books because it was “special” time for me to spend with my mama. These early experiences with books helped introduce me to the things in our world.
My mama would also sing to me at a very young age. She sang nursery rhyme songs to me which helped develop my sense of rhyming words. She would also sing the Alphabet Song to me which helped me learn about my letters. One of my toys was a chalk board with magnetic letters. At age 2, my mama could scatter the letters all over the floor and say, “Jamie, hand me the A.” In a short time, I could sing my ABCs and recognize the letters.
Flash cards and books helped me begin to learn my letter sounds around age 3 or 4. My parents also read the same books to me over and over, which helped me to develop the “flow” of books. My favorite book was called What do Smurfs do All Day?, and I could recite it to my parents at age four. Of course, I had it memorized and could not really point to the words (I had yet to develop concept of word). Reciting books to my parents (even if from memory) gave me a great satisfaction of thinking I could read, and it helped me to build my self-esteem.
Once I started kindergarten, I began to read small books with short sentences. My teachers would break our class up into small groups (much like teachers do today), and I would practice my reading skills. By the end of kindergarten, I had mastered my letter sounds and could successfully read easy sentences.
As I grew older, I practiced reading quite often. I read to my teachers at school, my parents, and anyone else who would listen. My sentences on a page gradually got longer and more difficult. Eventually, I began to read easy chapter books. My teachers also focused on phonics and writing instruction to help me with my literacy learning.
Around third grade, I developed an interest in series books. My friend and I would exchange series books such as The Box Car Children and The Babysitter’s Club. These type books were easy reads, but helped me to foster a love for reading. I spent many days of my summer reading these series books and could often finish one in a few days.
As I progressed through my school years, I always loved to read books I got to pick out. I enjoyed books that were scary, funny, and science related. I did not do as well with books that teachers forced me to read. I would rather choose my own book. I ended up enjoying some books that were required, while hating others. This is true of me even today in my master’s program.
I believe reading is a main part of literacy learning, however, I also believe that writing is a huge part of literacy. I practiced writing almost every day in school. I found I enjoyed writing more when I was younger than I did when I was older. I seemed to make better grades in writing in the younger grades than I did as I got in high school. I think this was due to what I was writing about. In elementary school, I felt like my writing had more of a purpose. I once wrote a poem that got published in the local newspaper. In fifth grade, I wrote an essay about the Bill of Rights that won first place in a contest. It seemed as if writing in the younger grades had more freedom than in middle and high school where I was forced to write many essays and reports.
I never really thought about what literacy really meant until I began my studies in the reading graduate program. After taking the Politics of Literacy class, I began to think about literacy in a different way. Through that class, I learned that literacy is not just reading and writing. It is about how you communicate with the people around you. I believe you can be literate in different areas. People can be literate in computers, cell phones, and church (just to name a few). I believe that literacy is your ability to understand various things and share that understanding with others.
After developing a greater understanding of literacy, I began to incorporate it more into my teaching. I know that some students may not be very literate at reading, but may have excellent computer literacy. I try to remember that all people are different and every student will be literate in some areas while not being as literate in others. While I try to improve what each student lacks in literacy, I also try to build on what they are really good at. For example, I have a student who can hardly read at all, but he can do almost anything on the computer. I try to increase his reading skills through my teaching, but also reward and brag on him for his excellent computer skills to help build his self-esteem. I believe that every child can be literate in some area, and it is a teacher’s job to discover what that area may be.

I knew at a very young age that I would one day be a teacher. Influenced by my parents, who were both educators, I developed a passion for teaching early on. One of my fondest childhood memories is “playing school” with my stuffed animals. It’s amazing how well they listened to me and followed directions!
I believe that my desire to be a teacher was truly inherited. My father retired as a math teacher in N.C. after thirty years in a rural high school. In a complete 180, he now teaches in an urban, low-income middle school in Danville, V.A. It has been both intriguing and influential to watch as he has faced new challenges. My mother retired as a school librarian, after working in the same school for thirty-two years. One of the many benefits of my mother being a librarian was she would bring home old books to share with me, and she always knew the “best” books to read. Having a librarian in our family resulted in our home being filled with books. When later moving into a new home, space for a library was a priority. After retirement, she has continued to work with children in reading at a Title I school. I have one older brother, who has also followed the path of education. My brother has been teaching social studies at the high school level for six years. One can imagine the dinner conversations shared around a table of educators.
My career dream was to teach and there would be no settling for less. Knowing the inherent difficulties, struggles, and traditionally lower salary, my parents encouraged me to follow an alternative career path. However persistent, they saw my determination and passion for teaching and are now my greatest supporters.
After graduating from Appalachian State University in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in education, I was eager to fulfill my career dream. Leaving my options open to teaching jobs, I found myself back home in the piedmont, teaching second graders in a low-income rural area. Mentor teachers always say, that your first year teaching will be one of your hardest but also your best year; I am a true believer. Mid-way through my first year teaching, I began looking to move away from home to be with my boyfriend, in hopes that one day he would become my husband! In the fall of 2007, I began teaching in Gaston County, NC. Growing up and living in a small town, I swore to never live near Charlotte, NC. I learned to “never say never”. Moving to Gaston County, I took a position in fourth grade. Last fall during the economic changes and changes in class size requirements, I was moved back to second grade. The past couple of years have been filled with life lessons and continued learning in my teaching career. I took a leap of faith, following my heart, and relocating to a new area. I have been married to my husband for two years in August, and have a Labrador retriever (our only child at the moment).
Reading has always been a passion of my mine. I remember growing up, learning to read with the classics that my mom would bring home (Clifford, Bernstein Bears, and Corduroy). Some of my favorite teachers were those who would sit us in a circle and read aloud to the class for hours. When I first began teaching, I worked with second grade students teaching them how to read. I enjoyed teaching young minds, watching them develop into successful readers. When I moved up to teaching fourth grade, I quickly became frustrated and puzzled by how and why nine and ten year old students are unable to read!? At that age, I assumed all students knew how to read, and were reading to learn. I quickly realized that there was more to reading than what I had learned during my undergraduate. How could the subject that I enjoyed the most become so frustrating to teach? Determined to overcome my frustration, I began the masters program this past fall. I have gained a new perspective about teaching literacy in my classroom. It is so much more than sitting down with a child and having them read to you a story. I have come to conclude that literacy is a “give and take” type relationship. Even though teachers may transfer knowledge to a child through teaching, writing, and discussion, I have received from the children significant insight and intuition. While working with each unique child, I feel as though I have learned as much I have taught.

Katie Johnson

Hello all! My name is Candy Mooney and I wanted to share a little bit about myself. I have been teaching for 20 years in the Surry County Schools and I have loved every moment, well, almost every moment. I have had the good fortune to work with children throughout the kindergarten to sixth grade spectrum and have gained much insight. I recently moved back to a first grade classroom after seven years with fifth graders and I have to say it was a real adjustment both physically and mentally. My time in this program has reminded me that good teachers are always learning.

I am the wife of Scott Mooney and the mother of two children, Emma (16) and Caleb (12), that keep me moving. I also love animals and have three dogs, one St. Bernard and two Pomeranians. We all live on a farm with horses on one side and cows on the other. I enjoy gardening, walking in the woods, watching my kids play sports, and baking.

I have been a part of this Reading Program at Appalachian since 2008 and this is my last class before I graduate and to be honest I am getting very excited. It has been a real journey.
I began this program for several reasons the primary one being my personal difficulties with language. In spite of having a home where I was surrounded by reading and I struggled with print and the meaning of text until I meet a teacher at nine who had the patience and a real understanding of the interrelation of my problems. I had difficulties in spelling reading, and I had some speech issues. I I loved stories and desperately wanted to be a reader. I carried a book with me everywhere that I went. I'm sure I "wrote" a hundred stories from that one book. I was an excellent math student so Mrs. Chambers approached reading in a systematic way and shared with me the patterns that we find in print. She started me on a diary that I continued through high school and made a much needed speech referral. She also allowed me to tape myself each week and allowed me to see that I was making progress. During this year with Ms. Chambers the secret code was revealed and with it my drive to read more.

In my own teaching career I have found along the way students that have similar problems and I used many of the approaches that were used with me but I wanted to be better equipped to guide them through this process.

Candy Bodenhamer-Mooney

It's hard to decide how to start this entry on our class blog. Do I talk about my personal life? My experiences as a child? My career? I guess that starting from the beginning may be best.

When I was a child my family and I moved around a great deal. I went to a new school every year of elementary school, three schools in third grade, and we finally settled in Lincoln County right before I began middle school. As I moved around so much when I was small, I had the opportunity to attend a lot of different schools and to meet a lot of different teachers. I think that through this experience I started to have a great deal of respect for teachers, but unlike many of you, I never thought that I would be one when I grew up!

During my sophmore year of high school I met the man who became my husband 11 years ago on May 22, 1999. He works for the Department of Motor Vehicles as an inspector. He is the love of my life and my best friend. We have two wonderful children. Our daughter, Emma, will be 8 in a few weeks and is about to finish up second grade. Our son, Noah, is two and is such a handful! Daily he shows me how to be thankful for the little things in life, and to remember that my family is what is most important.

I have been a first grade teacher for 10 years. I did my student teaching in 3rd grade and thought that I would teach older elementary children. When I graduated with my bachelor's degree in December 1999, I didn't find a job right away, and began subbing. I ended up taking over for a first grade teacher who went on maternity leave towards the end of the school year. She didn't return, and I ended up staying in her spot. I love first graders, and I love the challenge of teaching them to read. I have always been an avid reader myself. When I start a new book (I like almost anything) I can't put it down until I am finished. I reread favorite books over and over again. When I am reading, I feel as if everything else (especially housework) doesn't exist. I want to help children discover the way that books can take you anywhere you want to go.

I am finishing up my first year of the masters program in reading. I always knew I would get my masters degree, but kept waiting for the right time to start. Once I realized there was no right time coming, I decided to jump in. I am enjoying my classes and learning more about reading than I could have imagined. I hope that with every class I take, I am becoming a better teacher of reading and that my students can benefit from that. I am looking forward to this class and I hope that it will help me to broaden my knowledge of reading.
-Elizabeth Norwood

Hi- I am Carol Sherrill. I am just finishing up my 21st year of teaching. I am also finishing up my grad classes! I have come a long way since my undergrad days. I was a PE major at ASU. Due to budget cuts during my second year of teaching, I was placed in a middle school classroom teaching reading, math, social studies and language arts. I loved it. So, I went back to school and added on some certifications. I have been in a language arts classroom ever since. I love to read and I love to encourage reading with my students. Until I started grad school, most of my personal reading has been strictly for pleasure. My pleasure reading has taken a back seat for a couple years and I have found myself spending a lot of time with research articles and informational text. My current interests include culturally diverse adolescent reading material and literacy strategies. I love to write, yet I find getting my students to write very painful. It is hard to get them to break away from form writing and be more creative.

My name is Christy Findley. I have been teaching for 15 years. I have always taught K-2 with the bulk being in first grade. I was trained in Early Steps when I began to teach first grade and have always used its tenets as the basis for teaching reading in my classroom. I attended L-R as an undergrad and am happy that I was able to attend ASU for graduate school since Early Steps came from Dr. Morris. This is my last class to finish graduate school!
As a child I don't remember being read to. But the books I remember are the Golden Books like The Pokey Puppy and The Saggy Baggy Elephant. I was in one of the first groups of kindergartners at my elementary school and in first grade we learned to read in a series of basal readers called Little Pig. I fell in love with Little Pig. I have a few copies of these in my classroom now, and my children enjoy learning to read from them when they learn that I did. I didn't really learn to enjoy reading until I got to high school and could begin to read the adult books that I saw my mom read. She mostly read Stephen King and John Saul which became my choices also. This genre of book is still my choice for fun reading.
I despised writing, particulary in high school. However, when I got to college as an undergrad, I found I wasn’t awful at it and actually learned to enjoy it. I try to help my students overcome their “fear” of writing. I try to make it fun and casual and I use a variety of styles so that everyone can find something they enjoy.

My name is Susan Hines and I am currently an Exceptional Children’s Program Specialist. I graduated from ASU in 1983 with a BS in Special Education. As a child, I do not remember being read to by my parents, but I have vivid memories of several books that I read over and over….and over. I grew up in the day’s way before computers. We had a set of World Book encyclopedias that had a volume of nursery rhymes. Even though I don’t remember being read to, I do remember knowing and “reading” the nursery rhymes. I attended kindergarten (which was optional) when I was five years old. My memories of kindergarten were of making clay handprints, churning butter, and doing a butterfly dance. We did not learn our letters or sounds. This started in first grade (which was a half-day for the first nine-weeks). I remember learning each letter, one-by-one with an emphasis on letter formation. One of my favorite memories of first grade was when my reading group was circled around the teacher reading our “Dick and Jane” books. (Yes, I know that dates me). We were beginning a new story and there was a new name, that my teacher said only I would know. The new name was “Susan.” I was the star student that day!
I did have books at home. Dr. Seuss’ Go, Dog Go! was an early favorite. (I had that one memorized.) I still love that book! But, the one that I first read was Blaze, (a book about a horse). That book was the turning point for me. Thinking back, that must have been when the light bulb went on for me with reading. I was one of the lucky students who did not have difficulty learning to read, although I didn’t love reading.
I recall my older sister always having her nose in a book while I preferred my coloring books. As a young teen, reading still held no draw for me. My sister would loose herself in a book, and I thought I was missing something, but I just did not enjoy sitting alone with a book for hours. When I got in high school and was assigned books for English class, I finally found books that I read that made me think and made an impression on me. Reading has grown into a pastime that I love. I just can’t find enough time to read for pleasure.
Literacy has become a focus of my job as an educator. Part of my job is to be an instructional coach for the special education teachers in my schools for our literacy programs. I have served in this capacity for two years. Prior to that, I taught reading and writing to exceptional children, ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade.
I began teaching with no knowledge of how to teach reading, children’s literature, or of reading development. I relied on grabbing materials and trying to pull together information, with some semblance of rhyme and reason. In the beginning of my career, there were not many materials for special education teachers. You often got discards and “left-overs” from regular education,… if you knew where to look. I was unprepared to teach reading and language arts to the students who needed the most effective instruction.
When I moved to an elementary school setting, I knew that I had to become skilled in literacy instruction or do my children a great disservice. I began to seek opportunities to educate myself. I began with participating in a training that was brought to our county through ASU. At that time it was called “First Steps.” After that, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to be trained in the Orton-Gillingham method of teaching phonics, spelling, and phonemic awareness. This was the springboard for my understanding of reading instruction.
I continued to teach students with reading and language difficulties using the OG plan and strategies. I also began to explore various programs that taught phonics, spelling and phonemic awareness. Over the course of several years I used and was trained in the following programs: Sonday Phonics, Wilson Reading, Letterland, and. Language! I have also participated in Reading Foundations training (National Reading Panel). I have been a member of and attended state and national conferences for the International Dyslexia Association. Even with these trainings, I still feel I need a better understanding of how children learn to read and the factors that help or hinder their ability to learn to read, write and communicate. I began this Master’s Program last summer. I am truly enjoying my classes and now describe myself as a “reading nerd.”

Susan Hines

Has a child my reading history was mixed. I was read to plenty at home. I can remember my mother reading to me and my brother at night. She would read and page and then I would read a page and my brother who was younger would attempt to read a page. I can often remember my mom falling asleep half way through a page in a novel and therefore not making any sense. Sometimes I wanted her to hurry up and read the page correctly so that I could understand the story!
When I entered elementary school reading was difficult for me I am not really sure why? I had also been read to as a child, I liked books I wanted to be able to read books. In first grade I was retained due to my reading level, I remember struggling with the reading process. The letters on the page just did not make since to me. I loved the pictures and would read using pictures. My first grade teachers were excellent and taught me to make sense of what I was reading. After two years in first grade I finally got the hang of the reading thing. I still did not enjoy the reading process through school. I read because I had to read. All the way through elementary, middle and high school I read because I had to read. I did not enjoy reading I was not fun for me. I was not the kid that you saw with a book to their nose.
When I entered college and decided to become a teacher, children's literature became my reading! To this day I am excited by children's literature. The first place that I go to in Barnes and Noble is the children's section. I can spend hours reading children's books! Even in my adult life I do not read a lot of adult literature for pleasure. I will usually read one novel at the beach. I prefer to pick up children's literature and read. I believe that is why I fit so well in my kindergarten classroom!
So I have told you about my reading experience as a child, student and a teacher, let tell you some about me. I have been teaching kindergarten in WSFCS for 7 years. I love my teaching career and I love my students! I have a son that is a graduating 5th grader and will be moving on to middle school next year, scary for me!
I look forward to reading all of the entries on the blog and sharing ideas and comments.

Hello!

My name is Marcia Smith. I am completing my 14th year of teaching---all in 1st grade. I am also finishing up my graduate classes with this being my last one. Woo Hoo!! I am excited about having some of my family time back after I finish up in July, but I will miss parts of the program very much. This program has been a wonderful experience and has added greatly to my literacy experiences.

The earliest literacy experiences I can remember were before Kindergarten. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother when I was young and I remember her reading to me every day when we’d lay down for a nap. Like many people of my generation some of my favorites were Dr. Seuss books and the Berenstein Bears. I of course wanted her to read them to me over and over again. And of course she did because that’s what grandmas do! I also remember very well reading hymns while we sang at church. It fascinated me when I began actually matching the words I was singing to the words in print! I remember discovering to my surprise that in one particular hymn, Jesus would rescue the “perishing”, not the “parachuting”! Who would have guessed!?

At home when I was young I loved to read riddles, joke books, comic strips, poems and Encyclopedia Brown mysteries. I loved encyclopedias, too. That is where I learned to read captions and skim text for the important stuff. There was also one Childcraft book on our shelf that gave directions on how to make all sorts of things. It was my best friend for awhile. I don’t know if I had a short attention span or what the real problem was, but when I somehow got the idea (probably from my sister who read novel after novel) that what I was reading was not ‘grown up enough’ and what I should be reading was novels of some sort, I pretty much stopped reading except for what was required for school. I read what I needed to, but I didn’t love it. I was totally hooked, however, when I read The Scarlet Letter as a freshman in high school. I loved the story, but what I loved most were the discussions we had in class about the book. That was a wonderful new experience for me.

I haven’t changed much. I still love short stories, Dr. Seuss, poetry, comics and a good (but short) mystery. I don’t read many novels, because the fun part of reading something that in-depth to me is sharing and discussing what I’ve read. Since realizing this about myself, I have tried to incorporate that into my teaching. I try to provide opportunities for my students, even though they are very young, to share their literacy experiences with each other in meaningful ways. I hope I am encouraging them to build a life-long love of reading-- whatever genre they choose!

Marcia Smith

Hello all,

I am in my 8th year of teaching which is a second career for me. I teach 8th grade language arts in Catawba County. I hope to finish the graduate program next spring...provided I survive this summer course load. Watching my child struggle and cry every night while trying to learn to read is why I became a teacher!

Learning to read is something I cannot recall. My mother tells me that I was reading very young, but she does not remember the age I started reading. I stayed with a private in-home sitter during my preschool years. This lovely lady had a few older children she cared for as well. Perhaps the older children read to me or even helped me learn to read. I know I always loved being read to and reading on my own. Some of my favorite books as a child were Dr. Suess books. As an adult my favorite genre is realistic fiction, and my favorite author is Nicholas Sparks.

My current interest in literacy as a teacher is helping struggling readers, more specifically, readers who have been diagnosed with dyslexia. My own child, a rising junior in high school, struggles with dyslexia which was diagnosed late in her second grade school year. Her reading, spelling and writing skills are atrocious, yet, she is extremely bright and artistically talented. As a result, much of my motivation as a teacher is to help her and other struggling readers like her.

Karen

I have always had a love for reading. The act of being able to travel, take part in impossible experiences, and evoke emotions through the use of words is completely magical. I always try to make sure I have something to read at all times.
I have always been surrounded by books. When I was young I remember going into bookstores and purchasing picture books to add to my collection. Whenever we went on a trip or received a reward I wanted a new book. I was a huge Berenstain Bears fan collecting their stories. Now many of the books from my collection as a child I use in my classroom. I then graduated to reading series like the Baby-Sitter’s Club in later elementary school. Those books were so influential my friends and I would pretend to be the characters. As a young adult I was into suspense and more intense authors such as V.C. Andrews, Christopher Pike, and Mary Higgins Clark.
As an adult I love comical novels and those with strong heroines, and have been lately enjoying works by Nicholas Sparks. I was never into the sappy tear-jerker stories until my mother got me to read A Walk to Remember. Now we devour his new books and pass along to each other and my grandmother as well.
As an educator working in kindergarten and first grade classrooms, I enjoy passing this love on to my students. I have over 1000 books in my collection at school and my students are always delving into its shelves. They are organized by months and themes to help me utilize them more in my instruction. Whenever we are learning about a topic I try to find a book to go along with it and engage my students in their learning.
Currently I am finishing up my tenth year of teaching at an inner city school in Morganton NC. I have been teaching at this school my entire career and most of my students are hispanic. 60% of our students are hispanic, so a minority group is our majority. I love my students and cannot imagine teaching anywhere else. We serve 2 public housing facilities and 98% of our students are on free or reduced lunch. Despite these statistics we have been at the top of our county's AYP scores for the last several years.

Nikki Leggins

My name is Reshawna Greene and I have lived in North Carolina for about six years now. I am originally from the small town of Sharon, in the state of Pennsylvania. Since no one really recognizes that small town, I usually just say it’s near Pittsburgh. I come from a family of hard workers that believe strongly in the value of education. As a child, my mother would read to me nightly and take me to the public library often. I loved reading books as a child. I especially loved when I was read to. I had a small collection of books that I kept in my bedroom that I cherished very much. My grandma would read the Bible she had given to me often. It was a children’s version that had beautiful illustrations. I was a strong reader in school and was confident when I read aloud in class.
When I was in High School, I lost my love for reading and had to force myself to read what I was assigned to read. I even stopped reading for enjoyment. I’m not sure if it was the amount of work I had or the things I was assigned to read that killed my love of reading, it was probable a little of both. My desire to read didn’t return until I began this Masters Program.
I teach First Grade and one of my main goals as a teacher is to communicate my love and passion for reading to my students and instill that same joy for reading in them. I love it when my students tell me how far they’ve read in a particular book they’re reading for enjoyment and when they ask if they can borrow another one in that series when they’re finished. I want to spark the interest for reading good, quality books in each one of my students so that they too may carry a love for reading with them.

Reshawna Greene

I clearly remember the day my first grade teacher told me I could read. We had very old reading textbooks that had the picture of each character next to the lines they would say. The story was about a boy and his dog named Rocket. I remember loving the story and was excited when it was my turn to read. Later that night my family was at a local restaurant and we saw my teacher, she told my parents how proud she was of me because that day I learned to read. As I look back at that event now as an educator I marvel at the idea of my teacher boiling all of my reading behaviors down to a single day to say that was day I officially became a reader. I don’t know, I struggle with that thought. I have always loved to read, and considered myself to be a good reader. I believe that was my motivation to specialize in reading, to share my love and commitment to teaching reading to all my students. Professionally, I still struggle with vocabulary instruction. Many ideas have been presented to me throughout this program that continues to challenge my thoughts and practices and I love taking it all in to process. Reading motivation is also an area I want to continue to grow in. Many children are losing a love of reading and seeing it as a task, rather than an enjoyable experience. I look forward to all the ideas and thoughts that will be shared through this course.

Michael

My name is Laura Corbello. I have been teaching for four years, all in fourth grade in Forsyth County.

Literacy learning, as I understood it--reading (print materials) and writing--has always been fairly easy for me. I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing. In elementary school, I read books in my free time and wrote many stories locked away in my room. My elementary school teachers spent a good part of the day focusing on literacy instruction. Our writing was authentic, always with a purpose, always focused on the writing process, and always for a specific audience.

In high school and in college, I realized that while I was proficient in reading print and writing using pencil and paper, I was illiterate in some new literacies, especially those centered on technology (word processing, blogs, wikis, multimedia, internet browsing and research). For example, I went to college in the fall of 2001 without a computer and with little knowledge about how to use the Internet or how to save a word-processed document. As a result, I’ve struggled to learn 21st century literacies effectively and efficiently. I still don’t know about half of what people my age know regarding technologies/computers and their features and functions. It is my goal to learn.

Because of my love for reading and writing, and because of my struggle with 21st century literacies, I am most interested in teaching students to become better readers and writers and helping students to develop a passion for reading. I also hope to become more proficient in technology and incorporate it successfully in my class so that literacy is more relevant and meaningful to my students.

Laura Corbello

Hello, I am Zandra Hunt. I teach 3rd grade math, science and social studies in Catawba County. Since this was my first year teaching 3rd grade and my first year in a testing grade, I am coming off the EOG stress and nightmares. I am pleased with my students results.7 out of 41 students had to retake math.

I grew up surrounded by books. I remember spending many hours on my mom's lap listening to her read. As I became older, I remember hanging upside down on the chair reading and rereading my favorite chapter books. Reading is as much a part of my daily life as breathing. Summer vacation is my favorite time of year because I can visit the library every week. I love sitting on my patio curled in a chair reading for hours.

I love teaching reading and writing. Through personal experience and the Masters Reading program at ASU, I learn listen to my students' interest and plan lessons based on their interest. If everything goes as planned for the next school year, I will teach writing. I cannot wait to use the lessons and techniques I learned from Dr. Frye. I have grown in my view of writing. Writing is about self-expression and discovering your writer's voice regardless of the topic. As a teacher, it becomes my job to help the student find the voice he needs to use in order to express himself.

My name is Pam Aubuchon, and I am a kindergarten teacher in Catawba County. This is my sixth year teaching. I have taught kindergarten for five years, and 4th grade for one year.

I hate to admit this but I don’t remember how or when I learned to read. Both of my parents worked full time and did not have the opportunity to read very often with me or my brothers. Kindergarten was not an option when I was a child, so I assume I learned to read in 1st grade. I remember reading Dick and Jane books. So yes, I am a product of the whole language style of teaching. I do however, remember the teacher that made me fall in love with books. Her name was Mrs. Campbell. Mrs. Campbell was the librarian when I was in 4th grade. I looked forward to her read aloud each week. She read the best stories with such an expressive voice. Oh how I would get lost in the words. I would picture the characters and the setting in my mind (and I still do). She made reading fun and interesting.

She has inspired me to be the type of teacher I am today. My goal as a teacher is to pass on my love of books to my students. I want them to be excited about learning to read. I want them to discover, as I did, the many adventures you can encounter while reading. I don’t want them to see reading as a chore.
Pam Aubuchon

This is my fourth year of teaching. For the past three years I taught first grade and this year I have a first second combination. I teach in Stokes County at a small rural school. I love first grade because it is the grade where children really start to read and view themselves as readers. I try very hard to instill a love of reading and books into my students. I let the children know that I like to read and that you can read a good book more than once. My favorite parts of the day are read alouds and guided reading. I love to read the students a good book and watch their reactions. During guided reading I get the experience of being the listener and hearing how my children are growing as readers. I want my students to enjoy reading and not look at it as a chore.

As a child, I loved books and being read to. I was not as fond of reading as being read to. This changed as I got older. I have vivid memories of going to the public library. I went to a small private school so we did not have a library there. Every week we would make a trip to the public library. We would get to go to story time and check out a couple of books. I looked forward to this and remember loving the lady who read us the stories. Her name was Mrs. Jackie and I loved to hear her read to us. She brought the books to life and the experience of reading a book as an adventure.

I learned to read through phonics. We practiced the sounds that each letter made. I remember having little books that concentrated on certain sounds. In kindergarden and first grade I remember being in reading groups and writing stories. I have always been better at reading than writing. I enjoy reading much more than I do writing. Due to the fact that reading comes easier for me I enjoy teaching reading more than I do writing.

Ashley Caldwell

Hi, my name is Odessa Scales. I am currently in my seventh year of teaching. I currently teach 2nd grade in Stokes County and have taught 4th as well. I am in my fifth semester in the masters program here at Appalachian.

I am an avid reader and it has always come naturally to me. Unfortunately as a teacher I feel like this is my weakest teaching area. I want my students to love reading as much as I do, but I find it a struggle to help them. This is the main reason that I decided upon a masters in reading education. I wanted to learn about ways to enhance my students reading experiences. I encourage my students to read and remind them that books can help us escape and learn new things, but that isn’t enough. I want to learn effective strategies to use in my classroom.

I really don’t remember how I learned to read. I remember in 5th grade my teacher had a couch and we would gather around and listen to her read books aloud. I used to love this because it felt so relaxed and comfortable, which helped me love reading even more. This was also the year I discovered The Babysitters Club books. My friends and I read them constantly. From then on I have loved reading books, especially books in a series. I am currently reading the Sookie Stackhouse novels and it has reminded me of how much I need to read for pleasure.
Odessa Scales

My name is Pam Aubuchon, and I am a kindergarten teacher in Catawba County. This is my sixth year teaching. I have taught kindergarten for five years, and 4th grade for one year.

I hate to admit this but I don’t remember how or when I learned to read. Both of my parents worked full time and did not have the opportunity to read very often with me or my brothers. Kindergarten was not an option when I was a child, so I assume I learned to read in 1st grade. I remember reading Dick and Jane books. So yes, I am a product of the whole language style of teaching. I do however remember the teacher that made me fall in love with books. Her name was Mrs. Campbell. Mrs. Campbell was the librarian when I was in 4th grade. I looked forward to her read aloud each week. She read the best stories with such an expressive voice. Oh how I would get lost in the words. I would picture the characters and the setting in my mind (and I still do). She made reading fun and interesting.

She has inspired me to be the type of teacher I am today. My goal as a teacher is to pass on my love of books to my students. I want them to be excited about learning to read. I want them to discover, as I did, the many adventures you can encounter while reading. I don’t want them to see reading as a chore.
Pam Aubuchon

Hi! I am a little late posting this and I apologize. My name is Candace Barnes Heffinger and I am 23 years old. My husband's name is Brandon and is a 1st lt. in the Marine Corps. I attended Appalachian State University and attained a degree in Elementary Education (k-6). Currently, I am teaching at East Alexander Middle in my hometown-Alexander County. I teach EC grades 6-8.

Ironically, growing up I despised reading until college. I did not decide to further my education in Reading until student teaching in a transitional 1st grade setting. Daily I worked with children in helping them to build their reading skills. I would do so through many different centers. The students that I have now are reading on a 1st-2nd grade reading level; if that. In helping these students I have bought many books on tape and take down their dictations. I have gotten many books from local elementary schools but the issue that arises is that they are too childish. I hope that through furthering my education I will be able to better help my students.

My name is Marsha Warren and I have taught 1st grade at a school in Catawba County for 12 years. I also taught 4th grade for half a year and I taught a Kindergarten/1st grade combination for 1 year. I have been married for 12 years to William and we have 2 beautiful daughters, Stacie, 10, and Lyndsie, 6.
I can't remember exactly when I learned to read, but I know I was reading in Kindergarten. I have always LOVED reading- I think I inherited this trait from my mom! My favorite authors growing up were Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume. I am not able to read for enjoyment as much now, but I still find myself reading every chance I get. My favorite author now is Karen Kingsbury.
I don't love writing as much as I love reading. It was never my favorite subject in school. I find myself having trouble expressing myself through words...although I do a better job of expressing myself with words than by speaking.
I love teaching first grade and one of my goals as a first grade teacher is to hopefully instill in my students the same love of books that I have. I love seeing my students get excited when they start reading for enjoyment and choosing books from a certain author we've studied in class. My joy now comes from watching my youngest daughter's reading development...it's awesome!
I decided to enroll in the Master's Program in Reading because I wanted a better understanding of the reading process and also how it develops in different individuals. I think this information can help me tremendously as a first grade teacher.
Marsha Warren

My name is Sally Elliott and I am a middle school reading teacher in Stokes Co. I love to read and reading has always come quite naturally to me. My mom tells me that when I was five I was reading the Charlotte Observer. I have passed this trait on to my own daughter who is also a voracious reader. When I came through my elementary education undergraduate program at UNC Greensboro, it was during the whole language era and that’s how I learned to teach reading and language arts. It took a few years, but I finally began to realize that kids were coming into middle school without the necessary skills to actually decode; much less read for comprehension. That’s when I really became interested in the mechanics of reading. Not long after, I was given the opportunity to teach the READ180 program at my school. I have been in this position for three years and I love it. It didn’t take me long, however, to realize that I needed to know a lot more about how to teach reading if I was going to be able to help these students. This is why I enrolled in the reading master’s program. I know that I am the last hope some of these students might have. High school is all about content and there is no reading teacher there to support them. I never want to think that a student drops out of school simply because they never learned to read proficiently.

My name is Christy Laws. I am a middle school teacher in Watauga County. I just finished the year with students and taught sixth and seventh graders language arts and math this year. I am certified to teach language arts, math, science, and social studies. Over the 14 years I have taught all of these areas. My favorites are language arts and math. I also have my National Board certification. My family thinks that I just enjoy having homework (which is not entirely false).

I am almost finished with my Masters in Reading. I am taking 12 hours this summer and will be finished in July!!! This has been a wonderful experience, and I have learned a great deal! However, I am not sure I fully understood the magnitude of what I was getting myself into, or how it would impact family. :)

The reason that I began this journey had a lot to do with my students at the time that I started. As an undergraduate in the middle school program, I was prepared for how to teach language arts including comprehension and discussion strategies. However, I was taught little to nothing about how students actually learn to read. The number of students coming into my classroom every year significantly below grade level was increasing all the time. I had to do something! So here I am. It is amazing how little I knew. :) This process has been interesting to me, because I don't remember my own process of learning to read. Although people dispute it (my mom confirms it), I don't ever remember a time when I couldn't read. I was reading by preschool/daycare (3 years old). This made it difficult for me to understand what it what like for a child to struggle with the process. I understand SOOO much more now!!!

I have been married for fourteen years to my husband, Christopher (Chris). We have six girls. Yes, you read that correctly! They are: 11, 10, 9, 7, and 2 (twins). Life at my house is almost always crazy, but I LOVE it!!!! It does make things interesting when completing homework. They are all excited that they will get to watch me graduate (if I walk), but they are even more excited that I might be able to "play" more. We also have four Yorkies (7, 2, 10 months, and 4 months). After the third time that one of them has jumped up on my laptop tonight, I just might give you one! :)

Reading is a great escape! It is something that I have always enjoyed doing. There were a lot of things in my childhood that felt very out of control. Reading was one way that I could control my life. It allowed me to escape. Thankfully, my girls have caught on to this as well. My oldest reads all the time. My other three "older" girls enjoy reading. It has been fun to watch them grow as readers with all that I know now!

As the mother of two children, I often feel guilty of spoiling them. They have more clothes, games, and toys than any two kids could ever need...but they can never have too many books. Over the past twelve years, I have collected over 4,000 pieces of children's literature. Yes, I have a small library in my house!
I have always loved to be read to and to read. My mother is an avid reader and she instilled her love of books into me at a very early age. Now, my son, age 8, has read over 2,000 books in his short elementary school career. My daughter, age 5, is heading into kindergarten in the fall and is already obsessed with books and beginning to read on her own. I guess you could say it runs in our family!
I began this program because I wanted to learn how to help struggling readers find the love of reading for themselves. I think that reading is a passion like no other and I want to share that passion with others.
I began my teaching career as a lead teacher in a private daycare. I have since worked as a paraprofessional and a tutor in grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. My favorite is and will always be the lower grades. First graders have my heart.

Hi! I'm Elizabeth Achor and I teach 5th grade in Yadkin County. Our population would not be considered diverse, if you looked in through a window, but when you meet the individuals inside you would quickly become aware of the many differences of our students. I love teaching and have been teaching in North Carolina for 7 years. I am married and have three children in college. I enjoy gardening, bird hunting and riding my "Fat Boy".

It is amazing that I learned to read so quickly! My parents never read to me and we did not own a book or magazine. I learned to love reading in first grade with Dick and Jane. My goal is to become a better reading teacher. I am always looking for books and ideas to spark the interest of every reader, especially the struggling reader.

Elizabeth Achor

The love of language that was instilled in me was a beautiful appreciation of how words express, touch, and emote connections we have with others. Literacy binds us together linking knowledge and meaning. From the time I was very young, I loved words and the different sounds they made. I was a talker. I loved to write them. I often was eager to write them at the end of a long summer of no school. I loved learning a cool new word to add to my vocabulary and always had my head in a book. With that it was natural that I would become a teacher of the art of language.
Surrounded by the idea of education when I was younger by my mother and my God mom, I always knew I wanted to help others. I would hear their stories and be very in tune with their empathetic responses to these students who didn’t have the support they needed from home or maybe just struggled even though they tried so hard. They inspired me to become a teacher, and now I want to be able to help my 7th graders learn to read. I’m deeply saddened that some students are just passed off from grade to grade often so far behind in areas of word knowledge, recognition, and fluency. They are often seen as lazy and incompetent. No one ever tries to get to the root of the problem or understand to diagnosis how to help the child. It often felt as if we were just throwing as much remediation and comprehension at them just so they can pass the test. I kept on getting frustrated as a middle school teacher who only knew reading comprehension, vocabulary, and writing. There was something that was missing. I knew I didn’t know enough to help my learning disabled students or my students reading below grade level. I wanted to learn how to modified, instruct, and engage their growth as literate members of society. And that is where I’m at today.
I am a 7th grade language arts/social studies teacher at Ellis Middle School in Davie County. My name is Amy Hardister. I am almost through with my masters in reading. Only 12 more hours to go! It has been a challenge with all the expectations placed upon me as a teacher to balance it all (as we all probably feel), but I feel so blessed to be in this program. I have had some awesome “ah hah” moments that have resonated with my experiences as a teacher. I recognize the challenges my students face and actually understand beyond merely knowing that they struggle with reading. I am most interested in how to find a balance for those students who struggle with reading and how to help them within my classroom plus address curriculum needs and testing demands. Our students need to become literate to not only be a productive member of society, but to take care of themselves.
Several concepts I’ve found very interesting in connection with literacy instruction are use of repeated readings to build fluency, confidence, and reading rate, teaching vocabulary within context (rather than rote memorization), and the art of learning how to engage students in whole class discussions so the students actively take part and the teacher merely facilitates. I have to admit though I’ve been interested in most everything teaching. I love teaching, and am most happy in my classroom with my students. I really just want to help them be the best they can be.

Amy Hardister

My name is Carrie Brown and I am currently a K-2 Instructional Coach for Cook Elementary in Winston Salem Forsyth County Schools. I moved here from Chicago 3 years ago where I had taught 2nd grade for 7 years. I miss being in the classroom and have been re-inspired by all that I have learned in this graduate program. As I don't have a classroom of my own, I spend time in a lot of different classrooms showing teachers how to implement all the new strategies and techniques that I have learned.
I am looking forward to taking this class because I have been teaching in an inner city environment for 9 of my 10 years in education. I am a strong advocate for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and am passionate about the fair and equal treatment of all students. I also believe that although my varied experiences have taught me how to work with a diverse population, I am always looking forward to learning more about how to best understand and support my students and their families.
Reading is one of my favorite pastimes. For as long as I can remember, my mom and I would curl up on the couch together with a book. We still do in the rare occasions I get to see her! Although now that I am much bigger, we share the couch but our heads are at opposite ends, reading silently our own choices, yet in fact, reading together. When I was young, I always had my nose in a book. I recall one time my brother saved up to buy me a Sweet Valley High book for my birthday. I stayed in bed and polished it off in 2 ½ hours and he was furious that it didn’t last longer!
My love of reading just scored me a Kindle for Mother’s Day, which I am truly enjoying but I still don’t think I’ll ever totally give up the love of turning the pages of a good book. I tend to like mysteries, yet my book club has been picking some interesting novels lately that I have enjoyed. I have to admit, I’ll give a book 50 pages and if I’m not into it, I put it down. That’s why I am adamant about giving students choices on what they would like to read. I want them to LIKE what they are reading, otherwise the likelihood that they will learn something goes downhill.
My daughter who is only 11 months old, already chooses books over any other toys. I was floored when I walked into her room the other day and saw her sitting on the floor turning the pages of her favorite book (don’t worry…I got it on video)! As I am already doing with my daughter, I am determined to motivate and promote a love of reading with the students in my school both first hand, and through instructing their teachers. Once a child is literate, their chances of success increase greatly. The students that I work with tend to have more obstacles to learning before they even enter the classroom. Understanding where they are coming from and what their needs are is my job as an educator. Reading is the greatest gift that I could give to an individual and it is a goal of mine to give it to as many students as possible, regardless of where they come from.
Writing is not something that comes as naturally. In fact, I have never enjoyed writing at all. Therefore, I hated teaching it. That is, until my charter school in Chicago made writing our priority for professional development for the entire school year. We implemented the Writer’s Workshop program and I realized how writing could be fun. That year, writing became my students’ favorite subject. I would have to set a timer for us to stop, otherwise, we would forget to go to lunch! Now, I find myself modeling how to teach writing to a number of my teachers because it IS a very hard subject to teach. Everyone is at a different place, and has different needs. Yet, I learned a very important lesson: when students see you love something, they love it. Therefore, when I model writing, I model how much I enjoy it as well as modeling the skill. I have found that that enthusiasm can be contagious.

I look forward to learning from you all…
Carrie Brown

Hi, my name is Carol Holt and I currently work as a Title One Reading teacher for students in 1st through 5th grade. It’s surprising that I became a reading teacher when I think of my early experiences with reading in school. I do have fond memories of thumbing through Dr. Seuss books at home and occasionally visiting the library downtown. But I don’t remember particularly enjoying reading in elementary school (1st-8th) or high school (9th-12th). As a result, I didn’t do a lot of reading on my own!

In elementary school we always sat in rows of desks and took turns reading aloud. Because I was so nervous about reading aloud in front of the whole class, I would always count the students and the paragraphs and pre-read my paragraph. Then I would continue to take a head count and recount the paragraphs. Needless to say, I would never fully comprehend what we were reading, much less enjoy the story. In high school we sat in rows alphabetically and I just never got into reading.

I did enjoy writing, though. I remember writing lots of stories just for fun and creating little books. I would take the stories when we visited my grandmother and read them to her. She always smiled and told me what a good writer I was. We were able to get a pen pal through school and my pen pal was from Japan. I enjoyed writing to him and sending him little gifts from the United States. It was always exciting to receive his letters and gifts.

It was not until I started a family of my own that I realized I had a passion for children’s literature. I have spent a small fortune on children’s books. I used to sit on the floor in the middle of the aisles at the bookstore and flip through picture book after picture book. I have a BA in Art, so the illustrations would grab my attention just as much as the story. My children and I would read books together any time of day, but we especially enjoyed reading at bedtime after piling into bed and snuggling up with a good book or two.

After graduating from UNC-Wilmington with a degree in Art, I worked in UNC-W’s Printing Services Department as a lithographer. One benefit for employees included being able to take a class a semester for free, so I began taking courses in education. It was a long range goal, but eventually I was certified to teach Elementary Education K-6. Literature for Children was my favorite class! While I was a stay-at-home mom I worked as a reading tutor. Once both of my children entered elementary school, that tutoring position became a full time Title One Reading position. I received my Reading K-12 license from ASU.

I love my job! I get to work with small groups of children who struggle in reading, and I try my best to make it the most enjoyable part of their day. The ASU graduate program has been instrumental in helping me help these students. I have learned so much about reading assessment and how to meet the needs of my students. I understand the importance of creating a friendly, safe environment, and the value of choice in reading. How do I feel about reading now? I think reading is wonderful! I believe reading is the cornerstone of all learning. I thoroughly enjoy children’s literature, and maybe after grad school, I’ll check out some good literature for adults. By the way, this is my last class! : )

Carol Holt

Hello, my name is Karin Scott and I am a first grade teacher at Fall Creek Elementary in Yadkin County. I have been teaching for ten years and I have been in first grade all but one of those ten years. I have been in the Reading Graduate program for two years and will graduate next spring. My experience thus far with ASU has been wonderful. I have learned so much in my graduate classes that I have been able to implement in my classroom, and that has been great!
My earliest memories of reading in school was in the first grade and reading Dick and Jane. I remember my teacher flashing sight words at me and I had to read the words back to her. The older I got I remember whole class reading activities where we would sit at our desks and take turns reading out loud to the whole class. This made me very nervous, because I wasn't a very strong reader. I don't remember ever spending time just reading in class, like silent reading time. Nor do I remebmer going to the library to check-put books on a regular basis. I never remember reading with my teacher in a small group or one-on-one. It was always whole group activities. I'm sure my teacher's read out loud to me through my K-3 years, but I don't recall any read alouds until later in elementary years. I know times have changed, but I think about all the research we now have about reading to children and best practices in how to teach children to read and I stop to think how different my learning experience would have been if only I had the same exposure to books at an early age. As I reflect on the reading opportunities that my students and my daughter has today to read, I hate that I didn't have the same opportunities as a child.
I don't recall my mother every reading to me as a child. I think it was becasue she and my father were so...busy working and trying to provide for our family. I do recall reading with my grandmother. My grandparents lived in Maryland and I would go spend the summers with them and my mother always made sure I hade plenty of reading practice books to keep me busy over the summer. Despite those efforts on behalf of my mother and grandmother I still struggled in reading. I had no interest or desire to read.
As I grew older it didn't stand out as bad and didn't seem to be a problem for me. After graduating with a teaching degree and I actually started teaching children to read in the first grade, reading has become my life. I want to teach my students to read and I want to immerse them in good children's literature so that they will have a desire to be life long readers. As I continue through my graduate work I am learning how to teach struggling readers to read and it has been so...rewarding. Several years ago these struggling readers would have been labeled, but now we are doing what it takes to reach these students and it has been an awsome experiece.
I am currently taking Children's Literature and we have read many books within all genres. We had two author's blogging with us and discussing their work. It's amazing how all subjects can be integrated through good literature. I have learned that the old days of using the text books to teach the curriculm are long pass. If teachers have the right trade books for instruction these books can provide more in-depth coverage of topics than a textbook while accommodating various reading levels. This way everyone wins.
I just recently had to complete a philosphical questioning activity with my first grade students and this was an eye-opener. Our topic was bavery and what makes a person brave. There were various questions I asked about bavery and we had a great in-depth discussion. I was blown away at the responses to some of the questions. Children are natural-born philosphers and we need to give them oportunities to learn and discuss issues. For so many years we (adults) have tried to protect children from the world they live in, but it's their world and they need to know how to function in it. They need to be prepared for what's out there and they are already thinking about worldly issues so why not lead them in these discussions and allow them to become thinkers and not just followers. The only way to guide them through these types of discussions is to share great literature with them and use the topics in those books to not only teach the curriculum but also life-long concepts/issues. By immersing our students in good literature they can learn about the world in which they live and my goal as a teacher is to help my students become life-long readers.

Karin Scott

My name is Marlene Wright, but I go by the nickname Marlee. I graduated from Meredith College in 1979 with a degree in Music Education and Elementary Ed. I have taught music, kindergarten and first grade, primarily. I am a kindergarten teacher now, in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.

My mother tells the story that I wanted to quit school after the very first day. She says that I came home and told her I was not going back to school because they had not taught me to read! I have loved books for as long as I can remember, and I really wanted to learn how to read. I was that child who would hurry through work so that I could get back to my book. I would become so absorbed in what I was reading that I would look up and realize that my classmates had gone out to recess. It didn’t bother me, though; I would simply get back to my book and read until they came in! I learned to read with the Dick and Jane series, and I can even remember my first story. It read “Go, go. Go, Dick, go! Help, help!” I loved to get to know characters in books, and I read books from many different series, including The Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and the Happy Hollisters. I think that, as I read book after book with the same cast of characters, I felt like I knew them, like they were friends.

I enjoyed writing, as well. At one point, when all of my friends wanted to be movie stars, I wanted to be an author. I was fortunate enough to have teachers who nurtured that aspect of my education, and who encouraged me in my reading and writing. I think that is what inspired me to want to become a teacher.

Although I graduated with a degree in education, I have not always been a teacher. When I got married and moved to High Point, there was a surplus of teachers, so positions were difficult to find. I took a job in the private sector, working in customer service, credit, and purchasing departments of a local textile manufacturer. I experienced life “on the other side of the fence,” and I found that “the grass is not always greener.” Although I liked my job, and I liked the people with whom I worked, I was truly meant to be a teacher, and when I returned to the field of teaching, I realized that working with children was what I was meant to do. I love my job. It thrills me when a child looks up at me and says “I can do it – I really can read!” The experience of “watching the lights come on” for students touches my heart in a very special way. Likewise, the frustration that I see in children who are having difficulty in reading touches my heart – I want to find a way to help these children. This desire is what led me to begin the graduate program in Reading Education. As I have participated in graduate classes I have, on countless occasions, said to myself “So that’s what was going on with ___!” If we could only go back in time and work with those children again....

Marlee Wright