Plus One

Today was my first full day back in schools.  I had the pleasure of returning to a school I worked in last year and all of my teachers in my project are exactly the same.  This is almost an anomaly within my line of work.  I get the same people, same project, and have the luxury of digging deeper.  This may not sound exciting to you, but it is. The focus of the project at this particular school revolves around comprehension.  One of our goals is to increase understanding while reading within the english language arts classes as well as the social studies classes.  We made progress last year in the areas of gradual release of responsibility, explicit instruction and teacher modeling.  This year I have high hopes because I feel like I am “looping” with them!

I had grade level meetings scheduled today so we could reconnect and set a few first quarter goals.  The meetings went perfectly and it was great to reunite with so many familiar faces.  Interestingly, at the end of the day, I had an additional person join in the project.  Not because the principal told her she had to or because she needed some sort of reading renewal credit.  She actually asked to be a part of our project because she really wants to help her students understand her content better.

Wow.

She completely gets this whole comprehension and teaching thing!  This person is a science teacher and was NOT part of our Year 1 project with this school.  She came to a meeting today (one where she was not really invited) and asked if she could jump in to the project for Year 2 because she knows that reading is a key piece of her students understanding her content.  This is a true example of someone who is not just teaching a subject.  She is truly teaching students and understands the role reading plays in that quest.

I don’t expect her to be a reading specialist and I don’t expect her to be a miracle worker.  What I do anticipate is watching her grow in her ability to support all kinds of readers in her room as we broaden her understanding of reading and comprehension within the content area.  She suggested I watch her teach on my next visit so we can see what issues are creeping up in her classroom and then we can debrief and work on things together this year.

Another wow.

This open, honest conversation about how to become better in reading instruction was refreshing partially because it was totally unsolicited.  I added her to my Year 2 observations and feedback sessions and look forward to learning from this already amazing teacher!