Over the summer I thought I would go back to school, while teaching, and get my EdS in Reading Education. I went to my first class on Tuesday with high hopes of learning something new. The only problem was that when I was at JMU my Reading Ed classes--two semesters worth--were taught by UVa professors, and so when I scanned the syllabus, it had all of the same materials and requirements as in my classes at JMU. How disappointing. The class focuses on early childhood, and well, having my Master's in Early Childhood essentially covered that foundation already. Next semester there is a class that focuses on Diagnostics and Assessments in the upper elementary to high school grades. I am very anxious to take that class. Since my background is actually in early childhood and not elementary, it does limit me for teaching older kids; although I have come to realize that there isn't a whole heck of a lot of difference between the age groups. They are all still babies. It's just that the older ones can understand more. Still, I want to learn about how I can better help them as their reading teacher.
What's interesting to me is that the other day I was talking with another teacher, who was a reading specialist, about a child who was clearly not reading on grade level, and I suspect she is actually on a second or third grade level for comprehension. She reads beautifully, but she hasn't a clue about what she is reading. I told J that I was going to give her more assessments to determine her level of phonological awareness. She told me she was impressed that I have that knowledge to do such a thing, as most teachers do not. I found that to be both complimentary to me and insulting to other teachers. But I wonder, as a teacher, how could you not want to know what is the reason for a child's shortcomings? If a child is not performing at a certain level, how can one just not even delve into what is really going on? I understand time limitations, but to not figure this out is really harming the child.
My suspicion is that my student is not decoding words. I think she is actually activating the right side of her brain, which is the visual side. Reading and language processing actually should take place on the left hemisphere, not the right. So when she is trying to read, her brain is in overdrive trying to visually access each word, so in the end, she hasn't a clue about what she has read. Readers with dyslexia also do this. I don't know if she is dyslexic, but I suspect that when she didn't get her phonics in K-1, because she was quiet and unassuming, she never really learned what she needed to know for reading.
I guess I wonder, why didn't someone else look further into her? It's easy enough to say "she's just low," but isn't it our job to help her not be low anymore? Isn't the point of what we do to help, not to hinder? I guess we have motivations that are all different. As for me, I got into teaching because I wanted to help other people and to make a difference in other people's lives and consequently for the future. To that end, I wonder what path will really help kids? Will being a reading specialist truly help? because what I have noticed is that unless you are rock-bottom low, or unless you have a high ability with low performance, everyone in between is left to tread water or sink. Reading specialists often do not see kids who fall in the middle of the range. If I became a specialist, would I really help? Or is it that I DO need to get into administration to really help? I don't know what the answer is. Sometimes I think my best purpose is in the classroom and not sitting up above looking down on all of the other teachers. I guess I will figure it out. My passion is still the brain, and that passion drives not WHAT I teach, but HOW.
To that end, I am seriously thinking about getting my National Board Certification. It's a time intensive and extensive process, but I think it could be very good for me, and it would also mean an $8,500 increase in my salary each year. Not too shabby. I think I want to go for this.
Should I just say I want to do it all? I am presenting at a teaching conference in April. A guy named Ron Nash wants me to share my before and after results of incorporating active learning in the class room, which is based on brain research--he is currently writing a series of books about active learning (secretly I would like to work with him)...I want to take reading classes and I want to get my Board certification. Can I do all of this? I don't think I have a choice. Yes. This is my career. This is my passion.
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