by Kimberly Reynolds

I never quite understood the magnitude of the saying, “seeing something through the eyes of a child” until the last couple of months of school last year.  That is when I had the privilege of working with a student who needed additional literacy support.  Abby was a remote learning academy student and her parents trustingly allowed her to come to school for thirty minutes a day to work with me during the Covid Pandemic.

 

Every morning, I enthusiastically waited in the office for Abby to arrive for her in-person lesson.  The minute she walked through the doors, her energy and personality were contagious.  She would begin her greetings with our administrative assistants who she sweetly called her “office girls” and considered to be her “best friends”.  She often squeezed in a quick conversation with our administrators, guidance counselor, and any and all teachers within talking range.  She would invite the visiting school resource officer to view her books and read with her.  With her bedazzled backpack and carefully placed facemask, she would comment on the way to my room, “I love being here!!”

 

“Through language children learn to make sense of and interact with their environment, which is critical to learning…Research has demonstrated that purposeful, contextualized conversations with young children impact their emotional, cognitive, and physical development.” (Lyons, 2003, p. 56)

 

Abby made sure to highlight our work in her writing to show staff members in the building who walked by our room and with whom she invited to always stop for a quick chat.  We also took pictures of our elementary school, which she turned into a book to share with her remote class.  Her book was carefully written to give the classmates in her remote class the experience she was awarded that she wanted to provide them, as well.  Her perspective was unique to those students in that their view was limited to the computer screen and her view was much broader.

 

“Reading and writing are two different ways of learning about the same thing – the written code used to record oral language.  It is like having two hands.  The knowledge you have about writing can be used during reading, and vice versa.” (Clay, 2016, p. 77)

 

The most precious time of the day was walking Abby out to her car where her mom and adorable two dogs greeted us with tremendous enthusiasm and the biggest licks!  She would highlight our lesson and then invite me back to her house for the afternoon.  She explained where her house was located using street landmarks, which was her version of google maps.  I was honored that she wanted me to join her for the afternoon but felt that her dogs needed her attention instead.

 

One afternoon when talking with the guidance counselor, we were sharing some of the things that made us smile during the pandemic.  Abby’s name came up as we highlighted the enthusiasm of her time at school each day.  Even though it was brief, she made sure to check in with as many people as she could including the ladies making lunches to go in the cafeteria.  The guidance counselor referenced her as an ambassador of our school.  When I looked up the definition, it stated an ambassador as “a person who acts as a representative or promoter of a specified activity”.  Her energy, enthusiasm, and positive energy were contagious and needed during a time that could easily be overwhelming and heavy.

 

“Since emotions are such an important and inseparable part of the learning process, it is important that educators and parents understand the critical role emotions play in learning and how they can create positive learning opportunities to help children become independent, secure lifelong learners.” (Lyons, 2003, p. 59).

 

Abby gave us all a unique “lens” through which to view during a unique time in our lives.  I could have easily missed finding the positive learning opportunities that were made possible as a result of a challenging time in all of our lives.  I look forward to how our ambassador will continue to positively and inadvertently influence so many people.

 

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Kim Reynolds is a Reading Recovery Teacher Leader and ES Reading Intervention Lead Teacher with Dublin City Schools in Dublin, Ohio. She is also the Reading Recovery and Literacy Lessons Docent, The Ohio State University, and a LitCon presenter.