My favorite thing about Reading Recovery is that it is grounded in an asset based ideology. The idea that all students can achieve high levels of success, given appropriate support regardless of past performance is something I truly connect with. The children we serve may be in the lowest 20% of their class at the outset, but their strengths can be leveraged to drive their individualized programs and allow them to thrive.

Although I only have the RR training year under my belt, I have had countless unforgettable moments with families and students. One recent interaction really stands out in my mind as it was a reminder of just how important our charge is. My current student, whom I’ll call J.J. started off Roaming stating, “I don’t know how to read.” By the end of our roaming sessions, there was a clear shift in his demeanor and overall confidence as a reader. As we wrapped up the 1st week of formal lessons (week 3), I ran into J.J’s parents after school. J.J. ‘s mom was overjoyed to finally meet me in person as we had only spoken on the phone or exchanged text messages up to that point. She thanked me profusely for supporting her son and said, “I don’t know what you are doing, but I have seen him grow so much in the last few weeks.” His mom went on to tell me how J.J. had been assembling and reading his cut-up story independently and reading his familiar books every night. She shared in amazement that she “had never seen him like this before.” This testimony speaks to the power of Reading Recovery and how we, Reading Recovery teachers, truly are growing readers one at a time. His mom’s message not only filled my cup as a teacher but affirmed the importance of the work we do. We are setting up young scholars for a lifetime of literacy and success and this brief exchange reminded me just how important this work is.