That back-to-school feeling is here and teachers are thinking about the new school year and ways to inspire and be inspired.  I like to go to places where I find words that are encouraging to me.  It may be a poem, a song, a piece of art, a conversation with a colleague, or a quote I have noted along my journey as a teacher.  P. David Pearson and Rob Tierney have written a new and useful book for literacy teachers in these challenging times I love it, but a quote from Pearson that I read many years ago comes to my mind.

“A teacher’s job is always to bridge from the known to the new.  Because there really is no other choice. Kids are who they are.  They know what they know. They bring what they bring. Our job is not to wish that students knew more or knew differently.  Our job is to turn each student’s knowledge, along with the diversity of knowledge we will encounter in a classroom of learners, into a curricular strength rather than an instructional inconvenience.” – P.  David Pearson, 1997

I liked it because it fit my way of thinking.  It matched my reality in teaching.  Everyone needs to be valued in the work that they do. 

In the movie “The Help” (2011), Aibileen Clack reminds the child in her care, “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” These words of encouragement are a gift and a reinforcement to the child who faces criticism from her mother.  One can only imagine the relationship that small girl has with Aibileen and how that relationship allows her to trust adults.

I want to remind Reading Recovery educators that they too are kind, smart, and important.  Social and mainstream media cruelly deliver much criticism of the teaching profession and the expertise and practice of Reading Recovery teachers.  This can begin to erode one’s sense of efficacy in being able to design and deliver individualized lessons for children having the most difficulty making the transition to literacy.  Maybe we should call up Aibileen’s words every day before we begin our work.  I want to remind Reading Recovery educators of their value.

You is kind.

Clay’s design of roaming around the known when the child learns that you are on his side. You create an environment of trust by starting with what the child knows.  By beginning here, the child’s body of knowledge about talking, reading, and writing is valued.  The teacher is delighted by any new capabilities, no matter how small, the child has taken on.  The child realizes that you are listening and will engage in conversation that meets them where they are comfortable.  You will share the tasks by doing for the child what they cannot do for themself.  You will praise their efforts, strengthen what they have shown they can do, and develop ways of interacting that are useful to the child and you. The child leaves their lessons feeling competent, and content in what they understand and in the relationship with a teacher who is clearly their advocate.  It is a source of pride for them.

You is smart.

It is almost impossible to put into words how smart Reading Recovery teachers are.  While teaching children how to engage in the complex thinking involved in reading and writing, you fend off practices that you know will limit or slow down the child’s amazing capacity to think. The “superbly sensitive observations” made during the first survey, are deepened and noted during lessons in the known, and recorded in ways that allow you to see the complexity of thought on the part of another. This is remarkable. 

“…all our children need to believe they have something interesting to say.  Literature plays a key role in helping children’s voices take the floor.  Literature triggers thoughts, unlocks memories, and helps create the kind of community in which it’s safe to tell our stories.” – Shelley Harwayne

By working with reading and writing text you have opportunities to make lessons enjoyable and informative so that the next lesson is fine-tuned and just right for this child, at this time.  No published scripts or manuals can do that!

You is important.

Clay tells us, “In the first three years of school educators have their only chance to upset the correlation between initial progress and later progress.” You are working with children who need you the most.  The learners are diverse in their strengths and current challenges.  They have the most difficulty learning in groups.  You are changing their lives.  The school system can’t do it without you. The children need you and your strong belief that they can and will become literate.

“Curriculum and standards must first connect with the lives and spirits of our children if we’re to have any lasting success. Unless we reach into our students’ hearts, we have no entry into their minds. We can get students to pass tests and complete assignments. But there is a price to pay. We will never inspire our students to learn for their own sake and to love coming to school.” – Regie Routman

I admire and cherish Reading Recovery teachers. You are on the side of the child and you begin each lesson series by teaching from your heart to their heart. That is exactly how it should be. You know how to teach children to read and to write. Do that! You don’t need to say the words “Reading Recovery,” just do what you know is right.  Every day you will work to foster the relationship between teacher and child.  You can do the same thing with their parents who may be anxious about their child’s progress and determining the right path.  Engage in those important relationships for the students and their families who need a knowledgeable teacher the most.