Winston Churchill once said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; It is the courage to continue that counts.” Reflecting on the last few months of teacher leader training, I know I’ve struggled, strived, and overcome many challenges and sometimes failed. I’m comforted by the idea that failure is not fatal. Some would even say it’s necessary. Otherwise, how would you learn to persevere? Personally, without failing once in a while, I might not recognize how I need to grow.

Lesson analysis has certainly allowed me to grow this year. It is similar to looking in a mirror for the first time in a long time — you suddenly see what you couldn’t see before. Your teaching choices are laid bare and ready for examination. Are you prompting for the appropriate action? Is your teaching language precise? Have you set the stage for success? Aye-yai-yai. Observing yourself closely and acknowledging your areas of opportunity is overwhelming, humbling, and powerful. It’s a little painful, too, but in my experience, growth usually is.

As someone who tends to avoid confrontation (another area of growth opportunity), I was not looking forward to a particular assignment in the fall. I needed to read and listen to criticisms of Reading Recovery and think of how to respond to each point of contention. As those who are reading may have concluded, I listened to several episodes of a particular podcast and read a few articles in opposition. Although I knew it would be difficult, I was not prepared for how it would affect me, not only to hear the spread of misinformation and gross misrepresentation of Marie Clay but also to feel emotionally hijacked in a way that had me questioning my understanding of the truth.

Ultimately, I learned a great deal from the assignment. I finally understand why so many people feel compelled to ignore entire bodies of research for a single story. I am more prepared to have difficult conversations and more inspired to bring awareness to the truth about our program. After all, Winston Churchill also said, “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something in your life.” Reading Recovery is certainly worth standing up for!

Broken Arrow Reading Recovery Team

As we approach the holiday break, I am thankful to have completed the first half of my training and for all the growth I’ve experienced. God has given me grace and mercy through my striving and times of failing forward. He has also surrounded me with the most amazing and supportive family, friends, leaders, and Reading Recovery team. I will continue to push myself to be better today than I was yesterday because, in the words of, you guessed it, Winston Churchill, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm,” and “to improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”

The Reading Recovery Council of North America is thrilled to announce Heather Cherry as the 2023 Teacher Leader Award recipient. Heather represents Broken Arrow Public Schools in Oklahoma. A graduate of Northeastern State University with over 22 years of experience teaching, she will be part of the first training class at Oklahoma State University.

Heather’s teacher leader award was made possible by generous donations from friends and supporters of the Foundation for Struggling Readers. Please give generously to the Foundation for Struggling Readers this annual appeal to fund advocacy, professional development & research.