Day 236 of 365 Days of Being Thankful

         Today I am thankful for all of the students that I had the opportunity to work with.  I especially loved working one on one with my severely reading disabled students. 

That was the greatest period of my career. I really felt fulfilled and felt I was really making a difference in a child's life!  I loved working with students at every level. I taught from preschool through the university level during my career.  While purging, I came across a bunch of old folders with student work in them.  I really enjoyed looking through the binders and folders I had.  I hope they are all doing well! Last summer I went to Chick Fil A to pick up a party tray.  It took me a few minutes to realize it was a former student waiting on me.  I taught him in middle school and he is now in high school.  When I looked at his name tag, I was OMG, Kevin!  He kept smiling and I kept saying, I am so excited to see you!  When I worked with him, he started on a first grade reading level!  He did really well in reading sessions because he was such a nice kid and such a motivated worker!  I was so proud of him having a part-time job!!!!

         I always wondered and sill wonder why some students learn to read as easily as they learn to speak and others have to work so hard and have to struggle. It just doesn't seem fair.  If one person, such as me, is not good at sports, I can just choose not to play. Students have to read all day long in school in almost every class.  They need to read to learn information and they need to take notes and reread them to study.  And everyone needs to learn to read to function in this world and to achieve. I am glad that public schools realize that the students need specialized help. It is usually only the parents who push that get the help their child needs and deserves. When a student is learning to read and is learning disabled  or reading disabled,  it is sort of like everyone knows the secret except for them. Think of how much one reads during the day!  From the morning paper or cereal box(my kids always read the cereal box while they ate), one usually starts reading almost as soon as they awake. Most people are addicted to their cell phones and are constantly reading info on them.  And it is lifelong. My contractor told me that he had a severe reading disability and always got in trouble in school because they thought he wasn't trying had enough It is almost like telling a hearing impaired student to try harder to hear!  A learning disability is a real disability.  Learning to read is a right of every student and being a reader is a gift that keeps on giving.  I have spent a great deal of my life in book clubs. I can't imagine that not being part of my life.  I am thankful for the gift of reading and for being able to share that gift with my students!