Five Teachers and a Fund for Teachers Grant Fuel School-Wide Reading Revival
The Cat in the Hat, the Lorax, Horton and the National Education Association celebrate Dr. Seuss’ 106th birthday on March 2 with the NEA’s “Read Across America Day.” For a team of teachers from San Francisco’s Sherman Elementary, however, the celebration lasts all year long. A Fund for Teachers grant sent five Sherman teachers to the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University last summer and the Power Readers teamreturned to engineer a reading revolution at their school.
“I’ve taught for more than 12 years and have attended many literacy workshops, but never has a workshop inspired or transformed my thinking or teaching more than this institute,”said Jennie Chen, Sherman’s fourth grade teacher. “It introduced me to a new way of teaching reading that is balanced and produces well-rounded readers who decode words proficiently, comprehend texts deeply, and pursue reading joyfully in their lives inside and outside of the classroom. The enthusiasm brought back from New York has been contagious and the entire school community has gotten on board.”
Jennie’s principal shares her enthusiasm. “The grant that my teachers received from Fund for Teachers created a reading revolution at our school,” said Sara Shenkan-Rich, principal. “We are now all focused on building life-long readers and making sure that students are thinking as they read. And the kids can’t stop reading. They keep asking for more and more books. What more could a principal ask for — energized and excited literacy teachers and students who love to read!”
The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project’s weeklong Summer Institutes serve as annual clarion calls to more than 3,500 teachers, coaches, and administrators dedicated to creating a school community of life-long reading and writing enthusiasts. Each day delivers a new keynote address, followed by small and large group sessions that provide opportunities to practice the Reading Workshop structure and learn the theories behind the balanced literacy framework. Collaborating with staff developers and fellow teachers also inspires ideas for implementation.
That collaboration continued in December and January, when a staff developer from Columbia’s Teachers College came to Sherman for on-site teacher training. “It’s not an off-the-shelf, scripted program requiring little thought on the part on the teacher,” explained Teacher Librarian Clare Watsky, member of the Power Readers team. “Implementing this new approach requires an intense, ongoing commitment from teachers to keep learning. We have that commitment from teachers at every grade level. Seeing our workshop method implemented in our classrooms has been an exhausting, exciting experience.”
Introducing the balanced literacy framework taught at the Institute is already producing positive outcomes. “I see students becoming more excited about reading,” explained Winnie Leung, member of the team that also included colleagues Clarissa Chiu and Michelle Kishimoto. “Students are more willing to read because they have access to books at their independent reading levels. Low readers and high readers are challenged and given appropriate guidance to move their reading along. We are helping students read, think, and talk–things that proficient readers do throughout their lives.”
“The most powerful idea I took away from Columbia is that young students have the same drive as adults to find meaning in stories and talk with others about what matters to them,” said Watsky. “I feel empowered to share my deepest self as a reader to inspire my students.”
Fund for Teachers is a national, donor-supported organization celebrating its tenth year of awarding fellowships for self-designed professional growth to teachers who recognize the value of inquiry, the power of knowledge and their ability to make a difference. For more information about Fund for Teachers, visit www.fundforteachers.org.
Jennie Chen implementing the new techniques at Sherman Elementary.
Left to Right: Clare Watsky, Clarissa Chiu, Winnie Leung, Jennie Chen and Michelle Kishimoto
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