The scent of old paper and freshly sharpened pencils is permanently etched in my memory, a perfume that defines the last 25 years of my life. I am, and always will be, a teacher. A weaver of words, a cultivator of creativity, and a champion of reluctant readers.
My brain, I confess, is wired for language arts. It's a chaotic but beautiful tapestry of dangling participles, alliterative phrases, and a deep, abiding love for the Oxford comma. And my greatest joy has always been sharing that messy, wonderful tapestry with my students.
Early in my career, I was a general Language Arts teacher, responsible for shepherding a classroom full of bright-eyed, and sometimes terrified, kids through the wilds of grammar and the jungles of literary analysis. I armed them with the practical tools – CUPS (Capitalization, Usage, Punctuation, Spelling) to polish their prose, and RACES (Restate, Answer, Cite, Explain, Summarize) to construct sturdy arguments based on textual evidence. These were the scaffolding upon which they built their understanding, but my real passion lay in nurturing the spark of creativity within them.
"Don't be afraid to be silly!" I’d roar, pacing the classroom floor. "Write something ridiculous! Unleash the kraken of your imagination!"
My students needed permission to be bold, to be weird, to be… themselves. And that's where picture prompts came in. A faded photograph of a dancing bear in a top hat? A whimsical drawing of a teapot floating through space? These were invitations to worlds unseen, stories untold.
"Tell me what happened before this picture," I'd challenge them. "What led to this moment? Who are these people, and what are their secrets?" Then, I'd flip the script. "Now, tell me what happens next. Don't hold back!"
The results were often hilarious, sometimes poignant, but always, undeniably, theirs. I watched shy students blossom, tentative writers find their voice, and reluctant storytellers embrace the power of their own imagination.
But over time, I realized my heart was being drawn to a different kind of challenge: helping those who struggled to simply keep up. So, I transitioned into the role of a Language Arts Interventionist. Now, I work with smaller groups of students, those whose reading fluency stumbles, whose comprehension falters, and whose vocabularies feel like empty rooms.
My training in the Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention program has been invaluable. It allows me to meet each student where they are, to carefully assess their reading level and pinpoint the specific areas where they need support. It’s like being a reading detective, piecing together the clues to unlock their potential.
One of the most important things I’ve learned is the power of finding a student’s reading passion. Once I discover the genre that truly lights them up – be it fantasy, historical fiction, or even graphic novels – the battle is half won. Suddenly, reading isn't a chore; it's an adventure. They’re reading for pleasure, for entertainment, and that’s when the real learning takes place.
My classroom, even now, is a kaleidoscope of color and information. I’ve plastered every available surface with anchor charts, visual cues that reinforce essential skills and concepts. They’re a living, breathing resource, constantly being referred to and updated. I believe that seeing these concepts every day, in bright and engaging ways, helps the information sink in, becoming second nature.
After all these years, the feeling of witnessing a student finally "get it" – the look of dawning comprehension in their eyes, the triumphant grin as they conquer a challenging text – is still the most rewarding experience imaginable. It's a reminder that what I do matters, that I am making a difference, one word, one sentence, one story at a time. I may be teaching reading and writing, but in reality, I'm empowering young minds to find their voice and share it with the world.
TEACHING, READING AND WRITING TIPS
