First and foremost, I believe that all children can learn! I have taught children with reading difficulties for 5 years and have enjoyed the 'aha' moments when something finally clicks for them! These moments are one reason why I became a teacher. Last fall one of my first grade students finally mastered the sound and name of the letter g. He had been playing a game in class and when he came to me for reading groups he connected the word game, with the initial sound of /g/ and the letter g that he was seeing on his letter book. His eyes really lit up!
I have a WV teaching license and a Reading Specialist certification. I have also taught future teachers. I teach a course on reading assessment and how to instruct based on assessment results. My college students also tutor as an applicable part of the course. I enjoy watching them learn almost as much as I enjoy watching my elementary students learn. These college students really want their student to learn and so they too learn all they can to be the best teacher for that student. During tutoring sessions I let them learn by doing and step in only when necessary. This scaffolding gives them a similar experience to the classroom. In a classroom, they will have to try a method before knowing with certainty it will work. In this setting, they are free to try something new with support and without fear of failure. I believe that their work should be quality work, so they are often allowed as many opportunities as necessary to complete a project successfully. I want them to go into teaching knowing how to do something, no matter how long and how many attempts it takes to learn it.
During all of these experiences I have had the pleasure of working with all types of learners and found ways to differentiate so each of them could feel successful. I would do the same for you or your children.
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