I have the opportunity to serve on a board that promotes adult and community education in the state of Utah. We recently held a conference for adult educators from across the state and I was reminded of the wonderful individuals that serve in this critical segment of the education landscape.

Most aspiring teachers see themselves teaching somewhere in the K-12 space, helping children or young adults to improve their lives and realize their dreams through education. Very few new teachers ever fathomed that they might someday work as an adult education professional. However, for most of them, once they find this unique niche they never want to go back to the K-12 classroom. It is challenging and emotionally draining work that also requires extreme flexibility. Many of these teachers have students who range from 0-12th grade level in all of the key content areas. It is difficult to cater to individual needs and schedules and to feel the frustration of losing a student to work or relocation when they were finally "breaking through."

I was recently participating in a video shoot at UMASS-Dartmouth and had the opportunity to speak to a few of the amazing teachers who work there. They expressed their deep appreciation to work with adults and the rewards they realized as their students made significant improvements in their reading ability and in their lives.

I salute adult education professionals across the world who committ themselves to this noble work and the students that need them most. Thank you for your diligence and for your genuine interest in making a difference. We're proud to partner with so many of you in helping to remediate struggling readers. 

I was recently reminded of an experience I had with a wonderful kindergarten teacher who realized it was never too late to improve her ability to teach effective reading strategies to her students. My oldest son had just entered kindergarten and my wife was attending a parent teacher conference.

During the conference my wife asked if phonics played a role in the reading instruction in her classroom. The teachers confirmed that she had built a curriclum of her own over the past 35 years and that phonics instruction was integrated.

My wife applauded her and then volunteered that if our son ever applied any markings to his words that she shouldn't worry but that we were tutoring him at home with an intensive, systematic, phonics program.

She asked what it was called and then asked if it could help learning disabled children as well. My wife indicated that it was perfect for any child that needed to learn to read. Her reply epitomized good teachers everywhere "Where can I learn more about it?" This was a teacher that had announced her retirement when the year began, this was to be her last class.

She subsequently registered for a workshop in intensive phonics instruction in December and brought her aid in hopes of finding something to aid one specific student who was repeating kindergarten and couldn't read or even spell her name. She attended a one day workshop and her reaction to the training in reading strategies that she received was remarkable. She left the training and asked "Why didn't I know this earlier in my career?"

She was so affected by all that she had learned that she returned to her classroom (this is now January) and decided to take the whole class from the beginning of the methodology...knowing she had only a few months left in her career. If ever there was a time to say "that was great but it came too late" this was it. What she learned completely revolutionized her teaching mindset.

There are thousands of amazing teachers all across the world who have passion for teaching and helping students learn and blossom into their full potential. In many cases they have not been given the tools, such as effective reading strategies, to provide the instruction that their students need and that they desire to deliver. I find great satisfaction every time one of those teachers finds us and is able to rekindle her love for her profession and for reading strategies.

P.S.

If you are interested in teaching phonics, you should also read this blog post: “The Importance of Effective Kindergarten Phonics Instruction”

You may also want to learn more about teaching phonics through Reading Horizons FREE webinar: “The Importance of Foundational Phonics in Teaching Struggling Adolescent Readers”

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Learn how Reading Horizons can help you improve the way you teach reading through our Phonics Training for Savvy Teachers

I had a poignant experience on a recent trip to the South Pacific that helped me remember the boundless importance of literacy. My wife and I planned a vacation that included a stop in New Zealand. We had been advised to visit Rotorua, a city known for its thermal pools and mineral baths. We arrived later in the evening and decided to take a leisurely walk through what was called the “Government Gardens”. As we approached the entrance to the park we began to notice that there was a large group of people, tents, and noise up ahead. This was surprising as it was already dark and we didn’t expect to see such a large gathering at that time of night. It was obvious that there was a community event of some sort that was just getting started. We stopped and listened for awhile and were excited to learn that it was a community reading fair. Parents, children, senior citizens, people of all walks of life had come together that evening to celebrate literacy. They had set up tents and other structures around the park where participants could go to hear storytellers or read on their own. It was thrilling to feel the energy and passion for literacy that was demonstrated by those wonderful citizens on the other side of the world.

Show your passion for literacy by playing "Lemons for Literacy" and help individuals and organizations earn free literacy materials--> Lemons for Literacy Online Vocabulary Game

I appreciate all of the activity on our company blog over the past few months. This is a spectacular forum for communicating with dedicated reading teachers and concerned citizens on a more informal basis. I've been thinking a lot lately about all of the changing tides that we experience in education on a monthly and yearly basis. It's very difficult to ever "hang your hat" on anything because of constantly changing legislation, research, and techniques. I am very proud to work for a company that has been rock solid in its stance on the best strategies for teaching reading for over 25 years. Flash back just 10 years ago and it was a battle to convince many educators that phonics was an important part of any reading curriculum.

Fortunately the pendulum has swung in the direction of proven teaching techniques for now, making that battle easier for the time being. It should be noted though that even when phonics was a byword in many schools we were advocating its use and publishing the same reading program that we publish today. Reading Horizons and Discover Intensive Phonics have been a "constant" in the sea of change that we call "education reading programs" and techniques for teaching reading. Furthermore I can promise you that we will still be teaching this way even if (and I pray this doesn't ever happen) the pendulum swings back the other way.

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In all my travels I haven't ever had the opportunity to visit New Orleans... until now. I had the opportunity to visit with one of our distributors for our reading program the past few days and enjoyed learning more about this interesting place. I was warned about the French Quarter prior to coming and made a vow to my wife that I wouldn't venture there. I imagine there are many seasoned travelers who would say that if you haven't been down that road you haven't experienced New Orleans at its finest. I would beg to differ. I have had a wonderful time visiting with the enthusiastic and jubilant folks who live here and learning more about the rich cultural heritage of this unique city.

Prior to this short visit I had no idea what a KREWE was or how much work went into the celebrations that they sponsor for Mardi Gras. I had no idea what a THROW was and the stacks of old throws that folks here keep in their attics. I had the pleasure of consuming a Po Boy sandwich at a hole in the wall sandwich shop that hasn't changed for 65 years (could probably use a coat of paint) and nobody is upset about it. I ate Barebeque Shrimp at a classic seafood establishment and was surprised at the flavor, once I got past the presentation (head and all). I have been pleasantly surprised with my experience in this one of a kind city and am reminded of all the varying experiences that this world has to offer.

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