Acknowledging Learning Differences

Vicky Green, 2nd grade teacher

 As part of our second-grade reading program, we split the students into four small groups for Book Clubs. We do various activities each time we meet. On the first meeting day for my emergent reader book club, we began with a discussion about reading. What is it? Why is it important? How does it help us? This discussion then led us to a more in-depth discussion about our feeling about reading and how each person learns differently and at a different pace. As a group we decided that it was also important to be proud of your self and proud of all the hard work they have done so far.  As emergent readers, this group of students is still working on the challenges of decoding words, fluency, and or other aspects of reading. We were all very open with our feelings about our own experiences with reading. One student said "It makes me feel better knowing that other people see the same as me."

I then read the book Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco. It is a story about a girl (Patricia Polocco herself) who had to work very hard and faced many challenges in her path to reading. One year she had a teacher named Mr. Falker. Mr. Falker believed in her, encouraged her, and worked hard alongside her to help her through the process. We then had a long discussion about what it takes to learn to read. We all decided that I would be the Mr. Falker for them this year and that they would work hard, trust in me, and together we would make sure they become the best readers that they can be.  

As their teacher, I saw their anxiety levels and body language completely change. They were relaxed and ready to begin. A student said, 'I feel more relaxed and my stomach doesn't feel nervous any more.' It made a huge difference in the way we have approached our reading skills. We always first acknowledge our feelings and then get started. This group of students has progressed very quickly and is becoming more and more confident with each day.