In mid-September, Matt came home with a note from school letting me know that he was eligible for their Title 1 reading program. Knowing that he's a pretty bright kid and what I thought was a strong (though sometimes a little lazy) reader for his age, to say I was surprised would be an understatement. I just happened to be at a PTO meeting that night, giving me access to the school's principal, and started asking questions so that I could better understand what Title 1 was and why Matt was "eligible".
Title 1 was established by the U.S. Department of Education to improve the quality of education and support students performing below standard in reading and math and currently serves more than 12 million students each year. Generally speaking, the program is designed to ensure that all students, regardless of their backgrounds and regardless of what school they attend, have the skills needed to succeed in school and in life.
The principal told me a little about the expectations for first grade students and suggested that I reach out to the Title 1 reading teacher, which I immediately did. The Title 1 teacher, Cindee Lago, told me that Matt has "great letter/sound knowledge" but struggled with words he did not recognize. By joining Reading Club, the expectation was that he'd quickly learn to use that letter/sound recognition to figure out the words that he was not identifying at first sight. I spoke with a guidance counselor who assured me of the value of the program and suggested that I should take advantage of any extra help that was available and so I signed the required forms giving permission for Matt to participate.
At back to school night a week later, we had the chance to talk with both Mrs. Lago and Matt's first grade teacher, Ms. Clair. We talked about what Matt misses in the classroom during his one hour of Reading Club (it's writing) and the ways writing is incorporated into Reading Club. I felt better knowing Matt wouldn't be falling behind in some other area because of the extra attention he required to get his reading skills caught up to his peers. Both teachers also shared their expectations that Matt likely needed just a little boost; they didn't expect that he would stay in the program for the full year.
Once I know what's expected of my kids, I like to think I do a great job of reinforcing what they are learning in school, of providing extra practice. This became almost routine to us as we moved Cathy through the Early Intervention Program; I always insisted that the therapists see her both at home and at school (even though most would have preferred to see her only at school) because I wanted to be involved in the things they were doing with her. How could I practice and reinforce skills if I didn't see the ways in which the therapists worked with her. The point is, if you give me a to-do list for my kids, I'm all on board and will make it a priority to help them as best I can.
Flash forward just a few weeks. Matt has been coming home with extra reading materials, progressively harder books that are ahead of where they are in the reading curriculum. He reads through them easily and eagerly, which is nice to see. He has learned to slow down, to point to the words on the page before he says them rather than just filling in whatever he thinks the words should be. He's doing a much better job of sounding out words that he doesn't recognize. And when he struggles with a word or two in a sentence, he'll read it again after we've helped him out with it because he wants to get it right!
This afternoon, I got an email from the Title 1 teacher:
"I have spoken with (Ms. Clair) and we both feel Matthew is quickly learning to read!!! I am recommending that he be monitored by me instead of coming every day for Reading Club. We are going to tell him this on Monday and Tuesday will be his last day coming for the hour long program."
I'm very proud of my little boy. He's worked hard and it shows. And while we expected that Matt wouldn't spend a full year in Reading Club, both Rich and I were surprised that he would be discharged from the program so quickly.
He'll still come home with extra books to read and spelling words to work on each week, but starting Wednesday morning, no more daily trips to Reading Club. I haven't told Matt yet, but I suspect he'll be a little disappointed. I think that's a great reflection on Mrs. Lago who is one of the most enthusiastic teachers I've ever met and someone who is so good at and loves her job. Considering she's been at it for the better part of 40 years, I find that simply amazing.
Thanks, Reading Club, for getting Matt started on what I hope will be a lifelong love of reading. And Goodbye!
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