I often read Rachel’s book to incoming students, and as a teen, she returned to read her book to some of my first-grade remedial students. I hope that teachers who encounter students who repeat a class or a grade level will contemplate Rachel’s monster drawing.

US education needs a massive redesign for the 21st century, one-fifth of which is now gone. Hurry up! We live in a country in which most of us believe that “all men are created equal.”4 (Or we used to.) Educating students to attain their own individual potential should be the goal of all citizens who care about our country, and certainly, every teacher.

Some research indicates that simply encouraging students to sit up straight when they begin to slump in their seats actually improves task success.

Let’s ALL help to reduce reading loss by asking kids, wherever we see them, what they are reading this summer.