I think I was very lucky to have learned this most important lesson about teaching very early in my career as a reading specialist.
…As the sixth graders entered my classroom, there were smiles and high-fives. Some of them were returning to me after nine months of my remedial instruction. As a first year reading specialist, I had worked hard and enthusiastically to bring 70 fifth and sixth graders up to grade level. These were some who still needed my help.
Knowing how great their deficiencies were, I was not really too disappointed that all hadn’t improved to grade level, until…
I started to review what I had taught them.
Their retention of it was inconsistent and extremely disappointing. Was this the dreaded summer slump?
How many times have teachers everywhere wondered, “What did last year’s teacher teach them?”
My position was fairly unique: I knew what I taught them!
My struggling readers did retain some skills, but they certainly hadn’t mastered them.
This is my very important point: Teachers everywhere are working hard, covering the required material, but who is actually teaching to mastery?
These students were high-poverty, failing readers in fifth and sixth grade—I was probably their last chance to get some individual attention to raise them to grade level.
Thus, I began to ensure that almost everything I taught was practiced, reinforced, and strengthened.
And so, I began my journey to create high-interest PRACTICE materials.
I wanted to keep boredom far away from my classroom. I did this for myself, as much as for my students.
I also wanted them to approach mastery because, without it, knowledge is muddled, unfocused, and certainly, not remembered well enough to build upon.
I developed Best Bingo (Learn-to-Read Bingo), then Better Bingo (Reading Tutor Bingo), and Tall Tales Grammar. Check them out along with and many other high-interest practice materials in the Reading Spotlight TPT Store.
Fewer sixth graders reappeared the following year, and happily, most of my students did retain what I had taught! Mastery can be achieved when we work at it.
Many students need lots of extra practice to reach mastery so that they can remember the skills taught—that that is the most important lesson about teaching that I ever learned.
@ Reading Spotlight 2017