I love words; their power, etymology, written, spoken, read, and especially the reciprocity of reading and writing.
As a child I was confused by how to read as a first grader.
I remember sitting in my first grade class of about 30 kids in the back at an elementary school in Roxbury, feeling petrified whenever the teacher asked us to read aloud. Yikes!!! Back in the day this is how reading was taught…like we were supposed to ‘get it’ by osmosis somehow. We all were on the same page right?
Imagine 30 kids looking at words on a page at the same time. I didn’t know what to do except turn the page at the same time as the teacher said.
I didn’t know what to do after that.
At least the pictures in our Dick and Jane book were interesting.
Honestly, since the class periods were only about 40 minutes long and my last name was Wilson, how many times do you think I got a chance to practice out loud in class?
Then, innovative methods like switching the order of kids reading, small groups or reading alone, literacy specialists, or check-ins with the only teacher in the class were non-existent. Heck, I don’t even remember her face or name.
Light years later, I am a literacy specialist and what is my favorite grade to teach? Yes! First grade!
In this space, a lot will be shared…including stories after first grade to current experiences, the trauma of some systems and parental influence on children in first grade and the fun techniques applied that changed me into a lover of words.
Stay tuned.