I always wanted to learn how to teach students to read. I was formally trained to do some of this at Teachers’ training college but it was not enough and did not prepare me fully for the classroom. There was very little help from other teachers because they themselves did not have much planning knowledge, they did however develop techniques over time and applied knowledge from workshops.
Over the years I have seen students from many schools struggle with reading and always wondered if the schools were at fault. I have come to realize that schools are responsible for many students not being able to read. The main reason for this is that many schools do not have a cohesive reading plan, a plan that connects from one level to the next. Many teachers do not assess reading correctly and therefore do not meet the needs of individual students. It is my hope that I will be in a position help teachers teach reading in such a way that they will be motivated to apply skills taught to them and add their own experience to the existing knowledge.
I firmly believe that once teachers are equipped with the knowledge to teach reading and they are supported by the MOE that every effort will be made to insure that all students are given a fair chance at reading. As a reading specialist I would be given the opportunity to share what I have learnt so that teachers can be fully prepared to teach reading.
