We are living in unprecedented times.  

All learners had their education interrupted, especially our youngest readers.

Do we despair, or repair?

To despair is to blame everything.

To repair is to move forward.

Moving forward means considering the context of our current situation and our hopeful future when it’s safer to be together.

What can work, is not absolute.

“… when it comes to reading instruction, absolutes pose more problems than solutions. Most teachers learn early on in their careers that what works with one child does not always work with another. If the path I prefer isn’t successful with a student, my preference becomes irrelevant, and it’s time to seek an alternative that will get the desired results. So I fit the program to the child, not the other way around.” Sam Bommarito*

We need to look at the Science of Reading with a keen eye and an open heart.  Approach reading research with the intention to discover what might crack the case in your circumstance not to confirm a hard and fast reading stance. 

Be a centrist as Sam Bommarito suggests in his article,

“I consider myself a centrist, one who doesn’t fit neatly into a category. I like to follow the research and use what I learn to guide my instruction.” p.21

So, try that, be a centrist, one that looks at all possibilities.

Repairing and perhaps forging new roads as we dive into the reading research together. 

Until Next Time,

Coach Clark

*Article reference: “Argue Less, Talk More: Engaging in productive conversations on social media” September/October 2020 | LITERACY TODAY (p. 20-22)