Good question, Nancy. If you replaced me, you would get one new classroom teacher. That would make one grade level go from 5 teachers to 6 teachers. It would help our class sizes go from 25 to 20 in that grade. What about the other grades? What I feel I bring as reading specialist is my knowledge of reading instruction. I have more in my bag of tricks. SO... not only do I reduce the student teacher ratio in the class I am working in, I also leave my teaching partner with more tricks up her sleeve than she knows now. I also learn from the teacher I work with. I spread those ideas to the next teacher I coteach with. After doing this for 7 years the knowledge of our staff has grown...and I include me in that mix. We just got a new principal who was formerly a reading specialist...she believes that my staff is light years ahead of most of the schools she has worked in in regards to their knowledge of best practices. People didn't learn about the comprehension strategies from an inservice. They saw me teach this way, they tried to teach with me there to coach and when I left their class to teach with someone else, they had new practices established. So... all kids, eventually, did benefit. We have often talked on this list about how important it is to have someone to collaborate with...how we all long to share ideas and learn from and with someone we work with. My teachers, who resisted this at first, now love it. It has helped to change the culture and it has been benefiting many children. I don't pretend for a minute that this was just because of me...there was supportive administration and our math specialist works in a similar way. I know not all schools might respond to a reading specialist the way mine responded to me....but it is working for us. Jennifer In a message dated 5/2/2009 2:24:14 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, creeche...@aol.com writes:
Why not just put all the money that is spent on coaches and specialists, hire more classroom teachers and reduce teacher/student ratio so that ALL children will benefit? Nancy **************Check all of your email inboxes from anywhere on the web. Try the new Email Toolbar now! (http://toolbar.aol.com/mail/download.html?ncid=txtlnkusdown00000027) _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
