What did I Just Read?

Today I was faced with the problem of comprehension when a few of my students could not answer questions about a book they were currently reading. Lately, we have been so focused on how to help students with phonics and how to help them decode words, that comprehension is often overlooked or placed on the "back burner". It is so hard to have an equal balance between these three, put yet it is so important to have all, to have a well-rounded reader. Therefore, my goal this week is to put a bigger emphasis on comprehension and help my students understand what they read is important to the growth of their reading.

The Importance of a Teacher

With the recent Arizona shootings, my heart aches for the families of the ones that were injured or died from the hand of the young man. Thinking about this young man, makes me wonder if his teachers in school ever had an impact on him, or wonder if they could have tried more to influence him in the right direction.  I often wonder if this kind of thing will happen to my school, if it will happen to my students, and it honestly scares me. As a teacher I feel like I have a responsibility to make a difference in students' lives through their education AND their personal lives. My heart aches for those students who can't focus on schoolwork because they are too focused on issues going on at home, problems they might be having with their families, or negative thoughts that are going on in their head. God has placed me here for a reason; a reason that could be just THAT important that it could change the lives of future Americans and could possibly save millions.