Location: Harlingen, TX
Years of Teaching: 29
If you had to describe yourself as an educator, what six words would you use and why?
The six words I would use to describe myself as an educator are: passionate, funny, caring, engaging, energetic, and compassionate. I love kids and I think teaching is one of the most important jobs there is. Kids deserve the best education we can give them–each and every day.
What drew you to Reading Apprenticeship?
It just makes sense. Reading is not about strategies and programs. It is personal and individualized. It is about making connections between the reader and the text. I wish Reading Apprenticeship had been around when I was first teaching reading in middle school. Well, it was, but I didn’t know about it then. I feel like I was doing parts of it intuitively then. I was talking to kids about their reading histories and what they liked to read and making reading relevant. Now I want to let as many people as I can know about Reading Apprenticeship.
What is your go-to Reading Apprenticeship routine?
I like to use double-entry journals for a variety of purposes.
Can you share a story about a time when you or a student had an “aha!” moment with Reading Apprenticeship?
I’ve had many “aha” moments with Reading Apprenticeship, but one that stands out is when doing the Personal Reading History with teachers and finding out how many negative experiences teachers have had with reading and how those experiences may impact the way they teach their students today.
If you could describe Reading Apprenticeship in a sentence, what would you say?
Reading Apprenticeship provides students the key to engage meaningfully with text and allows them to become expert readers.
What are you reading right now?
I am rereading Billy Summers by Stephen King
