Literacy Leadersby Lyn Newton | More from this Blogger 25 Feb 2007 02:48 PM Reading is essential in today's world. It is the job of educators to take all means to insure that children can read, preferably fluently. Not only is it our duty to teach children to read fluently but also to enrich comprehension. Along with comprehension, children develop critical thinking skills needed in life. As part of my county's attempt to create better readers, it used Title 1 funding to hire literacy leaders. The literacy leaders were hired from among the classroom teachers. My school has a wonderful literacy leader. She helps the classroom teachers enrich their language arts lessons, and she offers support when needed. She analyzes test scores and identifies areas of need. After identifying struggling students, the literacy leader aides in teaching and tutoring. She divides the students so that they may be worked with in a small group setting. In addition to supplementing teaching, the literacy leader provides resources. Our literacy leader has a room full of well organized reading materials. The materials range from student novels to teacher resource books. If teachers are in need of supplements or information on a particular concept, she will gather materials for them to use. Our literacy leader also attends workshops and in-service trainings. She gathers information about the latest educational tools and websites. She then shares the information so that it may benefit our classroom. She also passes on readings of areas of interests by placing them in our mailboxes. Literacy leaders can also observe students and offer advice for teachers. They coordinate parent involvement activities within the school. This is only the second year for my county to have literacy leaders. If carried out properly, a literacy leader can be a great asset to a school. Literacy leaders can offer great support to beginning teachers and bring new ideas to veteran teachers. It is nice to have a person in the building that has been in a classroom setting and understands the trials that we face. I can also see improvements in my students' academics from receiving the extra help that is provided. Related Articles Literacy and it's Purpose in the LDS Family How a GoodTeacher Inspires Literacy Learn more about Lyn Newton  Lyn is a kindergarten teacher and mommy to a girl and a boy. In her spare time, she enjoys informative and creative writing. Relevanteducation tags User Comments donnagenealogy (70) 04 Mar 2007 12:26 AMLiteracy will improve when families commit to studying the scriptures together and parents read to their children, introducing them to great literature. As long as we think this is only to be nutured in the classroom, all the money and literacy teachers we throw at it won't, in the end, solve the problem. We can teach skills in school, but sadly, if when children go home, their lives are filled with distraction, and those skills are not used in real life, not just home work, it will be an one step forward, two steps back world. instead of replacing parents with school personal, we need to educate parents to their vital role in helping their children succeed. We need to be encouraging and including parents, rather than replcing them. If parents are apathetic, it is time to inspire them. Discuss this article
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