Thread: AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

Oh dear......well, I'll tell you this for free--you WILL make it through, one way or the other, even if right now it seems like TOO MUCH. One day at a time, friend, one day at a time.....

Feel free to vent any time

Lisa (BTDT)

Lisa's advice of taking it one day at a time is good. It sounds like a huge undertaking, but I'm sure you'll do a great job. I'm sorry the people currently helping are not the most productive. That can be very frustrating.

Be sure to take care of you!

Mark,

Make sure you read The Literacy Coach's Survival Guide at some point. I know you have tons on your plate now, but it is invaluable. Also, make sure you have the principal's support while you train the teachers. We did much of what it sounds like you are getting ready to do last year. I worked with the principal and lead teacher and we gave weekly professional development throughout the year at faculty meetings on guided reading, word study, teacher-led reading blocks and other aspects of effective reading instruction. I could not have done it alone. It is important for you to have help in runing the pd.

As far as reading assessments, I used Eckwall Shanker in my remedial reading classes last year, but we did not implement any class-wide or school-wide assessment. This year, I plan to use the Woodcock-Johnson Reading Mastery Test - Revised/Normative Update on my kids. Some counties here do use QRI for their whole class administered assessment. Have you considered any of these?

Also, there is a literacy coach's group on yahoo that is helpful and has all kinds of resources. Do you belong to it already?

Now that we have given an entire year to the research and methodology behind effective reading instruction to the classroom teachers and I have been in their classes in a minor way to facilitate it, I plan to jump right into setting up guided reading groups with one grade at a time in the days prior to the kids returning. I will hear their plans for their groups, make sure they will be effective and offer advice/suggestions and problem solve.

It really is essential when working with teachers who don't want to be trained (the case for just about all of my teachers) that you have a great rapport with them and they trust you and see you as one of them. The Literacy Coach's Survival Guide has wonderful suggestions and cautions as you get into the training. Worth the time to read it.

Let me know if I can help with any ideas, etc. I started back to work this past Monday to get ready for newly hired reading teachers - who have never taught reading before and most have not taught upper elem, which is what they were hired for! Let the training begin . . . .?

Thanks for the advice. All I can say is this is going to really be a rough experience. 90% of what I talked to my principal about throughout the summer as we supposedly hashed all of this out was made moot on day one in our staff meeting. I am about ready to tell him to stuff it.

We will be using a modified version of the E/S as a school wide placement assessment assuming I ever get the time to put it together.

This is turning into a nightmare.