Reading with Mrs. Shivers

It is midyear at school, and the high stakes assessments have begun. Are the students on track? Will they be ready to go on to third grade? How should the intervention be modified if students are succeeding? There are more questions than time, but the common theme is always this: What data do you have to back up your answer? Which means, what assessments have you done to confirm your anecdotes about this child’s learning? Short answer then is, yes, I believe some form of testing is necessary. Done the right way it does not have to be a necessary evil. So then, if we are going to test, what should that assessment look like, and how should the students be measured? Traditional schooling measures how students perform in two core areas: reading and math. In the upper grades, we also test social studies and science. In the United States we use the Common Core Standards, and assess students in such a way that they are prepared based to pass state testing based on the No Child Left Behin...

My father was a pastor. In the Christian marriage ceremonies he performed, people recited versions of the same traditional vows: I take this man/woman to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part. Divorce, however, changed my family forever when I was a child. My father and mother divorced when I was four years old. She moved into a small apartment across town. My sisters (twins aged 5) and I were to begin spending half of each week, literally 3 ½ days at each of their houses. My day to day world was very different as my stay at home mom went to work. As for my father, he had begun dating already, and about a year later, he remarried. My new stepmother came with two boys of her own from a previous marriage. With new rules and ideas about what we should do, my new stepmother was seen as an intruder. She practiced what she called “tough love”, at a time I had no interest in another mother. Two year...

Children develop based on their life experiences. Their brains process information, learn lessons, and connect memory to language to emotion. Babies seek and receive attention, and each of these experiences strengthens or weakens the connections in the brain (Berger, 2016). This week I chose to look at mental health as it is experience driven and a personal issue close to my heart as well as my own child’s development. It was not until I was an adult that I found out my grandmother was diagnosed with bi polar disorder. She was always just a little different, but we just chalked that up to the hardships she faced from poverty and a “tough” marriage. Turns out both my grandmother and father struggled with mental health issues. Growing up with this type of father meant you just never knew what mood he may be in. There were days we were off and running, going quickly from activity to activity. Other days he would be sullen and as children we would serve as his cheer section. At the ...

Although I am a proud mother of two children, in this blog I chose to highlight the birth story of my youngest as she made a more dramatic entrance. I had an epidural with the first birth and a smooth delivery so my birthing plan did not significantly change this time around. However, I did feel like I had a better idea of what to expect, and therefore had zero intention of sitting in a hospital room all day on some labor inducing medications! Instead, my husband, son, and I attended a birthday party for a friend of the family. After all, labor takes a while, right? We ate, chatted, and watched our son play while quietly timing contractions until they were 4-5 minutes apart and I felt like the pain/nausea was intensifying. Unfortunately we had to miss the gift opening and pinata to make our way to the hospital. In that 20 minute drive I remember thinking two things- this pain did not feel the same as last time, and why won't he drive faster! Its funny how fast things go from ...

Welcome! This blog will document my journey toward a new chapter chapter in my career. I love working with second graders, and watching their excitement, confidence, and joy grow as they become proficient readers. There is something magical about working day in and day out with a child and seeing them finally light up with understanding, thrilled they are able to read and truly understand a story. I love sharing my adventures with these students, and encouraging them to set off on adventures beyond their wildest dreams. What I am learning along the way is how much I have to learn! So, follow along as I go back to school and discover so much more about how to inspire these students to be and do their best. The joy is in the journey, and the journey never ends! Mrs. Jessica Shivers