Book Report by Tonya Cogan: What's RIGHT with Me?

Joan's note: I was so impressed by how seamlessly Tonya conveyed the essence of my first book, and I want to share it with you. PFLC (Phillips Fundamental Learning Center) practicum students must complete book reports as they work toward their Academic Language Therapy certification.

Learning to read is much like climbing a staircase. Each step is necessary to reach the top floor: reading comprehension. If a student misses one of the steps along the way, reaching that top floor becomes much more difficult. The book What's RIGHT with Me? helped me see this staircase in a very personal way. The stories of students such as Jeanine demonstrate what can happen when a struggling reader becomes stuck in what I would describe as quicksand. The more a student struggles, the deeper they can sink into frustration, discouragement, and a belief that they simply cannot learn.

It is very difficult for a struggling student to get out of that quicksand without someone reaching down and offering a hand. In literacy instruction, that hand-up comes through direct, systematic, and sequential instruction that recognizes and builds on each student's individual strengths, needs, and personality traits.

Effective reading instruction must provide students with the tools they need to climb each step of the staircase. These include multisensory instruction, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and ultimately comprehension. Each skill builds upon the one before it. When instruction is explicit and carefully sequenced, students can develop the skills needed to become successful readers rather than continually being asked to guess their way up the staircase.

One of the most powerful messages I took from this book came from the professionals with dyslexia who were asked what factors were critical to their success. Their responses included tenacity, confidence, a positive self-image, and a realistic acceptance of their personal struggles. Most importantly, they learned to deliberately focus on their personal strengths.

That message hit home for me!

As I read the stories in this book, I kept thinking about two students I feel I failed. I found myself wondering what I could have done differently if I had had the knowledge I am gaining now. I know that teachers work within a school system that can be grueling and flawed in many ways. It is nearly impossible for one teacher to meet the individual needs of every student in a classroom of twenty-five or more children each year. At the same time, many parents lack the financial resources, knowledge, or access to specialized servicestheir children may need.

But knowing that does not mean I am willing to give up. Instead, it has given me a new mission!

What's RIGHT with Me? reminded me that perhaps the most important question we can ask about a struggling student is not, "What's wrong with this child?" Instead, we should ask:

"What's right with this child, and how can we use those strengths to help them succeed?"

Every student brings strengths, interests, personalities, and abilities to the classroom. Our job is to find those strengths and use them as a starting point. The staircase metaphor has stayed with me. Reading comprehension is the top floor, but students cannot simply be told to climb there. We must provide the individual steps. We must make sure the steps are strong, secure, and taught in the right order. And when a child falls into the quicksand, we cannot stand at the edge and tell them to try harder.

We have to reach down and give them a hand-up.

(Portions of Tonya's book report have been omitted. As the author of What's RIGHT with Me?, I encourage you to read my book to discover specific action steps you can take to bring positive change for those with dyslexia you encounter.)