In this Educator Spotlight, Michigan kindergarten teacher Alexia Mathews speaks about how Being a Reader helped her build a strong classroom community and increased student learning. Thank you for chatting with us, Alexia!
Tell us a little about yourself, your school/district, and the students that you serve.
My name is Alexia Mathews and I am a kindergarten teacher at Huntington Elementary school in Riverview, Michigan. I graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education.
I have been a teacher at Riverview Community School District for five years. For the past three years, I have been teaching kindergarten. I have always enjoyed lower elementary and now that I am teaching kindergarten, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
I am so happy to be a part of the Riverview Community School District. I have been lucky enough to teach at all three elementary schools. I grew up very close to this area, and I love the close knit, small community of Riverview.
I love developing strong relationships with my colleagues and the families at our school. It brings me great joy to spend each day with my kindergarten students. They are just beginning their educational career and I am helping to set the foundation for these students to be successful lifelong learners.
It brings me great joy to spend each day with my kindergarten students. They are just beginning their educational career and I am helping to set the foundation for these students to be successful lifelong learners.
What is the most rewarding part of being an educator for you?
I focus on building a community in my classroom where my students are welcome and comfortable with taking risks in their learning. I teach my students that we are all in this together and we are a “classroom family.”
Some students are afraid or nervous to take risks. They worry that they will be embarrassed if they are wrong. I work on building up their confidence and instill some self-motivation. We work towards gaining the confidence to take a risk. Once they have a little success, they are proud of themselves and it motivates them to try harder to improve.
I love seeing their excitement when they have read their first word or counted higher than they have before. It’s gratifying to observe how proud they are as they build their knowledge.
How long have you been implementing Being a Reader? Tell us a little about your implementation.
This is my first year implementing the Being a Reader program. It has been quite easy to teach my students the routines that this program has in place. I was very happy to see how quickly they learned the structure of the lessons.
Although you can begin this program at any grade level, kindergarten is a great place to start. I like knowing that my students will continue this program throughout their elementary career. This will develop a smooth transition as they move grade levels.
This is my first year implementing the Being a Reader program. It has been quite easy to teach my students the routines that this program has in place. I was very happy to see how quickly they learned the structure of the lessons.
What do you appreciate about Being a Reader?
I appreciate knowing that my students are not going to miss something critical in their learning.
I appreciate how the program teaches a skill and spends a unit perfecting and working on that skill.
I love the revisiting of poems. I now have incorporated the poems into our daily centers during independent learning time.
I appreciate that there is a foundational structure, but I also really like that teachers can still add in their personal flair to the lessons.
I appreciate how this program allows students to learn with their peers using “Turn to Your Partner” and “Think, Pair, Share” skills, which afford the students the opportunity to collaborate at a young age. Within the units, the lessons focus on being respectful when working with a partner. We discuss openly and frequently about how we should speak with others and how we can be good listeners to our partners.
The units direct us to switch up partners every unit and I keep track of who the students have worked with so they can work with someone new each time. This ties into building a classroom community and safe environment to take risks that I find extremely important.
I also appreciate that what I am teaching and what they are learning will be reinforced in future grade levels.
I appreciate that there is a foundational structure, but I also really like that teachers can still add in their personal flair to the lessons.
What have you noticed about your students’ learning and engagement?
My students have developed a very strong foundation using these routines. This program helps set routines in the beginning that are reinforced as the units progress. It helps them get along well with partners and demonstrate appropriate manners during our lessons.
They enjoy discussing our topics and stay on task when participating in a “Turn to your Partner” or “Think, Pair, Share.” I see this being carried over in how they treat each other later in the school day. I notice an improvement and an increase in their learning.
I observe my students meeting their goals in their assessments and standardized tests. Many of my students are on track to meet or exceed the goals that are set at the kindergarten level.
I observe my students meeting their goals in their assessments and standardized tests. Many of my students are on track to meet or exceed the goals that are set at the kindergarten level.
How has Being a Reader affected or changed your own teaching and learning?
It is convenient that the stories and poems are provided. I appreciate that I do not have to conduct searches, check standards, or buy materials to help reinforce the lessons and standards.
It feels good knowing that I am covering all of the standards for kindergarten that we have in this program and I do not see gaps in the material or learning. It also leaves room to differentiate instruction depending on the individual levels of my students.
What advice or insights would you share with an educator who is new to Being a Reader?
In the beginning, it takes time to get into a groove and see what works for you and your class. I like that the program has a strong focus on routines initially. I would suggest sticking with it. I did and my students know what to do when it comes to our reading lessons. As we have been working with this program, I have become more comfortable and confident in my teaching.
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Learn more about Being a Reader
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