By Shelly Moody, an instructional coach at Atwood Primary School and Williams Elementary School in Oakland. She is the 2011 Maine Teacher of the Year.
As I was meeting with our school principal recently, a small, blond-haired boy arrived in her doorway with his teacher. “Jeffrey has something special to tell you,” the teacher said.
With a huge smile on his face, Jeffrey shared the news that he had read at home every night for the last 50 days. We quickly gave him high fives to celebrate his progress and engagement as a reader.
“My mom,” he said, beaming with pride. In that moment, Jeffrey reminded us of the impact reading aloud can have on our children.