Often as parents, we purchase flash cards or “getting ready” workbooks to help our children prepare for school or to practice school activities at home, but what matters more: structured practice or just simply playing with your child?

The inaugural Reading 360 Summit resonates in my mind as one of the most powerful learning opportunities of my career. Listening to several Tennessee leaders in the sessions over the three day summit highlighted and reinforced the incredible literacy work that is occurring in across the state.

I have always taught in the early grades, and my PhD is in literacy. After being introduced to the research behind the importance of language and phonemic awareness, especially in the early years, I made it my mission to institute sounds-first instruction in my district.

One of the key components to ensuring all students are proficient grade level readers is professional learning and coaching for our teachers.

When children are first born, we start making faces and cooing sounds. We are constantly talking to our newborns about the weather, naming family members, and identifying everything around them.

When my son was born, I wanted him to love reading. I wanted him to read Green Eggs and Ham, love going to Tuesday library story time, and enjoy reading books all Sunday afternoon. As a child, I read to him every night before bed.

Since we know parents are our students first teachers, we knew it would be essential for Reading 360 to engage parents as partners in the effort to get all children reading by third grade.

As we are all finishing up the school year, the department is thrilled that so many Tennessee educators are also finishing up Course 1 of the Early Reading Training!

This month we kicked off our Early Reading Training for Tennessee educators, and we couldn’t be more excited for what it means for literacy across our state!