Christon's Story

Student Success Stories

"Individualized Commitment to Success" is Christon's Brand Name

Christon Stallworth is a third-grade student at Northside Elementary in DeSoto, TX. When not reading a good book, you might find Christon outside playing one of his favorite sports. His success in school began 2 years ago when Carol Stewart introduced him to Reading Recovery because he wasn’t accelerating in the classroom.

He began his lessons reading at Level 6. After 10 weeks he was reading at Level 18, and his lessons were discontinued. His reading achievement was bolstered by a strong first-grade teacher, Lori Sheppard; a caring mother who read with her son every night; and the strength of an outstanding reading intervention.

Christon’s mother, Tawana, now a principal in DeSoto, credits the collaborative team effort for her son’s success. “Individualized Commitment to Success is the brand name my child wore during his time in Reading Recovery. There is no replacement for one-on-one instruction, as we all know. But more importantly, it is the heart and dedication of a teacher like Carol Stewart that yields results. She put the exception in the word team because she connected the program, the classroom teacher, the parent, and Christon to one focus: Reading!”

This article first appeared in The Journal of Reading Recovery, vol. 6, no.1 (Fall 2006)