Gari Sue's Story

Student Success Stories

Gari Sue's Story: From Struggling Reader to Reading Volunteer

by Doretta Gerber, Literacy Coordinator, Lamar Elementary, Pampa, Texas

Gari Sue Haddock moved to Pampa, TX, from Colorado about half way into her first-grade year. Although she knew several letters and words, assessments showed that Gari Sue qualified for our early intervention. Her classroom teacher and I agreed that Reading Recovery would provide her with the best opportunity to become a proficient reader.

That was the beginning of the journey. The next morning in walked Gari Sue, a dark- haired, bright-eyed child who was ready to learn. She was a hard worker and a very determined student. She was a little timid at first and not willing to take risks. As she became comfortable with daily lessons and with me, Gari Sue began making wonderful progress, and eventually her lessons were successfully discontinued.

Not only was Gari Sue a determined and eager learner; she had great support at home. She always came to school with her homework complete and often wrote about her family. The strong parental support helped her in her early learning and I’m sure they are proud of her many accomplishments today! I am proud that she has gone on to have such a successful school career and I am grateful that I could be a part of her educational experience.

A letter of thanks
Subject: Reading Recovery Success!

Dear Ms. Hendricks,
I am a former Travis Elementary Reading Recovery student. I was taught under Ms. Gerber several years ago when I moved to Pampa from Colorado. At the time I didn’t realize how bad off I was, although I do remember getting frustrated over spelling and English. Today I read the article on the Pampa ISD website about Reading Recovery and was surprised to see that the program had been created to help the students who suffered the most academically. The reason that came as such a shock is because of how much things have changed in my life since then. I am not writing this to brag, but I want to encourage you that this program works very well. I have been the number one student in my class for the past two years. As a freshman I was fourth in my class of 2003, and after that we moved to Wellington, Texas, where I believe I have continued to grow in my studies. I am now entering my senior year and there is a good chance that I will be valedictorian, and if not, salutatorian. I appreciate the efforts of teachers like you more than I can express. I know that God blessed me more than I deserve with such a wonderful program. It saved me, and I don’t even want to imagine who I would be without Reading Recovery. I believe that even the kids who seem hopeless have untapped and incredible potential!!

I plan to continue the blessing of reading when I graduate. I’ll be attending West Texas A&M to major in education. I can’t think of a better career for me, and that’s no exaggeration! I’ve been volunteering with first graders and kindergartners at the Wellington Opportunity Center for over a year. I help the students with their reading homework and use the principles of phonics I remember from Reading Recovery and Ms. Gerber. I love my job, and even after a day of misbehaving children and stress, I leave with a smile and a full, happy heart! I thank God for the chances he’s given me to help these kids, to become a teacher, and to get out of the deep rut I was in. Thank you for what you do!! God bless you!!

Sincerely,
Gari Sue Haddock

Photo top left: Gari Sue age 6; right: Gari Sue in 2008

This article first appeared in The Journal of Reading Recovery, vol. 8, no.1 (Fall 2008)