Student Success Stories From Parents

John Grider's Story by Carolyn Grider

Children are my business. I am a 39-year-old, widowed mother of two. I am a substitute Sunday School teacher. I am a Special Education/Reading Recovery teacher. These things combine to make my heart ache for the children who struggle to read; especially because I know there is an intervention that works. It’s Reading Recovery!

I have seen the benefits first hand, as a teacher and as a parent. My son was recommended for Reading Recovery when he was in first grade. Unfortunately, he scored too high and wasn’t able to receive the one-to-one Reading Recovery lessons. He was, however, able to be in a small reading group with the trained Reading Recovery teacher. My son had a hard time that year because his daddy died in a farming accident. He was struggling to be successful in school and trying to learn to read. This was my training year for Reading Recovery. I was split between two schools and had to bring my books and lessons home most nights so my son read the books. He had his Literacy Collaborative trained classroom teacher and his Reading Recovery trained small group teacher on his side. When we moved at the end of first grade I let him have a second year of first grade in the new school. This let him mature and adjust to our new life without his daddy.

He is now in second grade and is reading on a 4th or 5th grade level. His self-confidence is growing. I can hear the strength of his knowledge of reading strategies when he’s reading. (I know because I’m trained in Reading Recovery myself.) I am so thankful this opportunity was afforded to my son and me.