Professional Reading [What Really Matters for Struggling Readers by Richard L. Allington]

A common misconception many secondary teachers hold onto is that we need know very little about the reading process. This ideal is false for so many reasons, but the two most important are these facts:

1. In every subject area, reading is required and assigned.
2. In every classroom across the United States struggling readers struggle through this assigned reading.

We cannot ignore the fact that in order to be good at any one thing we need only to be able to read. For it's in reading books and journals and articles that we gain knowledge about advancements, ideas, directions, instructions, information, discoveries, &etc. Albert Einstein once said that the only thing we really need to know is how to get to and use the library. Therefore, if we are ignorant enough to believe that the reading process does not add to our teaching, there is no helping the struggling students in your classroom.

With that very pointed point, there are many books every teacher should read - yes, including secondary teachers - and one of them is Richard Allington's What Really Matters for Struggling Readers: Designing Research-Based Programs. It was required reading for my Diagnosing and Correcting Struggling Readers class, but it is well worth your time. You know it's a good book when my copy contains tabs of unbelievable ideas, quotes, and facts that I do not want to forget:

It is packed full of information readily available to use in the classroom. 

It debunks any misguided thoughts we have on reading intervention programs.

It tackles difficult issues such as standardized testing and Dibel's assessment with researched facts.

It offers research based strategies to help struggling readers that are easy to implement and simple to follow.

Overall this book has motivated me, given me confidence in what I know, built upon knowledge, and gave me the will to fight for what is best for students. 

It is one I will be returning to many times over as I fulfill the desire to become the very best teacher I can be. And I highly recommend it goes on your teacher-tool shelf as well.