She snuggles in next to me, holds up the book really high and looks at me expectantly, “Ready, mom?” I nod and off we go, Thea trying to figure out what happened to Daniel Tiger and why he got so upset with his friends. Every word is a thought. Every word is work. She uses expression yet chops her way through. Some words she completely misses, her legs moving, her body wiggling, and guesses fly out of her mouth because her eyes are not looking at the words but instead at the pictures.
Thea could be given a lot of labels. The teacher voice in my head has a running monologue as she reads checking off the skills she still needs to conquer. She is a reader that is behind where she should be after her first year in school according to the charts. She is a kid that fights for every step forward she makes. And yet, to me she is so much more. She is a kid who doesn’t give up even when she gets frustrated. She is a kid that knows that she needs body breaks when her brain is processing words. She is a kid that thrives on the routine of reading every night, not because I told her so, but because she wants to show me she can. And she loves to read.
She is not a struggling reader.
She is not a failing reader.
She is a reader. Period. A kid that is developing their skills at her pace in the way her body and her brain needs. She is a kid that loves to read even though it can be a struggle. Yet that very struggle cannot define her. That label cannot possibly sum up everything she is when it comes to reading. So why do we continue to call our students struggling readers whenever they are working hard? Is that really the message we want to send? That reading is a struggle to them? Or should we re-frame our conversation and instead empower them with their titles? How about calling them developing readers? Growing readers? How about just readers?
Our students do not come to school identifying themselves as struggling in anything but they leave thinking it. We give them the language that they use to identify themselves, so how will your students be identified? You decide…
I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
Pernille Ripp 
YES!. Growing Reading, Developing Reader, READER! – Not struggling reader. Thanks for writing this .
Good for you! Your daughter sounds delightful and I for one of many applaud your insight to what makes a child a reader.
Wonderful post. “Struggler”should not define who we are at any age.
Thank you so much for this post. Being a mother certainly has made me a more patient teacher, but you remind me of another very important aspect- how would I want the teacher to see and talk to MY child. They are ALL our children
Reblogged this on Deep Blue Readers and commented:
This post from Pernille Rip at ‘Blogging Through the Fourth Dimension’ gets to the heart of why Deep Blue Readers don’t focus on the age of our book club kids, but on what kids are ready to read and what they choose to read. Are you a Stillwater area kid reading from the Middle Grades shelf? Then be a Deep Blue Reader with us!
I like your term of developing reader; I’m going to use that instead. All the things you notice about Thea ( her strategies, skills and improvement areas) are why we need more teaching time instead of testing. Testing would label a student who doesn’t meet a set standard. As a teacher, you see the important things and use the correct label: Reader. This is what a child needs going forward – you are a reader, and as long as you enjoy it you are a successful reader. That is what will keep a child open to learning.
I could have written this very post about my 6 year old son. I was told he is ‘reading below grade level” a few months ago by his K teachers and he was even recommended for summer school (three 45-min. sessions per week)! He WANTS to read, and WILL read, but I wonder how much energy was put in by his teachers to tap into his interests and really develop a love of literacy. I have heard the term “striving reader” and I kind of like it! Kyle is a striving reader. We know how much power words can hold. I can only hope that Kyle doesn’t seem himself as a ‘struggling reader.” In my house, where boxes of new books arrive frequently, we celebrate and value all reading experiences! I wish that happened in school!
Thank you for this post! I just discovered your blog via a comment on my blog where I wrote a post about this exact thing. Thank you for giving me more to think about as we look at identity, labels and how we are empowering our children – our readers, writers, mathematicians, etc.
And she’s a lucky little girl!
My child was in the lowest reading group in first grade. He did not learn to read until much later than his peers. I worried so much, and took him to a reading tutor. But, he just wasn’t ready. It’s 11 years later and he made a 35 on the reading section of the ACT and 5’s on most of his AP tests. I hate the “time schedule” for reading we put kids on. It seems so damaging. He still remembers being in the lowest group. He didn’t feel “smart” for years. He’s just starting to realize how smart he truly is. Good luck to your daughter. It’s been three years, and I just found your blog, and I hope she is doing well. Julie