Why I teach...

So I have this little girl, well she is 17, but a little girl none the less, and I have been working with her for about a month now on reading skills. She absolutely hated reading when we started!!! Hated it, and even got emotional about it because she felt she was terrible at reading, and I have to say that it was pretty bad.

Wednesday she comes up to me and tells me that she went to the library and found a book that she is really enjoying. She also told me that she had gone to the library and tried two other books before getting a book she could read on her own, but she never gave up! Today she comes up to me and tells me that she had finished reading the book and is looking for another. She was so proud of herself for being able to read the book by herself, and I am super proud of this little girl too!!! She has come such a long way in just a month. I think this is the first book that she has ever read on her own. I didn't assign it, and I didn't make her get the book. She did it all on her own!

I asked her what she thought about reading now that she has some skills to help her through, and she told me that she really likes reading now! She was so excited to get another book! It is a simple thing, but I can say if I don't have any other successes this year, I know I am where I am supposed to be. That young lady, although she doesn't know it, has given me such a wonderful gift. I was just hoping to help her struggle less, but now she has a love for books, which is like gold to an English teacher! I am so grateful that I am where I am!