Books.  I love ‘em!  Beach books, text books, old books, new books.  I can’t imagine life as a non-reader.  When I was invited by the school’s reading specialist to participate in Wilson Reading Training to learn how to help struggling readers succeed, I was thrilled at the prospect.  But Wilson training was a completely new experience.  I never realized that the English language was so exasperatingly complicated!  However, re-learning how to read was for me a defining opportunity.  It enabled me to understand my students’ frustration and even sadness when they arrived in a post-secondary program and approached reading with dread and distaste.  

The training methodology appealed to every kind of learner.  Lectures were accompanied by demonstrations, and participants had constant opportunities to engage in hands-on learning using colorful cards, velcro boards, and bright tiles.  Videos complemented the efforts of the face-to-face trainer.  Also, we often broke into pairs to practice strategies and gain experience from one another.  The most flexible aspect of the training involved question and answer sessions; overall, the format was highly structured. 

Because of the depth of the training, I began to view language skills with greater curiosity.  I worked with the reading specialist to research fluency methods that would build upon the Wilson Training students were receiving.  In addiiton, I developed a yearning to go beyond reading instruction to exploring innovative ways to develop writing skills.  Without question, becoming a learner myself dismissed my assumption that reading was a delightful pastime and students just needed a little patient instruction to reach that same conclusion.  The reverse was true.  I discovered that language arts is a complex, demanding, and challenging  endeavor requiring a wide range of techniques and strategies to connect and solidify skills.