Give Them Time

I’m a runner and have been for a while, yet the first two miles are as hard for me today as they were 10 years ago when I started running. Luckily when I first began, I had great running mentors who promised me that if I could get past the first two miles, the endorphins and muscle memory would kick in and my body would take over on its own. It was great advice that got me through the hard part so I could get to the good part. Many beginning runners I know give up in those first two miles and never get to feel that amazing endorphin high a long run can bring.

I started thinking about this idea when it comes to the strategies that we teach our students to help them grow as readers and writers. Are we giving kids enough time to get past the “first two miles” and get to the benefits of internalizing new reading and writing habits, or are we jumping around so much that they never get to feel that “endorphin reading/writing high” that using new strategies can bring?

The best place to look when answering this question is our conferring notes. Do we let kids get to Touch Point 3 or 4 before moving on? Are they given enough time with strategies? Do they have an opportunity to see them modeled, practice them with guidance, and then try them on their own with support?

At one time our conferring notes looked like a smattering of strategies taught with no real follow-through because they were based on what we noticed one specific day and we didn’t go back to check in around what was taught. We saw students in their “first two miles” and most often didn’t get to the finish line with them. Now we see the importance of stopping and looking at our conferring notes, thinking about the student in front of us, and asking ourselves how we can help kids move through the frustration that can occur in those “first two miles” so they too can get to all the “good stuff” that reading and writing can bring to their lives.

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