Celebrate the Little Victories

In the last week or so, I’ve been assessing my students’ progress with running records and other testing measures. Some students have made amazing progress, and it’s satisfying to see how their hard work is paying off. I can find lots of ways to celebrate their success, which is evident right there in my recording sheets. For other students, however, those same recording sheets provide little evidence of growth. Those students are still struggling with some of the same strategies we’ve been practicing since day one.

After testing one particular student who has received intense instruction, I was disheartened to find that she had not progressed to the next level on her running record. At least two people on our team had worked with this animated, sweet, silly student every day since school had started six months earlier. We all knew that she was not learning at the same rate as her peers, but it was frustrating to see—right there in black and white—her lack of progress.

Throughout the day, I continued to be troubled as I thought about this student. I knew that she had seen a fleeting look of disappointment on my face, and I felt as if I had failed her in some way. Since they’re an important form of assessment, I decided to look back at the plethora of conferring notes that I had accumulated while I had worked every day with this child. That’s when I realized that she indeed had grown—and grown a lot!

The very next day, I sat down with that sweet girl and showed her how excited I was by her growth. We talked about how hard it had been for her at first, but now she knows all the letters in her first and last names. She can even write her name! She can show me where the cover, title page, and title of a book are. She can use picture clues, and she’s beginning to remember the pattern of the story she is reading. This child has reached many little milestones that most children come to school already knowing. She was so excited when she realized how much she’d learned that she couldn’t wait to read the new book I had for her!

I cannot change the fact that learning to read is a bit harder for her than for her peers. But I can make sure that my excitement for her learning is no different from how it is for others. I can show her how much her hard work is paying off. I can honor the work we’ve done together by sharing her small victories with her. This, in the end, might be what keeps her from giving up. Since I’ve made sure to celebrate her growth, she is working harder than ever and growing. That is something to celebrate!

We all have students who aren’t performing at the level of their peers or growing as quickly as the standards say they should. How can we find ways to celebrate the learning and growing that they are doing? Each student deserves a chance to be celebrated. How will you celebrate your learners?