MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Jackie Flaum is the head Team Read coach at Germantown United Methodist Church.
Flaum said the team came about after she and the principal at Caldwell Guthrie Elementary realized the reading program they had wasn’t working.
“We cannot teach children how to read in 30 minutes.”
Flaum said in thinking about ways to improve the experience for students, they decided to focus on one reading skill:recognizing Frye Words or sight words, the most frequently used words in reading.
“These are foundational words. If you can’t read these foundational words just like that, you can’t read.”
Since its inception in 2011, there are now 40 Shelby County School that are now Team Read Schools.
“It’s growing because it works for volunteers because it’s flexible enough for volunteers and it works for kids. It is working for kids.”
Flaum recalled the story of one student who couldn’t read one sight word in second grade.
After just one years in Team Read the improvement was obvious.
“She was reading 450 words saying ‘come on why are we going so slow,’ and I’m thinking ‘this is why I came to school,'” said Flaum.
The connection to the students motivates them to continue recruiting students and volunteers for Team Read.
“The minute they see that you’re really coming there for them, that you’re interested in them they come around and it’s such a strong bond.”
Flaum knows the stats about children who don’t read at grade level by 3rd grade.
“‘I’d like to be a high school dropout.’ ‘I’d like to be an unwed mother at 13.’ ‘I’d like to be in jail.’ Not one of them has ever said that but statistically 74% will end up that way if they can’t read on 3rd grade level.”
She said it’s everyone’s responsibility to support our students.
She’s ready and she’s hoping you are ready to join Team Read.
To find out how you can help, click here.