Learning to read is one of the most important skills a child develops in school. It is also one of the most challenging. While some children learn to read with relative ease, others need additional instruction, encouragement, and time to develop the skills that will serve them throughout their lives.
“Reading is a very complicated set of skills,” explains Kristin Daniel, reading teacher in the Seven Rivers Program at Miller School. “Some students have a natural ability to just master those on their own. But the majority of kids actually need support.”
At Miller School, our youngest Mavericks are learning to read in a setting where teachers can recognize individual needs and respond quickly. Kristin works with students from kindergarten through seventh grade, concentrating much of her time on children in kindergarten through third grade who are struggling with reading.
One of the advantages of the Seven Rivers Program is its small size and the flexibility that comes with it.
“One of the things we do at Seven Rivers is we are so small that we can be really nimble,” Kristin explains. “So if a student is struggling with reading or comes to us with that struggle, we can provide interventions day one.”
Throughout the school day, reading takes many forms. Students gather around tables with their teachers, settle into comfortable corners with classmates, and find quiet places outdoors to enjoy a book. Sometimes they read independently. Other times they read together, sharing stories and helping one another along the way.
For Kristin, the work is not simply about teaching children how to read. It is also about helping them discover the pleasure of reading.
“I really try to build a culture of reading as something that's not just difficult but also fun,” Kristin says. “So that by the time they're in middle school and high school, they not only can read, but they have a love for reading.”
That combination of individual attention, early intervention, and opportunities to enjoy books is central to the Seven Rivers approach. The goal is to give students the skills they need to read successfully and the desire to continue reading long after they leave the lower school.
MEET KRISTIN DANIEL, Ph.D.
Kristin has been an educator for over twenty years. She earned her bachelors in English from Syracuse University with aspirations of becoming a writer. When she found teaching, she never looked back. She earned her doctorate in special education from George Washington University in 2014 with a focus on working with students that struggled to read and write.