PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Christoper Sanders is about to start 7th grade at a new school, Osceola Middle School in Seminole.
“I was excited to go here,” he said.
And when it comes to reading, he said he likes books about the military.
“I don’t read often. Like a lot. But I read here and there when I’m bored.”
Teachers like Mallory French hope kids choose to read not just because they’re bored.
But because they love it.
It also happens to be a pretty big key to learning.
“Reading is fundamental, so without these reading skills, they will fall short in other places,” she said.
French said when she was a student, she fell just short on the reading FCAT and had to take intensive reading classes instead of more fun electives.
But it was that experience that made her want to be a teacher.
She’s beginning her first year as an intensive reading teacher at Osceola Middle School.
“Being able to relate to your teacher and seeing firsthand that this teacher did go through all these reading classes and is now standing in front of me teaching a reading course, I think that’s going to play a huge role in some confidence boosting,” French said.
French said it’s that confidence that will help with test scores, which have been on the decline in Florida.
A recent report from the National Center for Education Statistics found reading scores declined around the country.
In Florida, 8th-grade average reading scores dropped about 4% from before the pandemic, which many blame for students falling behind in many areas.
Meanwhile, Mallory is setting up her classroom for her first year of teaching in the same school district where she was once a student.
“I definitely let them know that this class will have its challenges, but when they try their best, I’m here to support them. And I’m going to be able to provide them with whatever they need to succeed,” she said.
