Opinion
Education Letter to the Editor

Merrow Commentary Reminds Us of an ‘Obvious But Overlooked Truth’

January 06, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

I would like to add my voice to John Merrow’s Commentary “Reclaiming America, One 1st Grader at a Time” (Dec. 3, 2008).

Having spent 20 years teaching grades K-3, I decided to devote the last 10 years of my teaching career to helping 1st graders become successful readers. It was clear to me that this would be the most critical professional contribution I could possibly make to students. Having each child leave my class reading on grade level—and not on a list for remediation—was my goal. Rather than relying on subsequent teachers to “fix” any students who couldn’t read, I committed myself to making certain my youngsters were never viewed as “broken” by virtue of their lack of reading ability.

Too often in our discussions of reforming schools, we forget that educational success happens one child at a time. Committed parents feel this passionately. Good teachers know this intuitively. Kudos to Mr. Merrow for stating this obvious but often overlooked truth.

Denise Gelberg

Ithaca, N.Y.

A version of this article appeared in the January 07, 2009 edition of Education Week as Merrow Commentary Reminds Us of An ‘Obvious But Overlooked Truth’

Events

Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz Trump’s Surprise Freeze on School Funding—How Much Do You Know?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz What Lowers Teacher Turnover? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz Which State Is About to Pass a ‘Science of Reading’ Law? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz What is a Project 2025 Author Doing at the Education Department? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read