We are thankful for YOU!
Here at ReadWorks, we know the power you have to change the lives of your students with successful, joyful reading. Deep comprehension of high-quality content ignites the potential for success in students' futures. Your hard work is appreciated today, tomorrow, and in the years to come!
To give thanks, we shared a little about some of our favorite teachers and the books that we read with them. Some of these books are available through ReadWorks' Book Studies — we encourage you to spread the joy with your students, too!
Susanne Nobles
Chief Academic Officer I remember my 5th grade with Mr. Kass. He made time to read aloud books to us, bringing us together in community around a shared story even when other teachers might have said we were too old for this practice. I loved hearing how he read books and still remember the silence when he got to the part of Charlotte's Web when Charlotte dies. Teachers bring reading alive for students — you perform this magic every day! |
Melissa Calder
Director of Marketing & Engagement Thank you to my third-grade teacher Mrs. Ordine (who I connected with on Facebook, more than 20 years later). I can still feel her enthusiasm when she introduced the book Charlotte’s Web to our class. I remember reviewing the characters and relating to both Charlotte and Wilbur. My joy for stories was sparked! |
Samuel Siegel
Marketing & Development Intern Fourth grade with Mr. Hetherington was the best. Every week, he would eat school lunches in the cafeteria with his students and tell us stories about his childhood in the UK. We all hoped that he would sit at our tables! We popcorn-read Frindle together, which soon became my favorite book. |
Manjula Raman
Senior Director of Content & Curriculum In 1st grade, Ms. Jones sat us down on the reading rug over the course of several days to read aloud The Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark. I was so, so into that story, and the way Ms. Jones read it, with character voices and questions for us listeners, made the whole thing come alive! I remember spending many days fixated on what the mysterious "M" medallion could mean. I think that may have been my very first favorite book — all thanks to Ms. Jones! |
Margo Doolittle
Development Specialist I was incredibly lucky to have Mr. Chalk as my 9th grade English teacher. He typically taught upper class, honors classes, but for his last year before retiring, he wanted to teach a 9th grade class— and I landed in that class. His love of teaching shone through daily and he imparted so much wisdom — both about english and about life in general. We read so many classics, but one that I remember loving was 12 Angry Men. |
Paola Yuli
Content Intern I am thankful for the love of reading my second and third grade teacher, Ms. King (now Mrs. Fauvell) instilled in my life. It has been two whole decades since I sat on the story time rug in her class and heard the words from books like Because of Winn Dixie dance around the room. Her passion for education and literacy inspires me today! |
Terry Bowman
Executive Director I had an amazing 2nd-grade teacher named Ms. Wellman who changed my life. She was firm in all the right ways, and not only do I remember her spending time with me to teach me how to tell time, but she introduced new and more ‘complex’ reading to me. I distinctly remember her introducing Charlotte's Web to us and talking about a talking pig :). We stayed in touch till I was through with college over 20 years later, and I think about her often still. |
Nathalie Karimian, Ed.D.
Content & Curricular Supports Developer One of my favorite teachers was my 4th grade teacher, Ms. Abranian. She was always coming up with interesting projects and talking about the service dogs she fostered. She sparked my wonder for reading newspaper comics with a project centered around the parts of speech. She invited a children's book illustrator to give our class drawing tips! She's also the reason I became a huge Harry Potter fan. The first Harry Potter book had just started to gain popularity, but I didn't see myself as a fan of fantasy. Ms. Abranian played the audiobook for us and I was hooked. In her last year of teaching, I was a substitute teacher in our school district and had the opportunity to reconnect with her and substitute for her class. It was truly heartwarming. Thank you Ms. Abranian! |
Becca Vaughn
Director of Development Story time in Mrs. Bundy’s fourth-grade class was my favorite time of day and sparked my joy of reading. She read us Hoot and Because of Winn Dixie as we sat together on the story time rug. When I had a cast on for part of the year, I would spend my lunch with Mrs. Bundy and she would always share some of her favorite books with me including what became my absolute favorite growing up, Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger. |