Reading Realities

Messy Work for Meaningful Change feat. Cherie Kent

What happens when educators realize the way they were taught to teach reading may not have served their students well? In this episode of Reading Realities, Cherie Kent, a literacy coach and consultant based in Auburn, Massachusetts, discusses her realization about the instructional and emotional shifts involved in adopting evidence-based instructional practices. She reflects on her own ah-ha moments from whole language instruction, grief and growth that came with learning more how to teach reading, and how she now supports teachers today through change.  Rose and Cherie talk about coaching, data-informed instruction, and why explicit teaching can be motivating for students. They also explore what a literacy leader can do — from building teacher confidence to creating systems of support — to help entrench change beyond a single event, person, or program to drive reading outcomes. References and Resources: * Sold a Story podcast hosted by Emily Hanford * The Big Beautiful Book of Questions by Warren Berger * Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz: https://www.newpaltz.edu/science-of-reading-center/ [https://www.newpaltz.edu/science-of-reading-center/]  Credits: * Guest: Cherie Kent, Literacy Coach, Consultant, and Doctoral Student based in Auburn, Massachusetts * Host: Rose Else-Mitchell, Executive Director of the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz * Produced by the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz, Rose Else-Mitchell, and Onalee Smith * Original music and audio editing by Ross Gentry *** Keywords: science of reading, structured literacy, literacy coaching, teacher professional learning, balanced literacy, reading fluency, phonics instruction, literacy leadership, explicit instruction, educational change, oral language development, reading assessment, teacher mindset shifts, literacy systems, early literacy instruction *** Get in Touch: Have a question or topic you’d like us to cover? Interested in being on a future episode of Reading Realities?  Contact us at scienceofreading@newpaltz.edu [scienceofreading@newpaltz.edu].  If this episode resonated with you, please: * Follow Reading Realities * Leave a rating and review * Share with a colleague or educator in your network Visit our website [https://www.newpaltz.edu/science-of-reading-center/] to learn more.

Nobody Looks Silly in My Class: Teaching Literacy in Middle School feat. Kyair Butts

What happens when students are expected to “read to learn” — but haven’t yet fully learned to read? Kyair Butts, a middle school literacy teacher and instructional leader in Baltimore, Maryland, joins host Rose Else-Mitchell, to explore what it means to teach reading to middle school students — and why this work is so urgent. Kyair's journey into teaching via coaching debate shaped his approach to literacy instruction and continues to influence his work. He loves supporting middle schoolers with diverse reading needs, balancing grade-level material with continued development of foundational skills like decoding, fluency, and lots of oral language practice and comprehension.  They unpack the importance of knowledge-building curricula, the role of fluency in adolescent reading, and how creating a psychologically safe classroom allows students to take risks, self-correct, and grow into confident readers. Kyair also speaks candidly about his own growth as an educator, from early challenges integrating to his ongoing work refining small group instruction. With the right support, strategies, and mindset, middle school classrooms can be places where students continue to build the skills and the identities they need as readers. You are never to old to learn to read. References and Resources: * The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk * Small Groups, Big Results by Julia Lindsey * Know Better, Do Better by David and Meredith Liben * Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz [https://www.newpaltz.edu/science-of-reading-center/] Credits: * Guest: Kyair Butts, Middle School Literacy Teacher, Instructional Leader, and Goyen Literacy Fellow based in Baltimore, MD. In 2019, he was named Teacher of the Year for Baltimore City Public Schools. * Host: Rose Else-Mitchell, Executive Director of the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz * Produced by the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz, Rose Else-Mitchell, and Onalee Smith * Original music and audio editing by Ross Gentry *** Keywords: middle school literacy, adolescent reading instruction, science of reading, fluency strategies, reading intervention, foundational skills in upper grades, literacy leadership, small group instruction, knowledge building curriculum, teaching older readers, reading confidence, literacy coaching, trauma-informed teaching, structured literacy, Baltimore City schools *** Get in Touch: Have a question or topic you’d like us to cover? Interested in being on a future episode of Reading Realities?  Contact us at scienceofreading@newpaltz.edu [scienceofreading@newpaltz.edu].  If this episode resonated with you, please: * Follow Reading Realities * Leave a rating and review * Share with a colleague or educator in your network Visit our website [https://www.newpaltz.edu/science-of-reading-center/] to learn more.

Teaching is a Verb: Rethinking Kindergarten Reading Instruction feat. Caitlin Lucas

In this first episode of Reading Realities, host Rose Else-Mitchell talks with Caitlin Lucas, a kindergarten teacher and literacy specialist in Pittsburgh, PA, to unpack her journey from familiar routines to research-aligned reading instruction. Through the disruption of the pandemic, Caitlin began rethinking everything—what mattered, what didn’t, and how to better support young learners. She shares how shifting toward explicit instruction, phonemic awareness, and intentional language modeling transformed her teaching and her students’ outcomes. This conversation goes beyond instructional strategies to discuss what it feels like to question your practice, embrace vulnerability, and make meaningful change in the classroom. References and Resources: * The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler [https://nataliewexler.com/the-knowledge-gap/] * Articulation Tips from Reading Universe [https://readinguniverse.org/explore-teaching-topics/word-recognition/phonological-awareness/articulation-pronunciation] * Peachie Speechie SLP on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@PeachieSpeechie] * Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz [https://www.newpaltz.edu/science-of-reading-center/] Credits: * Guest: Caitlin Lucas, Kindergarten Teacher, Literacy Specialist, and Goyen Literacy Fellow based in Pittsburgh, PA * Host: Rose Else-Mitchell, Executive Director of the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz * Produced by the Science of Reading Center at SUNY New Paltz, Rose Else-Mitchell, and Onalee Smith * Original music and audio editing by Ross Gentry *** Keywords: science of reading, kindergarten reading instruction, phonemic awareness activities, early literacy strategies, structured literacy, phonics instruction, teaching kids to read, literacy coaching, kindergarten classroom strategies, reading intervention, post-pandemic education, explicit instruction, early reading development *** Get in Touch: Have a question or topic you’d like us to cover? Interested in being on a future episode of Reading Realities?  Contact us at scienceofreading@newpaltz.edu [scienceofreading@newpaltz.edu].  If this episode resonated with you, please: * Follow Reading Realities * Leave a rating and review * Share with a colleague or educator in your network Visit our website [https://www.newpaltz.edu/science-of-reading-center/] to learn more.