A few Septembers ago I was in an auditorium with lots of teachers. We had just finished a day of professional development. I was tired, hungry, and my brain was so full that teaching strategies were spilling out of my ears and dribbling down my shirt. The workshops had been facilitated by these awesome people with funny accents, consultants from AUSSIE.

I raised my hand and asked, “So, I’ve been working on this teaching reading thing for some time now (7 years). When will I feel like I’ve got it, like I know how to do it, like teaching reading is easy?”

Vicki stepped forward. Vicki somehow reminds me of a fairy godmother. She’s tiny, wise, has sparkly eyes, and of course, she has that accent. “Well,” she began. “I don’t think there’s really ever a time when we’re done learning. In fact, I’m still learning myself.” Great, I thought to myself, that’s just great.

The fact is, Vicki is right. As teachers there is always more to learn, especially when it comes to teaching reading. And learning is exciting, especially when we have adequate time and encouraging teachers who create a safe space for us to explore new ideas. Ultimately, professional learning is worth it; it helps us do our best for kids.

My goal in this chapter is to give you some virtual coaching while you're on your way to becoming a strong reading teacher. For three years I had a fabulous literacy coach named Lisa Burman. In addition, I've taken and taught courses on literacy instruction. So here's some info to get you started.