Before starting with the subject at hand, I want my readers to share in expressing regards to the family of Teacher Art Egel. Affectionately known as Teacher Art, in my opinion, he is an icon in Anguilla and one of the most loved persons to ever work in the education system.

His life was dedicated to enriching the lives of children and his determination to do so was never weakened. He will be sorely missed by everyone and most importantly, the children who he loved so much. Many topics of this column were given by Teacher Art and he always did so on an anonymous basis. His love for children and his humble nature made him a role model for all. We have all been extremely blessed by his life and it should be everyone’s aspiration to be loved and respected as he was.

It was so pleasing to receive an e-mail from Catherine Proctor, Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, a couple of weeks ago. She made an invitation to visit her at the Reading Recovery Office in the Teacher’s Resource Centre to discuss the ten-year history of this stellar programme. We met briefly and discussed the major accolades of the programme. She also gave me a tour of the viewing room with the two-sided mirror where training sessions are conducted. After the tour, another invitation was made for me to visit one of the training sessions in which all would witness the process of teaching a child to read. Upon returning on Thursday, June 5 at 2:00 pm, I joined a room with four teachers and Mrs. Proctor. It was completely dark and the voices in the other room were heard clearly on a PA system.

On the other side of the mirror was the most adorable child and of course a very eager teacher. Both children who received the reading training wore smiles during the entire thirty minute session as well as the teachers in the dark room. My experience at the Reading Recovery Centre once again reaffirms the notion that teachers are the best people on the planet. It takes a very special person to teach another child that is not his or her own in such a personal and caring way. On top of that, teaching a child to read requires a great deal of experience as well as expertise. The tools that are given to children in this programme will ensure that they have a chance to be successful students and thus provide more opportunities for them in the future.

Reading Recovery began in Anguilla in 1998 and there are fourteen teachers trained to teach children to read. Of the 364 students, 62% have successfully discontinued from the programme and are continuing to profit from ongoing instruction in class.

Mrs. Catherine Proctor and all the other teachers involved in Reading Recovery are to be commended for their hard work and diligence. As they celebrate 10 years of excellence, let us reflect on all of the 364 children who have benefited from this programme.

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