As readers will see in this week’s edition of The Anguillian, Reading Recovery celebrates ten years of success in Anguilla. When the celebratory event was announced, I promptly let Nat Hodge know that I would be happy to cover it. From the beginning of the ceremony until the end, the crowd and I were all awe-struck from the proceedings. Reading Recovery in Anguilla is obviously a strong programme that is working and paying dividends to many children who desperately need the extra attention. To say it bluntly, and without hesitation, teachers are the best people on the planet! They make the world go around. Behind every success, every person, every professional, there was a teacher who gave him or her the confidence and tools to make it. Moreover, can you actually imagine how it would feel in today’s world not knowing how to read? It would be tough to make it.

Jason Allen

The ceremony to celebrate ten years of Reading Recovery in Anguilla was fantastic! There were many people who attended, refreshments were served, everyone got a goody bag with a commemorative booklet, key chain and pen and the room was filled with joy and goodness. It is hard to imagine that 364 students have been saved through this programme. I say saved because if one imagines the behavioural and social implications that would exist in the life of a child who struggles with reading throughout his or her entire academic career, it is easy to realize that any child will end up with no confidence, no options and would certainly turn to other, more deviant, ways to make it in life.

Every teacher who has gone through the process of becoming a Reading Recovery specialist was in attendance. They were all so proud of their students and of themselves and it was their time to shine. Marcel Fahie made some brief, yet impactful remarks. He said that the Reading Recovery initiative in Anguilla should serve as the model of how to affect change in Anguilla. His words could not be more true as we all know that there is always a lot of talk and not enough action. Reading Recovery was implemented because people in authority saw a need and immediately acted upon it. They chose a teacher, sent her to London, brought her back, and ten years later there are 30 more trained teachers and 364 students who can now read on the same level as the rest of their peers. Now, the talk and results speak for themselves and Anguillians can now sit back and be proud of something that have done successfully. Yes, Anguilla is small, but it has been a pioneer in this region on so many fronts because there are many professional and innovative citizens. Innovators and professionals need to ask the talkers to step aside and take action so that positive change can happen. Much admiration and thanks goes to Mr. Ross Cashmore, Mr. Elvert Hughes, Mr. Marcel Fahie, Mrs. Catherine Proctor, the teachers from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd cohorts and the Ministry of Education as a whole. In order to make change happen, one has to dream big and act big and have no fear. Reading Recovery after ten years is the perfect example of education at its best.

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