Instilling Literacy Confidence in Secondary Students

Jennifer Gygax, Literacy Program Specialist, Special Education, Napa Valley Unified School District, never imagined that her career would be spent teaching secondary students how to read, but when she was called to do so and saw firsthand how many secondary students had been left behind in the world of literacy, she jumped at the opportunity. Read about Jennifer’s career and experiences as a secondary teacher and literacy coach, and how working with The Chartwell Teaching Institute shifted her lens of literacy instruction. 

"When I started on this journey I did not fully understand the impact that it would have on my career path and life. I have attended the training at Chartwell for three summers now. The first year I was a full participant, the second year I was a literacy coach and took on a different lens for the implementation of what I was learning. This June, I was looking toward a future of how we can change the way literary instruction is taught and incorporated into all areas of instruction."  

"I have a very different perspective when it comes to teaching reading. I have studied and spent most of my career teaching secondary students how to read. I earned my Masters degree in Reading Specialist Education in the early 2000s.  Teaching early elementary is where I assumed I would be most needed.  When someone approached me to teach at the middle school level I was a little unsure of what I could do for the students."

"I have found that kids need direct and explicit instruction offered during the upper elementary years as well as in the secondary world.  This is so foreign to the creators of calendars and master schedules and planners.  It is so hard for them to understand because kids were supposed to gain these skills in the early years, but what has happened is so many have not been able to with the methods that were being used or due to a disability or deficit."

"I have never been okay with watching students be passed along, grade to grade, school to school without some type of intervention.  So I jumped in when the opportunity opened up.  It is powerful to see so much change in how students learn by giving them a chance to be successful." 

"What have I been able to do with what I have learned at Chartwell? First, I was able to present multiple times within the Napa Valley Unified School District and get so many teachers and staff to have a broader understanding of how students learn to read. Secondly, I have been able to invite over 25 colleagues from NVUSD to be immersed in the training at CTI.  These week-long experiences have changed the way each one of these professionals has instructed, held IEPs, worked with families, and shared the knowledge with others. Finally and most importantly, the strategies and wealth of knowledge we have been able to learn and practice have now been transferred into how students are being taught across the Napa Valley Unified school district and it is showing positive changes."

"I am forever grateful for the new working friends I have gained.  Planning, dreaming, and strategizing with the group of professionals through Lead to Literacy has helped me far exceed my expectations for my career and gain lifelong friendships.  My excitement for what is next is immeasurable."