Exemplary Practices that Support Early Literacy
by Margaret E. Maurano

       I currently hold the position of Reading Specialist at Hobomock Elementary School in Pembroke, MA. As a Reading Specialist, my responsibilities include providing remedial reading services for students K – 5, serving as a member of the Child Study Team, conducting formal and informal assessments, as well as working closely with classroom teachers to offer them support for their classroom programs.

       Early Literacy Development is a particular interest of mine. I have taken delight in having the opportunity of being innovative and helpful to my school and parent community. I have enjoyed developing and presenting information workshops for Kindergarten parents, the most recent of which was Tips & Strategies for Working with Your Child. In addition, I recently ran a series of workshops to train Kindergarten volunteers to tutor struggling students in the area of letter and sound recognition. I am especially proud of the Early Literacy Newsletter that I have published and disseminated to Kindergarten families.

       Prior to being a Reading Specialist, for twenty years I worked as a Special Education Teacher in various capacities.  I began teaching in the late 70's. I worked with a population of Emotionally Disturbed students, ages 13 – 18, on a locked unit in a State Hospital in southern Virginia. I developed and successfully implemented a Prevocational (Real Life Reading and Math Skills) Program – reading for authentic purposes! I vividly recall feeling a mix of astonishment and deep sadness when I realized many of my students were non-readers, the mean reading level at any given time was Grade 2.3. It was a rarity to have a student reading higher than the sixth grade level.

       After moving back to New England in the early 80's, I worked as a Special Education Teacher in various substantially separate classroom settings, servicing students in Kindergarten through Grade 5.

       Over the past 25 years, in the field of education, I have become knowledgeable of and utilized countless methods for teaching reading and writing. As a teacher, I find it important to always keep in mind the critical role I play in fostering each student's literacy development. It is absolutely vital to keep current in research and best practices. I strongly feel that this is a wonderful time to be in Education and that the field of Reading is truly an exciting place to be!

       My husband, Richard, and I have recently become the proud parents of a beautiful little one-month-old daughter, Mary Theresa. Over the years, I have taught and "mothered" hundreds of children, never dreaming that I would be blessed with my own child. Now I find myself holding her and realizing, through "different lenses", the awesome responsibilities a parent faces, moment-to-moment and day-to-day. I intend to instill in my daughter strong values and a love for life – realizing that each day is a gift from God and a new beginning.

       At a very young age, my parents instilled in me a love and appreciation for reading. It is my intention and hope to foster that same appreciation and love in Mary Theresa.