Step through the doorway of Susan Mathis' second-grade classroom at Brookwood Elementary School and one thing is instantly clear: This teacher loves to read.
More significantly, it is obvious her students do, too. Each of the room's walls reads like a book, covered with entertaining, thoughtful work her students have done. Mathis beams as she lightly fingers the makeshift wall art, tracing the edges of the paper as a parent would caress a child's face.Their work, brimming with childhood humor and creativity, stands as a tribute to a successful reading program, and to Mathis.
Last month, the 16-year teaching veteran received another, when the Utah Council of the International Reading Association recognized Mathis as the state's Reading Teacher of the Year.
"I was very excited, and very overwhelmed," Mathis said, eyes downcast. It is clear she is more comfortable lauding her pupils' accomplishments than her own. Leave that to Brookwood Principal Michelle Clark.
"We were really, really proud. Everyone at the school is proud of her. I'm not surprised, though. Not in the least bit. I've watched Susan teach, and she's incredible. A lot has changed over the last few years in teaching reading to kids. But Susan has jumped in with both feet. Whatever the research says, that's where Susan is."
In order to win the award, several colleagues, administrators and parents wrote letters of recommendation. Mathis submitted her own teaching philosophy, which involves three basic steps: reading to students (modeling), reading with them (and letting them work collaboratively in small groups) and helping them progress so they can read on their own.
"I want to take my students where they are, and pull them up. That's my goal, every year."
The philosophy itself seems common enough. But what sets Mathis apart, said Clark, is her uncommon ability to convey her enthusiasm for reading to her students in creative, innovative ways.
One section of wall in Mathis' classroom is dedicated to "Flat Stanley." In the book, Stanley is squished flat by a falling object but is able to experience a whole new world as "Flat Stanley." He flies high in the air as a kite and travels to new places.
The kids loved the book and decided they wanted to keep Stanley globe-trotting. They wrote letters to family members and friends in different states and countries, enclosed a cut-out of the boy and asked them to share their lives with Stanley.
To date, Stanley has been sent to Poland; Washington, D.C.; New York (where he was kidnapped by punk rockers); Tooele; Kentucky; and many points in between. Family members have written back, often sending pictures of experiences they shared with Stanley. Some, like his jaunt in New York, were fictitious. In Kentucky, however, Stanley accompanied one little girl to her all-too-real chemotherapy treatment.
"It's been a good experience for the kids," Mathis said. "They've had such a good time . . . and they've learned a lot about real life at the same time."
Not only do Mathis' students learn to read, but they become involved in the entire process -- they read, write, edit and share their work with others. Shortly her classes will begin writing their own books, hardbound volumes they will display at a local bookstore before taking them home to keep.
Mathis stressed that reading is more than deciphering letters and words. It's about understanding the meaning and responsibility those words carry. And, it's about helping kids find the fun and feel successful when they read.
But she said teachers alone cannot always motivate children to enjoy reading. They need the families' support.
"Reading is not just the school's job," she said. "It's something we all need to become involved in."
It's important for children to see their parents reading and for parents to read with their children, Mathis said. It's also critical for families to make books available and accessible (within reach) to children.
"If books are accessible, kids will take them," she said. "If books are not accessible, they won't take them." Instead, they may turn to things that are: television, video games, the Internet. Those things have their place, she said, but they cannot take the place of a good book.
"If I could give a gift to my students, it would be that they would love to read," Mathis said. "Because if they learn to love to read now, I know that they'll be a lifelong reader."