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Teacher Appreciation Month


During Teacher Appreciation Month, we asked educators to share what it means to be part of the Wilson community. We are so very grateful to have received over 1,600 poignant, thoughtful, heartwarming, and enthusiastic responses from teachers across the country! Read on for a sampling of what they had to say.

My classroom is part of the Wilson community because …

… Wilson fosters confidence. When a student struggles with reading it affects their entire day. Not only do they have difficulty in language-based subjects, but also math, music, physical education, and art. In addition, outside of school students have difficulty reading labels, menus, street signs, and even playing board games. The Wilson Reading System gives readers the tools to be successful readers in a very specific way. They have exact sound combinations that they can look for and recognize. My students are constantly coming in and telling me stories about the things they read outside of school that they couldn’t read before. This program has given them the confidence to not only participate in their classroom activities, but to read outside of school! They are beaming with confidence and that is priceless. WRS has given them something that cannot be bought. For that I am forever thankful. – Kerri P.

We are part of the Wilson community because …

… Our district has fully implemented all Wilson programs in grades K-12. All students are receiving the prevention and interventions they so desperately need to become readers! Our administration has embraced the Wilson philosophy and has devoted the necessary time and resources to make Wilson work. All K-3 teachers and principals have received Fundations coaching and teachers are implementing Fundations with fidelity in their classrooms daily. We spend PLC time looking at data and figuring out ways to improve our instruction so that students master all concepts taught. If students are still struggling, we offer WRS and Just Words in grades 2-12. This past year our district trained 15 teachers to become certified WRS providers! Over the last two years, we have seen a tremendous improvement in our students’ decoding and encoding abilities. This is truly because of the Wilson program! We thank you for providing us with this incredible program that has made such a difference in our students’ reading ability! – Lori D.
… WILSON WORKS! It’s that simple! My students have not only performed better in the classroom, but on their evaluations. I see students excited to learn, and using strategies to read and spell every day, across subjects. It not only gives them, but also me, a clear routine to follow every day, which is prescriptive to their decoding needs, can be easily modified for students with other needs, and is repetitive but never boring! Our primary classrooms use Fundations, our Tier II uses Just Words, and Tier III uses the Wilson Reading System. Having these familiar products available not only across grades, but across tiers, is something that every school needs! I am new to the Wilson community, and it’s so refreshing to see students feeling proud more often than frustrated with their reading abilities. They can easily see their progress, make personalized goals, and enjoy using their new strategies within their regular education classes. Overall, Wilson products and curriculum have made my life easier as a special educator, but most of all, my students are reading! – Lauren D.

My students and I are part of the Wilson community because…

… We are all involved in the process of creating and developing a passion for reading. My students and I are driven by our successes and our failures. We do not look at failure as a roadblock, but we see the roadblock as an opportunity to find new ways to access and become successful in reading. My students and I are building our voice together to grow not only in our reading, but we are also building our voice to become voices of the future so we may positively impact this world we live in. – Sol N.

I am part of the Wilson community because …

… I was once a student of the Wilson Reading System. Now I am a special education teacher and use the program with my students. I am able to talk with my students about the success I had and they feel like they are able to complete anything as well. The program has made me a better teacher because I am able to bring in new ideas to my students. Thank you Wilson! – Megan F.
… Wilson empowers! It empowers me, a Literacy Coach at a public school, by providing me with tools and techniques to be effective, efficient and laser-focused in my instruction. It empowers my students by equipping them with strategies and skills to conquer the written word.  I am part of the Wilson community because I BELIEVE in Wilson. My faith in the Wilson Reading System is reaffirmed every day as I watch my students grow in subtle ways and see their confidence and self-esteem take incremental leaps.  As a long-time adult literacy volunteer and tutor, I have also seen adults transform into confident readers under the Wilson umbrella. No individual should be held back because of his/her struggle with reading or writing. It is never too late. Sow seeds of literacy, watch a community grow. Wilson empowers me to change the world, one student at a time.  – Meera S.