Reading Teacher

Wesley Parker learns to read in art. He learns to read in music. He learns to read in the computer lab. He even learns to read by walking though Cedarmere Elementary School's halls and looking at the writing posted on walls. "We learn to read everywhere," he says.For Wesley and other first-graders in Room 8 of the Reisterstown school, the path to cracking the code of reading weaves through every one of their classes and subjects. It has to, because more and more their journey has become a race against time.

Trying to take the lead in Maryland's effort to improve the training of teachers in reading, Towson University's education faculty has revealed plans to improve and expand courses.The new classes will include extra instruction in theories of how children learn to read and more practical training in how to teach in both elementary and secondary classrooms, faculty members said."We are developing a clear and coherent vision for reading education," said Bess Altwerger, an elementary education professor who led the faculty's evaluation of Towson's reading program.

Area schools, libraries and literacy programs seek volunteers to help children or adults improve reading skills. Among them are: Thomas Johnson Elementary School, 100 E. Heath St., in South Baltimore, to work with children on reading difficulties during the school day beginning in September. Training will be provided, and hours for tutoring arranged between 7: 45 a.m. and 3 p.m. Information: Maria Zozuliak, reading teacher, 410-396-1575.Baltimore Reading Aides, 6200 Loch Raven Blvd., for one-on-one tutoring of adults learning to read or trying to improve reading skills.

PARENTS frequently ask me what they can do to reinforce their children's reading skills during summer vacation. As an educator and former reading teacher, my answer is simple: "Read."Read to your children and have them read to you. Also, incorporate reading into your fun. Read on the front stoop, at the kitchen table, in bed and on the beach.I offer this advice from years as a student, teacher and, most of all, a mother. When I was a teacher, like many of my students, I relished the advent of summer vacation.

THE MARYLAND Board of Education is considering a policy that would require elementary- and middle-school teacher candidates to take 12 credit hours in reading. The same requirement would apply to experienced teachers. Those who teach high school students would have to pass two reading courses.The goal here -- ensuring that all teachers are able to teach their students to read -- is beyond dispute. For a number of reasons, however, the proposed requirements are unwise.First, the proposed requirements conflict with state policies that focus on standards and accountability rather than on educational processes.

IN HIS 39 years as a reading teacher and professor, Donald B. Hofler has seen many fads, and thousands of students, come and go. In his 25th year at Loyola College of Maryland, Hofler, 64, directs Loyola's graduate reading programs. He was interviewed last week at his office on the campus.Are Maryland teachers getting the college training they need to teach reading effectively?Technically, you can be certified as an elementary teacher and not take a single college course in reading. When I inquired about it, they told me this was an oversight, a mistake.

In May, public school students in third, fifth and eighth grades will take the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program tests - or, the MSPAPs, as they are commonly known. In today's Ask the Experts, Susan Johnsen Webster, principal of Triadelphia Ridge Elementary and an educator in Howard County for 21 years, answers the most frequently asked question about the state test.Question: How can I use MSPAP information to help me !c understand how my child is reading?Answer: MSPAP scores should only be used as one small piece && of information about your child's reading achievement.

WASHINGTON -- Most reading problems in American schools, often blamed on poverty or learning disabilities, could be avoided with nothing fancier than proper instruction by well-trained teachers in preschool and early grades, says a two-year study by a National Academy of Sciences panel.The 344-page report, released at a news conference here yesterday, is considered a watershed in the vitriolic reading debate: It represents a consensus of 17 researchers and educators who span the ideological spectrum.

One of the most worrisome things for parents are signs their child is having difficulty learning to read, because they know reading is the key to an education.The Sun has assembled a panel of experts to address your concerns about reading and your child -- from a psychologist and a pediatrician to an ophthalmologist and a reading teacher. We also will ask other parents what has worked for them.Your questions and the responses of our experts will appear in our special "Reading by 9" pages on Sundays and Wednesdays, beginning soon in the Today section of The Sun. If you have a question, send it in and we'll get the answer.

The Sun has assembled a panel of experts to address parents' concerns about reading -- from a psychologist and a pediatrician to an ophthalmologist and a reading teacher. We'll also ask other parents what's worked for them.Your questions and the responses of our experts will appear in our special "Reading by 9" pages on Sundays and Wednesdays, beginning soon in the Today section of The Sun.Address your concerns to: Ask the Experts, Reading by 9, Features Dept., The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, Md. 21278Pub Date: 1/13/98