I am working with a group of six kindergarten students who were identified as falling a bit behind in expected development of emergent reading skills. It is a great opportunity for me as a principal to exercise my teaching skills. We meet everyday for an hour.

When we first began to meet, I set out to get to know each one of the children. There were blaring deficiencies and a few strengths to build on. But when I asked one of the children to read something, he too quickly said, "I can't read." It was in that moment that I decided to prove him wrong. So as I work with these six children I will not accept low expectations. I began that day to convince them that they CAN read. It is often in the conversations that we build the confidence in reluctant learners.

It has been a great experience with these children. Yes, they are reading and continue to build their confidence and their skills. I have not heard, "I can't read" in a very long time.