Making a Difference: Family Literacy Bags for All!

Amber Spears, Tennessee Technological University (TTU) faculty member with the 2+2 elementary education program at Chattanooga, has encouraged her Ready2Teach candidates to join the local and state chapters of the International Reading Association (IRA).  This professional literacy organization offers many benefits to pre-service candidates and practicing educators, including access to professional journals, professional development opportunities, networking, and eligibility for grant funding.

One of Spears’ residency candidates, Ms. Crystal Bolding of Griffith Elementary School in Sequatchie County, was recently awarded a $500 mini-grant from the IRA for use in her mentor teacher’s classroom.  The grant funds will be used to purchase materials to make “Family Literacy Bags”. The “Family Literacy Bags” will be provided to every student in the classroom. As Ms. Bolding noted, “receiving this grant has enabled me to deepen my students’ love of reading, science, and social studies through hands-on activities that would not have been possible otherwise.”

The Ready2Teach program at Tennessee Tech is currently being piloted in the 2+2 elementary education program at Chattanooga.  Ms. Bolding is an outstanding example of the dedication of TTU’s Ready2Teach candidates who go the distance for education and for children in Tennessee. To learn about the 2+2 program, contact Amber Spears at aspears@tntech.edu.