Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 4, 1991 TAG: 9104040099
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BARBARA HOLCOMB/ SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Do you remember when it "clicked" - when reading made sense or when you read a book that struck a responsive chord in your soul?
Brenda Mentzer, a reading specialist at Gilbert Linkous Elementary School in Blacksburg, works hard to help children discover the richness of books. Montgomery County's Reading Association named her reading teacher of the year.
She has been teaching for 19 years - six in Michigan and 13 in Virginia.
"I taught first grade for the first three years of my teaching career," said Mentzer. "Michigan only had a half-day kindergarten program then, so when the kids came to me they would not know much more than their ABC's. By the end of the year, an amazing thing happened - they were reading."
Reading became her favorite subject to teach. She earned a master's degree in reading instruction and diagnostic work. For the past 16 years, she has worked as a reading specialist with the Chapter I Program, a federal reading program for children who need extra help.
Mentzer structures her teaching on the foundation of "whole-language learning."
"I agree wholeheartedly with whole-language learning. In this," she said, "you integrate all aspects of language arts: speaking, reading, listening, writing and the experience of the student."
Her fifth-grade students may create a play for the second-graders. They write a story about something that interests them, and in the process they learn about sentence structure and how to spell.
Her students write in journals. They try to predict what is coming next in a story in order to build interest and excitement. They act out stories they have read. Mentzer also reads aloud to them.
"Most of my children have problems with concepts. They don't have any experience to bring to reading from home," she said, "so 90 percent of my job is to motivate them.
"These children appreciate that I'm trying to work at their level. They are children who are constantly frustrated in their classrooms because they cannot read at the level of their classmates.
"We help each other in my groups. No one laughs at them. It's a non-threatening, accepting environment for them."
Mentzer also tries to educate the parents. She helps plan and administer workshops offering techniques and strategies to help the children at home.
Her tips for parents who wish to foster a love for reading in their children include: Read aloud often to your child; be a good role model and read for yourself in front of your child; encourage your child's writing skill by writing notes to each other; write lists; be encouraging and supportive of your child's effort.
"The single most important way to encourage your child and help them experience success as a reader is to read aloud to them," Mentzer added. "This can help a child who is not strong in ability to succeed."
Mentzer said her biggest reward is the appreciation of her students, whether it's a smile or a hug. Running a close second, of course, is seeing a child improve as a reader. This year she has been rewarded not only by her students, but by other professionals in her field.
"It's quite an honor," Mentzer said. "It's nice when your peers value what you're doing."
by CNB