ABSTRACT
As a brand new teacher, the author simply did not know enough about creating successful reading experiences to thoughtfully select the components the students needed to become fully invested and connected readers. Even a few years in, with a few more years of teaching and reading research in the tool belt, the author still did not know enough to really be a good teacher of reading, and doing these components as well as he could was not enough; it never would be. While balanced literacy speaks to many truths the author hold dear in reading, the program, much like any program, is a scaffold meant to support us as we discover our own reading teacher identities, ones hopefully propelled by a passion for reading as they continue on their mission to help all children become readers. The program is a great place to start, but teachers must go beyond it to create deeply personal and meaningful experiences within their classrooms.
