"I’m Melinda. I’ve been teaching reading for over thirty years—long enough to have seen educational trends come and go, curriculums rewritten, and test formats reshaped. But one thing has never changed: the look in a student’s eyes when they finally “get it”—when words stop being a blur on a page and start becoming a story, an argument, a truth they can own. That’s the moment I live for.

Over the years, I’ve built a toolbox that includes everything from close-reading strategies and annotation techniques to fluency drills and guided discussion. I teach students to break down dense passages, recognize tone and structure, and pinpoint an author's purpose. When I moved to high school, I began working more with juniors and seniors preparing for the ACT and SAT. These tests require more than just understanding—they demand strategy.

For me, teaching reading has never been about test prep—it’s been about empowerment. I want my students to leave my classroom knowing they can decode complexity, think critically, and find their voice through language. The test scores are milestones, yes. But the real success is seeing their confidence grow—watching them engage with a text and say, “I understand this. I can do this.”" less...