At another point in the teaching journey is Joy Prado, a longtime San Antonio educator who brought 28 years of teaching experience to the Literacy Fellowship.
Joy’s connection to literacy is deeply personal. A proud product of San Antonio ISD, she remembers beginning elementary school in a lower reading group and working her way into the highest reading group by the end of third grade. That experience stayed with her throughout her career and shaped a belief that every student deserves to feel successful wherever they are on their literacy journey.
After spending nearly three decades teaching in the same community where she grew up, Joy experienced a significant transition when her previous campus closed and she moved to a new school. She arrived at Charles C. Ball Elementary with the books she had been able to bring with her and began rebuilding her classroom library.
Through the Literacy Fellowship, Joy received books that helped expand that library and gave her students access to stories representing themes, cultures, history, and experiences they could connect with. Throughout the year, those books became opportunities for reading, conversation, reflection, imagination, and joy.
Joy also saw the power of collaboration in her new school community. After previously describing herself as a “lone ranger,” she found herself surrounded by a team she could plan and coordinate with, along with instructional and schoolwide resources. That spirit of collaboration continued through her experience with The Leaders Readers Network, where she connected with fellow educators and shared ideas centered around helping children grow as readers.
The impact reached well beyond Joy’s own classroom. Students participated in multiple book distributions throughout the year, including a schoolwide celebration where every student on campus received a brand-new book. First- and third-grade students also came together as “Book Buddies,” reading The Typewriter and using the story as inspiration to create stories of their own.
For Joy, books were most powerful when students could see themselves and their experiences reflected in what they were reading.
“My students have a love for reading at such a young age. Every time I was able to give them a book to take home, it was like Christmas all over again! We were able to connect the books like The Paletero Man to their experiences and memories, making the book that much more impactful.”— Joy Prado, Literacy Fellow
And after nearly three decades as an educator, Joy still found something valuable in being part of a community of teachers committed to literacy.
“I’ve truly enjoyed this year with The Leaders Readers Network. I’ve met wonderful educators and can’t wait to continue my journey.”
Joy’s experience is an important reminder that teacher support doesn’t have an expiration date. New teachers need people beside them as they develop their practice, and veteran educators need opportunities to collaborate, discover new resources, exchange ideas, and continue responding to the students in front of them.
As Joy put it simply: “I just want to change the world one book at a time.”
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