When reading starts to matter most

I teach third grade, and every year I meet children who are curious, funny, determined, and capable of far more than they realize. I also meet children who are struggling to read. By third grade, that struggle matters more than many people understand.

By the time students get to me, reading is no longer just a school subject. Literacy is the tool students use to learn everything else. If a child struggles to read, each year after third grade becomes more difficult.

That’s why Arkansas is implementing a new requirement that students be able to read on grade level by the end of third grade. Under the LEARNS Act, students who do not meet this reading standard may repeat third grade unless they qualify for a good-cause exemption. According to state officials, roughly 10,000 Arkansas students might have been at risk of retention under the rule if it had applied last year.

Those numbers should serve as a wake-up call — not a final determination. Children rise to the expectations we set for them, and we are now setting clearer and higher expectations.

I know something about expectations. I did not grow up thinking college was my future. I was scared I might fail. It took years, raising my own children and volunteering in my local school, before I became a teacher.

Life has also thrown me curveballs that forced me to think carefully about perseverance. I have faced health challenges that could have easily pushed me out of the profession I love. Instead, those experiences strengthened my determination. They shape the message I share with my students every day: hard things are still worth doing, and effort can change everything.

In my classroom, that message applies especially to reading. Literacy fluency does not happen overnight. It takes patience, practice and persistence. Some students pick it up quickly, while others need more time and support. What matters most is that we refuse to lower expectations for children who are struggling.

Everyone wants to encourage children and help them feel confident. At the same time, families and teachers need to work together and have honest conversations about a child’s progress so we can provide the support they need to succeed.

By the time students reach fourth grade, the focus shifts from learning to read to reading to learn. That is why third grade is such an important moment.

Retention is never the goal for teachers. Every educator wants to see students move forward with confidence. In some cases, though, an additional year of targeted support can give a child the time needed to strengthen foundational skills and prepare for future success.

What gives me hope is the progress I see every year. I have watched students begin the year far behind their classmates, and by the end, they’re reading confidently. I have seen children who once dreaded opening a book discover stories they love. These moments happen because students put in the effort and because families and teachers work together.

Parents play an enormous role in that partnership. Teachers can guide and support students during the school day, but learning continues long after the bell rings. One of the most powerful things families can do is surprisingly simple: make reading part of daily life. When children read regularly and see adults valuing books and learning, their confidence grows.

Arkansas’ new policy has led to difficult conversations. Those discussions may also lead to something positive if they encourage all of us to focus more closely on early literacy. When students know that the adults around them believe in their ability to succeed, something remarkable happens. They begin to believe it themselves. And once a child believes they can do something hard, they usually prove that they can.

Editor’s note: Melanie Brotherton, part of the inaugural Arkansas Excellence in Teaching Fellowship program, is a third grade teacher in Monticello. The opinions expressed are those of the author.