Interview with Michelle DuMoulin

Entry #1:
Michelle DuMoulin has been teaching in Denver Public Schools for nineteen years. She taught Kindergarten at Bromwell Elementary for five years and has been teaching first grade at Slavens for fourteen years. To follow is my recorded interview with Michelle regarding her philosophies about teaching literacy.
Me: How do you define literacy?

Michelle: Literacy is a child’s ability to read and to write. To be literate, children must have appropriate literacy experiences at school and at home.

Me: How do children become literate?

Michelle: Children must be exposed to oral language, books, reading, rhymes, writing…at an early age. Exposing children at an early age to print in the environment is important. Giving children writing materials when they are toddlers and letting them scribble, draw, and write is important. And certainly, exposing children to lots of books even when they are babies is important to developing literacy.

Me: How can parents and teachers support a child as a young reader and writer?

Michelle: I think that both parents and teachers can model for children what it looks like to be a reader and writer. Watching a parent read and write lets a child know that it’s an important and meaningful activity. Teachers also need to be models of literate activities in the classroom. Children need to see that it’s purposeful and enjoyable, and…something they should do, too! We need to get them interested and engaged in their literacy development.

Me: I agree. Parents and teachers must be enthusiastic about reading and writing so that children are motivated to become literate as well. How have you taught literacy to six and seven year olds?

Michelle: Lots of modeling and explicit instruction is key. Children also need time in class to practice their reading and writing…with me, with other students, and independently. I expose children to many books, authors, genres, and try to find out their individual interests to get them hooked. I insist that children read books that are “just right” in class and not too challenging. I want my students to have strategies of what to do when they come to an unknown word, so that if I’m not sitting next to them or their parents are not next to them, they have something they can do to decode or make meaning. I am constantly talking about reading with fluency and model what fluent reading sounds like. I want them to catch the “reading and writing bug” and become lifelong, enthusiastic readers and writers! If I can do that, I’ve done my job.

Me: What is your experience with ELLs, and how did you teach them to read, write, and speak English?

Michelle: The majority of my experience with ELLs was at Bromwell.  I was a new teacher, and I had no idea how to meet their needs, to be honest.  I did not feel that I had the teacher training at CU to teach ELLs effectively and make a difference in their literacy development.  We had a lot of fun, but I'm embarrassed to say I am not sure how much they really learned from me in Kindergarten.  I did much of my teaching with pictures, visuals, and made learning hands-on as much as possible.  I tried to speak slowly, clearly, and I did a lot of hand-gesturing when I was explaining tasks to my ELLs.  I learned as I went along, and I got support from veteran teachers in my building.  I hope they remember me as a teacher who cared about them, and as someone who valued their language and cultural differences.

Me: You have done your job well for many years and helped create many literate children who do love reading, writing, and learning! Thanks, Michelle.