We talk about independence a lot at FIL. It’s even part of our name. But what is independence?
We know that independence is defined differently for all 60 of our residents, but six of them have at least one thing in common: Their goal of learning to read.
When we introduced our literacy program, Readtopia, we asked for a group of volunteers to be the first ones to try it.
Not quite certain what they were getting themselves into, Bonnie A, Jessica I, Billie S, Peter M, Richard S and Bill W said they’d give it a try.
At first they were hesitant, occasionally tried to think of reasons not to attend and lacked confidence. But Debby Silla, Enrichment Specialist and lead for the literacy program, says she’s noticed big changes. To illustrate this she tells the story of Richard:
“When we started,” Debby said, “many times Richard would say I can’t. Well, the other day I told him that if he needed some help to just let me know. This time he said ‘No. I’m going to try this on my own.”
Debby said that it’s more than just reading. Though they loved Poe’s “The Gold Bug” and are looking forward to starting “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” it’s also about learning new things.
Readtopia, developed by Don Johnston of Building Wings, is an evidenced-based curriculum that uses classic literature, so it’s very age respectful.
Its magic is creating the text at specific skill levels so that an emergent learner can read the same book as someone who has basic reading skills.
The real magic for the individuals participating is how it makes them feel, which was maybe summed up by Jessica best.
“I always saw people reading at Starbucks. Now I can too.”
