Reading, a fundamental part of a child’s education, is a challenge for some students. Laura Thormann is helping those at Warrendale Charter Academy gain confidence in that crucial area.
Exacerbated by online virtual learning at such a young age, Thormann, a reading academic specialist, has seen students read at a level far behind their peers. But over the course of one to two years in small group intensive intervention, she got the light bulb to click where they were actually reading and empowered to have confidence.
“All students can succeed and are deserving of a chance to get good reading instruction and to have teachers who care about them,” she said. “I care about them and about their growth. Learning to read and focusing on that is going to be with them for the rest of their life.”
Thormann, in her 10th year at Warrendale, was named an Excellence in Teaching winner this year as part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) Excellence Awards. She previously taught in Chicago and came to Warrendale as a second-grade teacher for four years before transitioning into an academic specialist role.
It wasn’t long before she saw how much care the staff – from teachers and paraprofessionals to deans – puts into supporting students’ success, including her work in intervention the past six years.
“It’s been really wonderful to see that we're so focused on that and on working with students who need extra support to be successful and I really enjoy watching them grow using the NHA curricular tools that we have,” she said.
One tool NHA offer to staff is its tuition assistance program. Thormann earned her master’s degree while she was at Warrendale to become a reading specialist and give students enhanced instruction.
“I was able to grow as a professional and then also bring those skills that I had learned in school,” she said. “I was able to practice it in real time with students and hopefully have a positive effect on them.”
Building trust and consistency has paid off for Thormann. Her last second grade class is now in eighth grade, meaning she knows the entire student body. Those students showed their appreciation for her efforts over all those years at the Excellence Awards assembly.
“It was overwhelming but it was very nice,” she said. “It was felt really good to be there with the whole school community and school family. It’s an honor for me to start out giving kids those foundational skills at younger grades that'll hopefully carry them through their life.”
Keep up the excellent work, Mrs. Thormann!
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About Warrendale Charter Academy
Warrendale Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Detroit, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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