What summer camp is this, exactly??

A friend pointed out that I should discuss what this summer camp was all about. As I mentioned before, this is a school that focuses on students with reading problems. I heard about them at the International Reading Association conference I attended in May. As the Benchmark School's welcome message says, "Benchmark School's mission is to provide students who enter the School as bright, struggling readers and writers with the tools and strategies they need to become lifelong learners, strategic thinkers and problem solvers." This is my goal as an educator. What I want for Anna and (perhaps in the future) other learners like her is to have the opportunity to work with highly experienced professionals. While I do consider myself a qualified educator, I lack the experience that the teachers at Benchmark possess.

As for their summer program, they summarize it as such: "The five-week Summer Language Arts Camp is designed for students ages 6 to 11 who can benefit from reading and writing instruction beyond the regular school year, as well as enjoy the fun of a recreational day-camp experience. The program combines 1–3/4 hours of Benchmark’s nationally recognized language arts program with extensive recreational activities, including a Confidence Course. Designed to make even the most reluctant reader "hooked on books," the program places emphasis on developing increased confidence and self-esteem both at work in the classroom and at play with peers." Anna is not so much a reluctant reader as much as an uncertain reader -- she reads as accurately as she can, but the words do not process correctly, and then the meaning is unclear. During the months when I was able to work with her almost daily (either one-on-one or in a small group), her progress was almost tangible. However, when there have been gaps in her more individual instruction, she forgets the strategies we have worked on. I hope that by attending this camp over the summer she will gain the ability to remember those strategies. An hour and forty-five minutes of dedicated reading and writing instruction every day is exactly the opportunity Anna needs to really solidify these strategies in order to enter fourth grade.

I am trying to keep these short and readable, but please comment if you want more stories or more anything! Also, please click the picture above that says "Benchmark School" to connect to their website, where you can read all about their school and summer camp.