Lili Hynes’ passion for empowering English Language Learners through reading
November, 2024
Lili Hynes (Bay Area’ 23)
Third Grade Teacher at Peres K-8
Lili Hynes witnesses magic daily as a second-year corps member and elementary teacher at Peres K-8 School in West Contra Costa Unified School District. Sometimes, it’s observing a student’s hard-earned “lightbulb” moment. Other times, it’s hearing a chuckle from a struggling reader whose head is now happily buried in a book. Luckily, she knows the magic is not only tied in these moments—it’s simply present within her students and something to be cherished and nurtured. “I think we often underestimate children’s ideas and their capacity to face challenges with grace and dedication,” she explains, “They are incredible and resilient. I am so fortunate to play the role of their teacher and one of their biggest cheerleaders during such pivotal years of their lives.”
As a third-grade teacher at a school with many English Language Learners and all students on free- and reduced-price lunch, Lili tries to reconcile her students’ current circumstances with mastering the fundamental skills they need to thrive later in life. This is especially true regarding third-grade literacy, which studies show is a pivotal time in a student’s educational trajectory and is directly linked to one’s chances of graduating high school. Lili herself struggled with reading and didn’t master the skill until later in elementary school, thanks to hours spent reading with her mom- an experience she’s grateful for, but one she knows not every child has access to. This experience enables her to empathize with struggling students and amplifies her desire to help them improve their reading capabilities in her class. “Having that negative experience with learning to read at school really impacted me,” she says, “that’s the last thing I ever want my students to feel. At the same time, being able to read in third grade is so critical. I was just reading an article about how prison building plans look at third-grade literacy rates as a predictor of prison populations, there’s such urgency for my students to end third grade reading.”
Instead of forcing the critical importance of reading on her students, Lili has found success in taking a more fun, community-centered approach. In her first year teaching, she received funding from the local Rotary Club to run an after-school book club for third graders reading below grade level. She created an annual theme that integrated stories from many different cultures and identities—Cinderella stories around the world. Students were thrilled to see themselves reflected in the stories and eager to jump in. “Kids who didn’t like books were excited to come, practice reading, get snacks and play.” Book Club transformed many students’ relationships with reading and dramatically affected some learners’ proficiency. “At the start, one child didn’t know all the letter names yet and was reading at a kindergarten level. By the end of 3rd grade, she was reading at a third-grade level!” Lili happily shares.
Lili also thinks outside the box while teaching English Language Arts in her classroom where she must focus on standard-aligned grade-level texts. The content is often too advanced for some of her learners who are not as far along in their reading journeys. So, she is constantly “scaffolding,” a teaching technique that breaks down concepts into smaller pieces and builds on previous knowledge as a way to learn new material. She is also a “big fan” of group work, which allows for more variability and encourages dialogue. However, her current favorite technique is tried and true—buddy reading. She often pairs students with different reading levels because she’s found it benefits both students, both the one learning to read and the one teaching their classmate. “They are so good at helping one another—going through and sounding out each letter. They are wonderful teachers, and it’s been very cool to watch.”
One thing that Lili never loses sight of is that her students, although only eight- and nine-year-olds, also play the role of teacher for her. “I feel so fortunate to be a teacher and to build relationships with my students. Every day, I leave feeling grateful for the opportunity to learn from them.”
