Teacher expands career, classroom

By JESSICA ALLEN Staff writer
Eugene Field Elementary School teacher Howard Dumke poses with several fourth grade students in his classroom. Dumke is the new K-4 program coordinator at the Maryville Public Library.

Third grade teacher Howard Dumke will soon be expanding his classroom beyond the walls of Eugene Field Elementary School.

Dumke was recently hired as the new part-time K-4 program coordinator at the Maryville Public Library.

“It’s really an extension of what I do at Eugene Field,” Dumke said. “I see this job working hand-in-hand with my full-time job.”

Dumke said parents often turn to the library when they know their child is not doing well in reading, but they don’t necessarily know what kind of guidance to give the child.

He believes his experience as a teacher will allow him to help these children with comprehension skills.

In addition, his extensive knowledge of children’s literature is an asset in his new position.

“For the kids that do comprehend well, I can guide them to a series they may not have thought they would love, or encourage them to expand their comfort zone in what books they’re used to reading,” he said.

As summer approaches, Dumke is also brainstorming ways to keep kids reading outside of school.

“So many kids come into the classroom because they think it’s what the teacher wants,” Dumke said. “If I can teach kids to read because they love reading rather than because it’s an assignment that they have to do, that would be awesome.”

Dumke hopes to use data from Scholastic Reading Inventory tests to enforce the idea that summer reading is beneficial for students.

The SRI is “an assessment designed to measure how well students read literature and expository texts of varying difficulties.”

He said student SRI scores usually drop from the spring to the fall, and the data could help determine whether students who participate in summer reading programs maintain or see higher scores in the fall.

“It’d be nice to be able to show parents the benefits of extending their child’s reading throughout the whole year and not just think of it as a school thing, but part of their daily ritual,” Dumke said.

He also plans to implement more short-term goals for kids every few weeks throughout the summer rather than having one summer-long reading program.

Dumke said he doesn’t want kids to get derailed and give up if they miss a week of reading or go on vacation.

“With goals every few weeks, they can make mistakes but then get caught up in the next go-around,” Dumke said.

He hopes to have his program ideas narrowed down by early May so he can start getting the word out to schools and families.

“I’m excited because it’s a position that I can steer in infinite directions,” Dumke said. “It’s really, ‘How imaginative can you be?’”

Since the Maryville Public Library is a resource used not only by Maryville residents, but also by surrounding areas, Dumke said he looks forward to collaborating with a larger community to benefit local children.

“I’m optimistic about how much I’m going to enjoy it,” Dumke said. “If it’s anything like working in the classroom I know it’s going to be very rewarding.”