Podcast: Reading Intervention Advice from My 35 Years in Education with Jennie Mau in CA on Teachers in America

Welcome back to Teachers in America, where we celebrate teachers and their lasting impact on students' learning journeys and lives.

Today we are joined by Jennie Mau, a reading intervention teacher from the Clovis Unified School District in California.  As Jennie reflects on her 35-year career in education, she shares her favorite reading instructional strategies and tools, including Read 180, that have helped her students thrive. 

A full transcript of the episode appears below; it has been edited for clarity.

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Noelle Morris: Welcome to Teachers in America, a production of HMH, where we celebrate teachers and recognize their triumphs, challenges, sacrifices, and dedication to students.

I am the Senior Director of Community Engagement, Noelle Morris. Each episode, I meet a new teacher friend to learn about the latest lessons and innovations from the classroom.

Today we welcome Jennie Mau, a reading intervention teacher in the Clovis Unified School District in California.

Throughout her 35 years in education, Jennie has served Title I students and families in and out of the classroom as an elementary school teacher, an after-school program coordinator, and an instructional specialist. Before retirement, she chose to return to her roots in the classroom, taking on the role of 7^th and 8^th grade reading intervention teacher at Alta Sierra Intermediate.

Named the Clovis Unified Teacher of the Year for Fresno County and recipient of the Clovis Unified Crystal Award as well as the Read 180 Outstanding Educator Award, Jennie’s dedication and work in education has been recognized by her community.

In today’s episode, she will share teaching strategies, like using anchor charts and rubrics, and reading intervention tools. Plus, she has advice for new teachers that you don't want to miss!

Now, let’s get to the episode!

Noelle Morris: Well, welcome to Teachers in America, Jennie. So glad to have you. Jennie, before we get into the heart of the conversation, will you describe a little bit about your teacher journey?

Jennie Mau: Well, first I’d like to say thank you for having me. I’m delighted to be here. It’s really quite an honor to be able to sit and talk with all of you. My teacher journey. Let’s see. This is my 35th year of teaching. It’s kind of a big number I’ve decided, and it’s actually going to be my final year inside of the classroom.

I have 19 years in elementary experience. All of those have been, well actually all of my classroom experience has been, with Title I kids. It’s kind of my heart and passion. But I spent 19 years in the elementary field and taught everything from first through sixth grade in intervention. I’ve never taught kindergarten. But after 19 years in the classroom, I was asked by our district to coordinate the after-school programs and align those with the categorical funding that they received. So, I stepped out of the classroom for about four years and was at the district office, creating all of the systems that needed to be in place so that the schools could run their after-school programs in compliance, and meet the needs of the kids at those schools.

And then I couldn’t be away from students anymore. So, I went and I was an administrator at another elementary school for nine years in what Clovis calls the resource position. So, I was in charge of all things that were categorically funded and aligned with curriculum instruction and intervention. So, I coordinated all of our SSTs, the MTSS, all the categorical files and our SEL supports. Did that for about nine years. And when I knew that I was getting closer to starting a new chapter in life I decided I wanted to end it back in the classroom. And I knew that I always wanted to do junior high. When I made that decision to go back to the classroom, a former colleague of mine who is now the principal here at the junior high at Alta Sierra asked me to come and teach Read 180 and do intensive reading intervention with our junior high kids. I’ve been doing that for the last three years.

Noelle: Wow. We’ll get more into that, but when you think about the change you made and you came to this district, can you give us a little bit of background about your current district?

Jennie: Clovis Unified is in the heart of Central California. We are located inside of the Central Valley and it covers 198 square miles. When our founder, Dr. Buchanan, started this district, this was just a little bitty local farming community, and it has grown into a very large area over the years. Dr. Buchanan believed in incorporating everybody in Clovis Unified that wanted to be part of Clovis Unified, which is why it is so large. And we are, I believe, the fifth largest district in the state of California. I’ve had the opportunity to watch it grow quite a bit. This is a very. . . it started out as rural, but it has become a destination spot and it is growing very quickly.

We’re getting ready to open up our fifth educational center, I believe in the 2024–25 school year. They will open up the elementary school and then in the next couple of years they’ll open up the high school. Demographically, it covers all spectrums. From the last time that I knew, I’ve been out of categorical for the last few years or so, but we were at 17 elementary schools of the 35 that were Title I. And our high schools and junior highs, while they don’t receive additional categorical funding, they do have a very large population of categorical students.

Noelle: In education, we use a lot of the same terminology, but for someone listening to this and they’re hearing categorical, what would you say is the equivalent?

Jennie: That is our low socioeconomic students. Those are our students who are living in poverty. That means that over 50 percent of their students are below the poverty line.

Noelle: Now let’s talk about Read 180. Thinking through the rest of your journey, what has been one of the highlights when, first of all, making the decision to move to junior high and to take on intense intervention?

Jennie: Noelle, I think that one of my professional goals, my only real professional goal, has always been to make a difference in the lives of the students, the families, and the staff that I am privileged enough to be able to serve. And this really has been an opportunity and just a gift. Somebody had a path for me, a power above me, and he put me here. To be able to come in and take kids and to see them be successful and to see them be able to see their own growth and their own success and to start to apply that in other areas of their life, not just educationally, but personally. . . it’s been a real journey of joy, I think would be the way to say it. I have kids who are still coming back to me and checking in. I’m very fortunate that class sizes in California have a tendency to be large. And my principal has given me the gift of a smaller class size. We’re able to build this real tight community where kids come in and they feel safe, and they feel valued. To see them spread their wings and start to do well in other areas, it’s been a true gift and a wonderful journey.

Read 180 incorporates all of the elements of success that kids have to have. I taught first grade. So, watching a student go from letters and sounds to blending words to being able to write complete sentences and figure out that it’s not just lines on the paper. It’s almost that same journey in some ways, because it gives me the ability to take kids from where they are and to move them forward in increments that are obtainable.

Noelle: I’m a new student into your classroom. When I walk into your classroom, what am I going to notice in there that lets me know something different is going to happen in here before I even get welcomed by you in a greeting?

Jennie: I just got a new student yesterday and I was actually contemplating that. What does a kid see when they walk in the door and what makes them know that they’re safe? I think that one of the things that that I really make sure is that I have anchor charts all over this room and so they can see exactly what it is that we’re doing and what learning is going on and what to expect.

I think the other thing that they see is there’s not as many desks, and so they know it’s not going to be quite as overwhelming. And I think it also gives them a sense that they’re going to be seen and they’re going to be heard. We worked on our respect agreement at the very beginning of the classroom and that is up in the front and all of the kids can see it of how we all agree that we’re going to treat each other. One of the things that they felt very strongly that needed to be included in our agreement is that everybody got to be heard. I think that a student just walking in the door can visually scan this room and know exactly what’s going on and what learning is here, and that there is going to be all the resources that they need to be able to be successful.

There isn’t anything that is hidden. Everything is out there, and everything is visible. The other thing is that I have a lot of growth mindset up and I believe in the power of “yet”. If it’s hard right now, it’s yet. We will get you there. If I can get them to keep working and digging deep and trying, then they have the ability to continue to move forward.

Noelle: Now, you just mentioned you have growth mindset poster and that is one of your anchor charts.

Do you do your anchor charts in a way of, “We’ve already learned this and they’re now there for you to reference back?” Or are you putting them up there to support the initial instruction and then students can return to them?

Jennie: We create our anchor charts as we’re doing the instruction. We also add to a chart. For example, we were working on summary writing, and we pulled a couple of different visuals in for them to be able to use. But then I noticed that one of them wasn’t quite working.

So, we’ll go back and we modify charts as we’re working through something, and continue to add to it or add a couple of other words or if a student says something. One of the charts that I have up is for a RACE Response that they have to Reword, Answer, Cite evidence, and Explain it. They weren’t quite getting the rewording, and one of the students said to me, “Oh, you mean I have to restate it and use as many words as possible.” I was like, “Exactly. That’s what I mean.” So, we add, and we change, and we modify, and sometimes I have to go back and redo because they start to get a little bit overwhelming visually. An anchor chart is something that continues to grow and continues to evolve as we go through that school year.

Sometimes it starts out pretty basic and pretty easy and then I’ll go, “You know, you guys are beyond that. We can get to this step now. And so, we’ll change it and modify it.”

Noelle: How do your students let you know in response to instruction that they’re ready for [what’s] next?

Jennie: Really looking at whatever it is that they are producing. I try really hard to use rubrics, so that the students know ahead of time what is that what the expectation is. Like when I was just talking about RACE Writing, and they know the rubric, so they know that they get a point for rewording.

They know they get a point for providing the answer. They know they get a point for citing evidence and a bonus point if they’ve punctuated it correctly. And once they’ve gotten to the point to where the majority of students have mastered the four-point rubric, I’ll go, “You guys are ready for two pieces of evidence, and this is what that looks like.”

Then we modify that chart. It really is based upon what each individual student is starting to be able to master. But I really work hard at making sure that they can articulate and that they know what that success criteria is, because they will also go through and rubric it themselves before I get a chance to look at it. And we do a lot of work with rubricing together. I think when you talked about what’s a little bit different about this classroom, I think that safety piece is huge. When students are willing to put something underneath the doc cam and have all of us rubric it together, that’s when I know that they feel safe in here.

Noelle: When you’re going through that together, are you using a resource that every student is then highlighting and adding to theirs, or are you driving that instruction and you’re creating a class rubric that then you’ll display, and students can reference it during their written response process or their formal writing process?

Jennie: It is a class rubric and that rubric is aligned to either the grade-level standard or when we’re doing writing, it’s aligned to the SBAC [Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium] rubric, but I try to break it down so that it’s very specific for the students. We will go through and we’ll talk about, “Well, why did this person get a point or why did that person? How have they met the criteria for that standard? How do we know that? What does it look like? How could they improve upon it?” And then I’ll give the kids a chance to go back and reflect on their own writing and modify, edit, change that, if needed, so that they can improve too, because that’s how they know what the next step is.

And sometimes I’m pulling back a small group of kids if I see that they’re still stuck in one area and they need reteaching in that area.

Noelle: I love what you’re talking about with the complete transparency, right? Let’s teach students from the beginning to the end the expectations and not leave anything to guess. So, if you’re doing that review of the rubric, are you doing the same on the front end with teaching students to unpack the prompt and to really understand what they’re being asked to do even before they jump into reading the text?

Jennie: Yes, most definitely. And I think that we even take it down to what is the genre? What was the author’s purpose? Because so often students, they jump right into the text and they don’t stop for a second to think about, “Well, this is fiction, or this is nonfiction.” Or, “I’m supposed to be adding to my knowledge base with this piece and this is the prompt that I’m reading for.”

And so, yes, we definitely try to do that, prior to teaching students that reading is not a passive sport. It’s not passive. It’s active, and it’s hard work. So, we talk about the way that the brain works and growing your brain and working harder. And so, taking it back to the text and, “Gee, I had to read that passage five times in order to find what my answer was. And that was really hard work.” So, we do do that. We do a lot of the front loading and setting the stage for why am I doing this and what am I doing. And I’m going to be looking for that. And a lot of work too, Noelle, with vocabulary. It doesn’t matter if they’re a language learner or not. Our language these days has really been. . . I think watered down is a good term for it. And so, we do a ton of work with vocabulary development and getting them even just to call out the words that they don’t know. They can pronounce the word, but they may not have a real idea of what it means or how to associate it with another word. And so, we do a ton of vocabulary in here also.

Noelle: I’m so inspired by the way you’re talking about instruction. I can tell just the way you described your room, the way you’re talking about your learners, that you are completely a hundred percent student centered. Let’s talk about how you’re making those differentiated decisions. Let’s put it in a scenario that you’re teaching something, and you notice that four of the students are not getting it, but the rest of the class is getting it. What’s going on in your mind? How are you taking your metacognitive thoughts and mapping that out to make a decision for differentiation in that day immediately or taking it into tomorrow’s lesson?

Jennie: Noelle, I think it really depends on, it’s a time factor. Am I going to have enough time to pull that small group back? Because I don’t like to just surface over things. If I’m going to dive into something, I want to be able to dive into it deeply if that’s what it requires. Is it something that I can fix on the fly? Or is it something that I’m going to need to have that time to make sure that I eliminate whatever the confusion is? Because I think sometimes these kids have gotten so much that doesn’t go deep enough to really figure out where their confusion is and what that missing hole is. And I want to make sure that I don’t confuse them more.

So, I think that’s the first decision that I make. I think the second decision that I’ll do is I’ll take a good look around, because the other thing that I found is that these kids are really great at faking it. They cover it up, right? They [say] “uh huh”. And then they dive into it, and they really don’t have a clue what it is that they’re doing. So, I’ll go back, and I’ll make that quick assessment of is this really only four or do I have a lot more of that? And would it benefit the rest of them to have to hear it again? So, I think in the teacher world, one decision usually results in about 25 to 30 more, which is why we’re so tired at the end of the day.

And it also is going to depend on the students. I have a lot of special souls that were put in here for a reason. I have one little boy right now that is selectively mute, and my victory last Friday was he spoke to me twice inside of our time together.

And so, it’s going to depend on if he’s one of those people because I have to be careful with who I pair him with. So that’s really a hard decision. It is one that I try to solve problems as quickly as I can or confusions when I see that a student has it because I don’t want them to try to go forward if they still have that confusion.

I also know that, with some of mine, if it’s a matter of my support is going to help them be successful, then I definitely will pull them back quickly and keep them for a few minutes while the others have begun so that I can make sure they’ve at least started on the right path. So, I don’t know that there’s an easy answer for that one.

Noelle: Jennie, I want to switch our conversation to now growth that you have seen, even as currently as this year, but year to year, what has the growth been that your students have experienced?

Jennie: It’s really been quite phenomenal. I was just looking back at last year’s data because we have to do what’s called our Principal’s Grade Level Equivalency and we have to figure out how we’re going to move kids forward. And so going back over the last couple of years and looking at the growth that students were able to demonstrate [with] Read 180 . . . I love data, but I love looking at numbers and I love being able to help students look at their own data and really map their own growth and set their own goals. Being able to go back and look at students who achieved 300 points of growth on their Reading Inventory and in talking with them and celebrating those successes, we have the Lexiles up in the classroom. The students know how they Lexiled and what their goal is for their next opportunity to do so and challenging them. It has been just a phenomenal experience to watch a student come in who initially was Lexiling at the third-grade level and working with that student throughout the year. I had one little boy and I looked at him and I said, “You are brilliant. What is going on? What is your block?” And he said, “Well, it’s hard.” And I said, “Okay. Life is hard. Get a helmet. Work harder.” And he kind of looked at me for a second. I said, “You can do and be anything you want to do and be. You are brilliant. Show it. Why won’t you show it?” And he just stopped and looked at me for a second and I said, “Do the work. Don’t be afraid of things that are hard. That’s a challenge.” And he went, “Okay.” And I said, “I challenge you to score an 1100 on your Lexile.” And he said, “Okay,” and he did it. He came back to see me, and he’s now a sophomore in high school, and he came back to see me and he said, “I’m doing it, Mrs. Mau.” I said, “I had no doubt. No doubt.” And that’s where when you can take that data and as a teacher, you see the successes. But when you can show a student their own growth and what they’re doing and set goals with them, that’s where I fill my bucket. That’s my joy.

Noelle: I hope every time he sees a helmet he thinks of Ms. Mau. Life is hard. Wear a helmet.

Jennie: Life is hard. Wear a helmet. I gave them little shovels and little construction helmets when we had to do state testing because I knew it was going to be really hard for them. But they know, you have to dig deep. If you really want something in life and you need to show what you know, you have to dig deep. When it gets hard, you work harder. And here is your helmet and here is your shovel. So, I hope that they have their little shovels and their little helmets to remind them that they can do it. If they’re willing to dig deep, and they’re willing to do the work, they can achieve whatever they want to do.

Noelle: I love it. What would you say, Jennie, your students know about your personality, and they actually let you see that they see you, and they get you, and they understand why you’re doing what you’re doing?

Jennie: They know they’re mine. And I tell them that from the very beginning, “I’m Mama Mau.” I care not only about what happens inside of this classroom, I care about what they do when they’re out at lunch, and at P.E., and in their math class. I look at all of their grades. I am very involved. I don’t have classrooms. I have families. And they know that. They don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. And I spend as much time helping them deal with the things that life throws at them.

Junior high is a hard time. And I think it’s even harder now with social media and cell phones. I read something the other day about [how] we all had that embarrassing moment in junior high. Well imagine now that somebody caught it on video, and you get to relive it because they posted it on social media and it shows up every single day. And I think that that has put new pressure on these kids, but they know that I love them all very deeply and that I care, and that I’m here for them. And so, they will come, and they talk and whatever they need, I will do my absolute best to move any mountain and get it for them.

So, I try to take care of them, and they know I care. They also know that I like to have fun and I truly enjoy what I do. I love teaching. I have been blessed with an absolutely amazing career. I am blessed that I have two children of my own who have chosen to follow in my footsteps, and I think that being able to touch the future is just one of the greatest gifts ever. And I think they all know that.

Noelle: Completely agree. Jennie, as you were sharing that you’ve raised two educators, before you leave your classroom for the last time, let’s think about the Mary Tyler Moore moment. What advice are you going to leave in that classroom for the next teacher? And just in general, what advice do you have for new teachers entering the profession?

Jennie: I talked to my own kids about this because there is no profession that is more challenging, but yet there is no profession that is more rewarding. If you can eliminate the background noise and eliminate all of the negativity that gets poured on us these days, you have the opportunity to touch and shape the future. You have the ability to reach a child and maybe change their projection for the rest of their life. And there is no greater calling than that in this world. And there is no greater joy than watching a lightbulb go off in a child’s mind, and their face when they finally get that. So, continue forward. Continue with the good fight. Continue to walk into that classroom, smiling and letting them know that you are there for them on that day and that it’s going to be okay.

Noelle: Jennie, you’re a sweet, sweet soul with a huge heart. Do you mind sharing with us what you’re going to miss about having your own classroom and teaching?

Jennie: Oh, the kids. First and foremost, it’ll be the kids, their little faces. Making a difference. But I have a new chapter that I’m looking forward to that will be my next phase. We’ll see. But being able to walk in and see them, and know that I touched their lives, and I touched the future, and I made a difference.

Noelle : You definitely are making a difference and I applaud you for your career, and your dedication, and the passion you have for intervention. I ask every one of our guests, “What’s your walk-up song?” And I ask this question because part of my passion and my quest is ensuring teachers know you are a rock star, right?

You should be on every jumbotron. People should be waiting for you to come into the stadium. When you walk into your classroom, what song is playing that would be pumping you up and saying, “I’m about to have the best day. I’m about to teach the best lesson. I know my students are going to bring it today.” Tell us what’s on your playlist?

Jennie : My playlist starts with some good Bob Seger, Silver Bullet Band, old time rock and roll. From the very first chords when they hit that piano, there is no other song that will get your fingers tapping and your soul just moving in the right direction. That’s always been my favorite song. I think some days it’s Nappy Roots, "Good Day.”

I play a lot of music in my classroom. We do a lot of cooperative learning and when we’re moving, we’re listening to music. But Bob Seger has always been my favorite song. And that is one, if I need to move my feet a little, I’ll get that jam going.

Noelle: My dad introduced me to Bob Seger. He’s on my playlist. As soon as you hear some of his first instrumental beginnings, you are in a mood and ready to rock.

I am so honored that I was able to have this conversation with you. I love meeting teachers in general, of course. Being a part of the Read 180 community, I have a special, special place in my heart for Read 180 teachers. Thank you for coming and being a part of Teachers in America. You have a forever friend in me and let me know if there’s anything I can ever do and thank you and I wish you the best in the rest of your school year.

Jennie: Thank you so very, very much, Noelle. I appreciate it. And you have a friend in me also.

Noelle: If you or someone you know would like to be a guest on the Teachers in America podcast, please email us at shaped@hmhco.com. Be the first to hear new episodes of Teachers in America by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoy today's show, please rate, review, and share it with your network. You can find the transcript of this episode on our Shaped blog by visiting hmhco.com/shaped. The link is in the show notes. Teachers in America is produced by HMH. Until next time, your friend, Noelle.

The Teachers in America podcast is a production of HMH. Executive producers are Christine Condon and Tim Lee. Editorial direction is by Christine Condon. It is creatively directed, and audio engineered by Tim Lee. Our producer and editor is Jennifer Corujo. Production designers are Mio Frye and Thomas Velazquez. Shaped blog post editors for the podcast are Christine Condon, Jennifer Corujo, and Alicia Ivory.  

Thanks again for listening!

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Read 180 integrates research around personalized best practices, adaptive technology, instructional strategies based on the science of reading, and scaffolded support for reading independently.