Rigby Books

Thank you is not enough thanks for the generosity of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for their donation of 6 copies of almost 30 titles of Rigby reading series books. These are ranked as America's #1 resource for leveled reading.

Janet Lybarger, a retired elementary school teacher, told me about this series that she said I absolutely had to purchase for the classrooms in Rwanda. I contacted the company who directed me to Doug Stone, their sales rep in our area. After a long conversation which he started with, "tell me your story". It ended with a huge commitment to help. A donation of these books. AND a comment from Doug, "Speaking for the organization we're humbled that among all of the wonderful resources out there, you contacted us per a colleague's recommendation - there is no better compliment."

So thank you to those at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for taking the time to listen and recognizing what a huge difference they could make in many lives.

As many educators have stated, "these books are meticulously leveled fiction and non-fiction texts that use recurring characters and authentic storylines. They ignite student interest while systematically building high-frequency words and easing skills. They are research-based and classroom proven. Children start at one level and successfully move on to the next level."

Before we left We packaged the books in baggies to keep them together at the library. Teacher trainings were held to show how the leveled reading works. This is a process that will take time. As there is only one teacher per 25 children the teachers will need to learn the benefit of working with children in small groups. This is not how teaching is done in Rwanda and many developing countries. Usually classrooms full of children sit at their desks, look at the blackboard and write in small notebooks. The teachers at Cyakabiri preschool and Faith Primary school are learning about small group teaching and using resources to encourage creativity.

A big surprise for me was how the books were quickly used in an English class for women. They loved the stories and even began to read them out loud. I taped the women reading which I will share with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

The Rigby series of books will be used in school classrooms, by individuals reading at the library and in adult English classes. Thank you for being a part of education and the future of Rwanda.