West Milford's teacher of the year Debra Redding named ING "unsung hero"

Wins award for her teaching program “Ready, Set, Let’s Read” West Milford — Debra Redding, who was named the district's teacher of the year for the 2010-2011 school year, can add another award to her mantle. Redding was honored by the ING Unsung heroes Program for her "Ready, Set, Let's Read" program, an innovative, comprehensive and systematic approach to the development of literacy skills for all learners. Redding, a third-grade teacher at Maple Road School, will receive a $2,000 ING Unsung Heroes grant to help her bring the program to life. And now Redding will compete with other winners for one of the top three prizes, an additional $5,000, $10,000 or $25,000. The goal of "Ready Set, Let's Read" is to recognize that students’ abilities vary and it is important to honor their individual differences. Third-grade students will acquire various life skills including being able to identify and select print material that is written at their specific proficiency level, improve their presentation skills, and enhance their vocabulary and the articulation of thinking patterns. In addition, they will make connections to the texts they read, and learn to write to a specific audience. At the beginning of the year, students’ reading levels will be assessed to help guide the teacher in grouping the class into four reading levels. A color will be given to each student depending on their reading level. These colors will appear in squares on a reading wheel to designate independent reading activities. The teacher will signal for the students to progress through three color-coded activities during each class period. Redding, who lives in Vernon, hopes the program will allow the teacher to give focused attention to a group while knowing the other students are productively engaging in worthwhile tasks. The ING Unsung Heroes® Program has awarded nearly $3.8 million honoring innovation and creativity among the nation's educators since its inception 15 years ago. The program honors educators who have a significant impact on the lives of youth, but remain tremendously under-appreciated and unrecognized. Redding was one of only 100 winners across the country who received a $2,000 award to help fund her program. “ING is proud to celebrate this milestone of our Unsung Heroes program and is honored to recognize the hard work and dedication of our nation’s teachers,” said Brian Comer, president, Public Markets, ING U.S. Retirement Services. “Fifteen years ago we made the commitment to invest in the innovative program ideas from educators in states, cities, and schools across the United States who make the daily investment of preparing our children for the future. It has been a winning investment. We hope the additional funds Debra Redding was awarded through the ING Unsung Heroes program will help to sustain her program and continue to make an impact on the children she serves and her community.” ING, a leading provider of retirement plans and programs for teachers, began the Unsung Heroes Awards Program in 1996 to demonstrate the company’s commitment to the education community. Over the years, the program has awarded 1,600 Kindergarten through 12th grade educators for their breakthrough projects to bring classroom teaching to new heights. The very first top winner, Debrah Fordice in Dubuque, Iowa, won for her “Bethany Home Biography” project where students traveled to a nearby nursing home to interview residents about their lives. Other winning ideas have included “Techmobile” submitted in 2001 by Cathleen Hightower in New Orleans to help bridge “the digital divide”, and last year’s top winner, Jeremy Stone in New Haven, Conn. for his “Environmental Ventures” program to influence students to become the next generation of “green” entrepreneurs. All of the winning projects over the years have exemplified teachers who utilize innovative and engaging teaching methods and techniques to improve learning for America’s students. The 2011 ING Unsung Heroes winners were selected from a group of more than 1,400 applications. To learn more about this year’s winning projects, as well as those from previous years, visit the ING Unsung Heroes Web site at www.unsungheroes.com.