Today is the first day of my action research blog. I am working with five middle school female students, during what we- at our school- call IIT (Individual Instruction Time). The girls were selected the first week of school, based on their first writing, teacher observations of their classroom habits, interactions, and personalities. We have been reading "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd, for the past week and a half. My goal when we began was to help the students feel more confident in their reading abilities and encourage them to volunteer more in class. What I am finding is that they are becoming a cohesive group that is participating more in oral reading and conversation, during our small group time. What I am also seeing, is the need to continue the group  past the three weeks that are usually devoted to one group. I have spoken to the girls about this, and they are very excited to have more time together and with me. When I discussed my MAT project, they were thrilled to hear that I was in the MAT, to become even better at teaching, and that my goal was not to become an administrator, but to become the best teacher I could possibly be. They are a joy to work with!