NIU instructor Mary Gardner, an elementary school reading specialist, knows the importance of reading.

State officials recognized that in January, naming Gardner one of three Illinois Reading Educators of the Year.

“It’s rewarding for me because this is what I’ve concentrated on,” Gardner said. “To date, this is pretty big for me.”

She received $500 and a plaque Friday at a state ceremony in Springfield. Those seeking the award apply according to their particular teaching levels & elementary school, high school or reading specialist.

Gardner resisted at first, not wanting to “toot my own horn,” but a colleague convinced her to apply. She submitted required letters of recommendation and a personal assessment of her teaching philosophies, and was notified in December that she had won.

As a reading specialist, Gardner works with children, teachers and parents to help kids who need an extra boost with reading. She assists small groups of children in classrooms, helping them tap into their reading capabilities.

Sometimes it’s difficult to reach children who are struggling with their reading, Gardner said, because some children don’t have parents who encourage reading, read to them or provide reading material.

Also, some families don’t have money to buy books and other materials that will help children learn how to read.

Many times, kids focus more on playing video games or watching television than reading & and those factors can hinder a child’s reading progress, Gardner said.

Dealing with parents sometimes can be a difficult issue, she said. Some parents fear that their children will be pulled out of the regular classroom for special reading instruction, or they don’t want to admit that their children need help. Gardner said the children themselves don’t feel looked down upon or different, but it’s still hard to keep some parents at ease.

“It’s hard & parents get on the defensive,” she said.

Gardner likes preparing future teachers at NIU and instilling in them the importance of reading and teaching children to do the same.

She teaches an undergraduate course for juniors and seniors called “Organizing Effective Reading Instruction,” showing new teachers how to organize their classrooms to help groups of students read more successfully.

Gardner received her undergraduate degree from Western Illinois University in 1973, then came to NIU, where she got her master’s degree in 1997. She has taught at elementary schools for 25 years, mostly in first grade, and became involved in the federally funded Title I program five years ago.

She doesn’t foresee another standard teaching job in the future, preferring the specialized reading assistance instead.

“I don’t think I’ll go back to the classroom,” Gardner said. “Title I is a challenge.”