Camp Director, Angie Miles
Summer Day Camps that Focus on Reading
Our camp director and resident reading specialist is Angie Miles. If you live in central Virginia, you may recognize her as a veteran news anchor, reporter, and producer. She has more than twenty years of experience as a professional broadcaster, having worked in radio, television and print journalism. Angie is also a committed literacy educator. As a professional and as a community volunteer, she has been active for nearly two decades as a consultant, tutor, trainer and advocate for children.
She has piloted literacy programming for all grade levels in schools throughout central Virginia—emphasizing the importance of motivation and parent involvement. And her learning materials have been used by teachers and tutors throughout America. She has been a conference presenter for a number of organizations at state and national events.
Angie has championed literacy in less conventional settings, such as hospitals, homeless shelters and jails. She believes that strong literacy skill gives people choices…that it empowers us, helps families to bond and creates a brighter future for all. And she says skillful communication has never been more important than it is right now: in an age of digital information.
Angie holds a master’s degree in reading from the University of Virginia’s highly-respected Curry School of Education. She has concentrations in both early and adolescent literacy and is endorsed in gifted education. She has a particular affinity for dynamic differentiation… delivering personalized instruction that responds appropriately to the unique interests, cultural sensibilities, learning styles, and the emotional and cognitive development of each child.
She believes every child has gifts and talents, which need to be identified, affirmed, nurtured, and celebrated. When it comes to struggling or reluctant readers, her approach is to find what is intrinsically appealing to them, identify their assets, and begin working from a place of strength. She believes every child can succeed and deserves a real opportunity to do so.
Angie also believes that good books are good friends and that something as simple as a story can be a teacher, an entertainer, a mentor, a role model and a source of inspiration….all at once. She finds few things as enjoyable as savoring well-written prose or poetry.
She is immediately at home with others who share her fondness for all types of literature or who are equally passionate about writing. And she regularly aims to engage and to win over those who have not yet discovered the treasures to be found within the pages of books.
Finally, Angie Miles is mother to four sons, each of whom could write his name at 3 years of age and read at 4. While not all children must read and write this early, she believes it is possible for more of our children to be proficient with literacy tasks quite early if we adults are noticing their readiness cues, making the most of teachable moments, and helping them to associate learning with joy as soon as possible.
Read more on Angie Miles’ credentials.
Questions? Contact us: lovebooks@happyreading.org or 804-912-0896
Images by ©Happy Reading
