Ronise Whitfield, creator of The Blending Box game, is a veteran educator with 20 plus years of experience. She received her Bachelor of Science in Education in 2000, her Master of Educational Leadership and Principal Certification in 2018. Mrs. Whitfield began her teaching career as a 1st and 2nd grade teacher at a Title I school in South Florida. She later moved to Dallas County and began teaching 4th grade at a Title I school in Irving, TX. Mrs. Whitfield realized that many of the students she served lacked foundational skills necessary to read fluently. After three years, she was able to put together the resources necessary to close the reading gaps for her students within a nine-month span!
She spent 1 of 3 years researching systems that teachers on her campus were using. After assessing the data, she then implemented a pilot program of her own to solve the reading problem at her campus. The program was hugely successful! She later moved to another district focusing on Title I students and best practices. Again, her program was proven to be successful. At the start of the 2016-17 school year Mrs. Whitfield left the classroom to become a Reading Interventionist. It was her goal to examine each grade level’s expectations and diagnose where the problems occurred. With each group of students she served, she was able to see on average 1.5-2 years of reading gaps closure within nine months. When Covid-19 cancelled school during the end of the year she was faced with a decision. Her administrators informed her she would return to the classroom the next year, but it wasn’t what she wanted. She decided to move to a district that would allow her to continue to pursue her passion as a Reading Interventionist.
When school reopened, Covid-19 made it difficult to function as normal. However, with the use of her system, students continued to exceed expectations. While conferencing with a sixth grade reading teacher and sharing The Blending Box concept, he inspired her to take this game to the next level.
None of us knows it all. I have always been a believer in leaning on the experience of others to advance my objectives. I believe that we can advance faster and farther by taking advantage of lessons previously learned by those who have gone ahead of us. As a veteran of the classroom with formal education and experience in classroom instruction, strategic education leadership, intervention teaching strategies, and principal certification in Texas, I am happy to offer consultative training to help other professionals in the education industry. Some areas where I offer consulting cover the following:
Reading Block Scheduling – Get assistance with organizing the components within your reading block. Creating Small Groups – Get assistance with creating meaningful small groups that will help you close gaps. Station Basics – Get assistance in implementing workstations that are effective while reducing interruptions to the teacher’s small group table.
