Ramona Pittman (Faculty)

Some people realize their life’s calling at an early age. This was certainly the case for Ramona Pittman, Ph.D., associate professor of Reading.

As a child, she played “classroom” at home with her dolls. Her inanimate students would sit while she wrote on her chalkboard and played the role of teacher. She knew she wanted to change the world through teaching, and she is now fulfilling her destiny.

Prior to becoming a University faculty member, Dr. Pittman worked as a middle and high school teacher in Houston and as an elementary school teacher in Foxworth and Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Her experiences are now primary examples she uses in her classroom.

Early Literacy is Dr. Pittman’s favorite course to teach to her master’s students. “The course explores developing oral language all the way to teaching students how to decode and comprehend. I just love teaching how to teach reading” she says.

Dr. Pittman’s work in literacy is vital, especially in San Antonio, where 25 percent of residents are illiterate. She believes in order to improve the city’s literacy rate, educators must be properly trained in the science of reading. And she is confident that A&M-SA education students are graduating fully equipped with those necessary skills.

“I think that’s one of the reasons that San Antonio Independent School District came to us assist their students and their teachers because we really are teaching the science of teaching reading at this University,” she says. “Some pre-k-12 students may struggle with reading because of language barriers or lack of books in the home. So, we teach A&M-San Antonio students to understand those barriers and how to provide appropriate instruction for those students.”

Dr. Pittman enjoys her robust work at A&M-SA and plans to leave a legacy.

“I want to be a professor who performed groundbreaking research on literacy, whose students look to as being an expert in the literacy field. I also want to leave a legacy for African American students on campus by increasing the visibility of African American here. especially African American women on campus. I want to be a role model to all students, but especially for them.”