Our Story Begins in the Classroom
At ReMo, we’re educators too. Our founder, Michelle DeBlois, launched ReMo after a 16-year career in Maine public schools. We believe in the power of reading because we’ve experienced it first-hand.
Reading is inspirational, joyful, and truly life-changing — for both students and educators. For students, reading opens a world of new ideas, offers new knowledge, and builds a sense of empathy and creativity. For teachers, reading provides an opportunity to connect with their students — and themselves — and build a community around reading and discovery.
We also know reading is not without its challenges. Over our decades of teaching multiple grades and literacy levels, we have seen two troubling issues emerge:
Reading scores have significantly decreased.
Based on results from the
2022 NAEP Reading Assessment, 30% of the 8th-graders and 37% of the 4th-graders in the US scored below a basic level of reading, and reading scores have declined in all regions of the US.
Teachers are stretched thin.
Over ¾ of states are
still facingteacher shortages. With fewer positions filled (
includingsubstitute teacher positions), existing educator staff take on even more work - and often, larger class sizes.
Meet Our Team
Michelle Deblois
Founder & CEO
Michelle is an avid reader, foodie, and nature-lover and has been a Maine public school educator for 16 years. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, kayaking, and camping, and devotes energy to being a social and environmental activist. She currently is on the Executive Boards of Maine Council for English Language Arts and Startup Maine, is a Reader for Maine initiatives Grants for Change and ILO Fund, and mentors six teens in the Olympia Snowe Women's Leadership Institute.
