The demand for confident reading teachers is greater than ever before. To guarantee successful reading instruction, teachers across the nation are being trained in the science of reading, which focuses on explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Large reading initiatives are tirelessly working on plans to implement the science of reading training to in-service teachers; however, what are universities doing to support their efforts? Dr. Kelli Smith, Dr. Tami Shelley, and Mrs. Pam Higgins teach reading instruction to early childhood and elementary students at Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM). Our experiences as elementary students, teachers, and leadership roles drive our desire to prepare pre-service teachers with the tools and skills needed to be confident reading educators. The following presentation will offer a more in-depth view of our motivation to learn science of reading instructional strategies so that we can best prepare our students as future reading teachers. [For the complete proceedings, see ED626149.]