Lisa Brooks Summey: Blog #3: Share Your reading Life.
I really enjoyed this chapter in the book, Reading Essentials. I have never shared why I read, my reading habits, my personal library, or a passion for reading...mainly because some of the things I read....I don't need to share with elementary age students. (Just Kidding) Really, this never crossed my mind. In the classroom, I've always been an enthusiastic reader using voices and acting out the text for the students, always telling them how much I love the book I am sharing with them and why...but I never applied this to WHAT. I. ENJOY. READING. AND. WHY. It does make sense, sharing your reading life with your students. It shows them that there is something more to just picking up a book during SSR. It shows that reading has value, meaning, and purpose. To be honest, I guess my biggest hold up I have in sharing my reading life is,...I am not much of a reader. I do read, but I am not one who always has a book in my hand, and quite honestly...I don't always enjoy reading. There are times I binge and read a lot....and then times where I don't read for long periods. For me, to put this into practice, I just need to begin, take that step and share what I've read and why with my students. I do have many books at home that are a variety of genres. My favorite books are my childrens' collection. These are the books that I've read to my own kids and in my classroom. I feel like Ill need to be honest in the fact that I don't read all the time and there were times growing up that I absolutely hated to read.
Some things I liked about this passage were the short," Try It and Apply It" selections. Love the idea of negotiating record keeping forms, just trusting your students with their selections, and the idea that...you don't have to do it "right". Just share something about your reading and share how they can think through and solve problems as they read.
Makes me wonder...for those of us who aren't big readers ourselves....are we less effective reading teachers than those who do?
And it makes me wonder . . . would adults who don't just LOVE reading now feel differently if they had had teachers who gave them choice and opportunity to "lose" themselves in a story? Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI liked the "Try It and Apply It" section, too. I see the need for "just-right" reading, but I also see the need to throw it out the window sometimes. I am sure I read books that are below my level today. LOL. I guess finding the balance is the key in every area of life . . . including being a reading teacher. :)