David Browning Blog #2

It’s clear that Donalyn Miller loves reading and she want’s her students to love it as well. Reading needs to become a daily habit for kids; which, will help to ensure that they continue to read regularly throughout their lifetimes. But, how do we as educators instill this “love”? Ms. Miller speaks about “optimal experience or flow” which occurs when students are reading, “texts they enjoy and find personally interesting”. This idea resonates with me. I think the best way to get children fully vested in literature is to offer them some say in the texts and literary selections that they’re being required to tackle. Furthermore, offering time in class to read is an excellent idea; not all students have the time or inclination to read outside of the structured environment of the classroom.

What is challenging about all of this? Everything. Teaching children to read isn’t necessarily easy and keeping them interested in this activity is a vital component to their overall success. That being said, I’m excited about the opportunity to establish my own reading curriculum and implementing it within my own class. The suggestions offered by Donalyn Miller can only help in this regard.  The only thing that scares me, not only about this process, but about teaching in general, is the specter of the over-involved parent. I don’t mean parents who are deeply interested in their child’s education, that’s great! I mean those parents who are looking to dictate the things I’ m trying to accomplish in the classroom.  My worst nightmare is having a student who has a parent that is also a teacher. I have many friends who are currently in the profession and they’ve told me horror stories. Of course, some of them do the same thing to their kids teachers as well : )