Introduction and ‘A Puzzle….’

Hello! My name is Miranda Correll and I am a senior. I am majoring in Liberal Studies with a minor in Child Development and I hope to become an elementary school teacher soon. I would really love to teach kindergarten or first grade. I teach swimming lessons when I am home on Winter and Summer breaks which is how I became passionate about teaching. I am hoping to begin the credential program here at Chico in the Fall and start student teaching soon. I love to learn about new techniques and resources that I will be able to use in my future classroom, so I am really looking forward to this class! :)

 

What it means to be a ‘reader’ to me is that someone is a reader if they can read something, comprehend it, and be able to explain what it is that they read. However, my idea of what a ‘reader’ is used to be different. I used to think that being a reader meant that you had to enjoy reading and be an avid reader. Once I got to college, I learned that isn’t necessarily true. I personally don’t enjoy reading for fun, although I wish I did. The problem that I have with reading is that I have so many other things going on that once I open a book and begin to read, my mind starts to drift off elsewhere. Therefore, I don’t tend to read outside of school. However, I do read for school when necessary. Since I am a liberal studies major, I read a lot of books about teaching techniques, classroom management, and I read through a lot of lesson plans as well. Although these books are required for me to read for my classes, I usually enjoy reading them because I know that I am reading something that will benefit me in the future. However, not every book that I have read during my college career has benefited me (for example, having to read “The Iliad” for a history class).

I had many takeaways from Williams’ article, “A Puzzle to the Rest of Us: Who is a ‘Reader’ Anyway?”. One of the takeaways I gathered from reading this article was when the author made a point that there is a message that adolescents get ‘lost’ in their books. I can recall multiple times in high school when a classmate of mine would be called out in front of the whole class for reading a book of their choice rather than paying attention to a lesson. It almost felt like the teacher was shaming them for wanting to read. When I look back on that moment, I realize how important reading can be to many students. I hope that I give my students enough time during the school day to read a book of their choice so that they can work on their reading skills and share stories with others.

Another takeaway I had from Williams’ article was her point stating that being a reader is a large positive for children. I completely agree with this statement. Being able to read is essential for children to grow and exceed in school. This is because, as the author stated, reading becomes more connected to work once students reach middle school. Even if they don’t enjoy reading, I think it is important for students to understand how much reading will play a role in their everyday lives. Just because someone doesn’t wish to read a lengthy novel or a poetry book, doesn’t mean they aren’t a reader. Being able to read text and comprehend it is an essential tool that we will use for the rest of our lives.