Lead to Read

I’ll admit it- I was a fake reader for quite some time during elementary school. The problem was, my teachers never did anything about it. Perhaps they didn’t catch it or they didn’t know what to do about it. Either way, I’m paying for that now. It is still hard for me to get into reading. I have trouble finding a book I enjoy as well as finding the free time to read. Thinking back to my fake reading days, I become aware of what I am most afraid of: confronting students about fake reading. Luckily, Donalyn Miller offers some insight about what to do when you observe a student fake reading. Miller states that first she tries to determine if the students’ nonreading behavior is habitual or book related (pg. 29). I agree that this is the best place to start. It is important for teachers to not accuse or assume anything of their students. They must try their best to observe and go about confronting them the right way. Going on to talk about why this is happening can be a sensitive subject. Many students do not want to admit that the book they are reading is too challenging for them. That was one of the reasons why I never admitted my problem; I had a fear of sounding dumb as a young child. I didn’t want my classmates to know if I had to miss class to go into another room to get help with my reading. This experience of mine is why I will go about talking to my students who I observe fake reading sensitively and with care.

Although teaching reading comes with some fears, there are definitely some exciting things to look forward to. What I am looking forward to most when it comes to teaching reading is learning about the different ways to get my students to enjoy reading. I really enjoyed looking over the “My Reading Itinerary” on pg. 20-21 in Reading in the Wild. I would like to use this same form in my classroom. I believe that it helps students monitor their progress and feel a sense of achievement when they see how much their reading times have improved. I am hoping to find more ways to encourage my students to have a love for reading for a lifetime. I plan on using this book, Pinterest, and any other teacher-friendly sights to find ideas on how to do this.

The biggest take away idea from the Miller text so far is that it is important for teachers to incorporate reading time into their daily school schedule. The message Miller appropriately exaggerates is that time reading at school truly matters. Some students would not be reading at all if it weren’t for teachers setting a time during the day for students to read. Another big take away from this text is that teachers need to find the time to speak with students who they think are not reading outside of school. This conversation needs to be confronted in a sensitive way so that students feel comfortable enough to express why they may not be able to read outside of school. Teachers and students must work together to talk about the students’ schedule and find a time to fit reading into it. Getting students to read outside of school seems to be the most challenging task of all. Overall, I hope that I am able to encourage students to find a love for reading both inside and outside of school.