Why a good book is a secret door

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Creating Wild Readers

Creating Wild Readers

The first concept in this book that I resonated with is the quote by young adult author John Green which states that “reading forces you to be quiet in a world that no longer makes a place for that” (p. 6). I feel this is extremely relevant to society as we know it today. From the day we were born we have been measured up, weighed, and compared. Our worth is only as good as what we do, make, and believe. Children are taught that they need to worry about their future, and contemplate their past, when reading can quiet the noise and bring you into the present. Miller then explains how reading centers her, and she is a better teacher because she reads. I understand reading may not be for every student. However, it is essential as a teacher to show them the benefits reading can have not only in education (which is a little more obvious) but in everyday life as an escape. She explained these people that read to escape as a “wild reader”, which I thought was clever.

Teaching this (to be a wild reader) would be much more difficult than it seems. I mean kids have so much going on — sports games, chores, friends, etc (Miller put some quotes from her students explaining why they don’t read often). This is why I really enjoyed all of her strategies to get them thinking about reading and how much they do/don’t read. One example is the use of what she calls “edge time” (another colorful vocab term) which is the small gaps throughout the day that you are caught waiting — such as before a doctor’s appointment, or during a little sister’s soccer game. Teaching the students take advantage of their excess time for reading can create a wild reader.

One thing that I thought was conflicting is her use of a “Reading Itinerary” which she explained as a “reflection piece, not a new version of the reading log”. However, in her example itinerary on page 20/21 looks a lot like a reading log to me. The log contains sections for length of time reading, where you read, what day you read, for the child to fill out. I feel like this is basically a reading log, even though her intentions for the log is different. She explains how she doesn’t grade the logs or even consistently do them throughout the year, but uses then as strictly a “self-awareness tool”. As I agree with her intentions, I think maybe this should be modified a bit.

One Reply to “Creating Wild Readers”

  1. I find a lot of concepts in your response to resonate with me as well. Honestly, I have found a much higher appreciation of reading literature in my recent college years, but I have experienced this sort of ‘natural pressure’ you speak that comes with just… living really. It is encouraging to see that other individuals in my position, along with established individuals such as Miller have found increasing comfort or sense of being grounded in reading, and advocate for ones mind be whisked away by an unstoppably intriguing text. I appreciate you seeing that this ideology for reading is not natural for all students, but it is still pertinent to inform them of the vast amount of beneficiary attributes. Including the fact that teaching wild reading is not an easy task to take on either. Teaching little tricks like “edge time” and showing the “fun” side of reading will hopefully help combat this! I saw the reading itinerary as well, I have a similar point of view that it portrays the same concept of a traditional reading log. However, I think that at some point it is necessary to give the student something that they are responsible for, that reminds them the to read the book in the first place and present it’s importance.

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