I developed a love of children's books long before I became a graduate student of childhood education. Before I even started working toward my degree, I had spent 9 years reading and visiting the library with my children. I consider them to be living proof that raising readers is not as complicated as people seem to think it is.
In order to become a certified teacher, many months of observation and student teaching are required. I can tell you that from day one of observing, I witnessed experienced teachers who were not receiving the support they needed to instill a love of reading and learning in children. I quickly realized that, even though I had not been trained as a reading specialist, the years I spent reading and visiting the library with my children provided me with a unique insight into the world of reading and learning.
During the four years I spent observing, student teaching, and working as a certified teacher/assistant (in 5 different public school districts within my home state), I had the opportunity to work with many experienced and dedicated teachers. I saw some amazing things going on in classrooms, but I also found the following recurring problems:
- Book selections in classroom libraries were extremely limited. Even if students had silent reading time, many of them were not really reading because they didn't have access to appropriate books.
- Students do not spend nearly enough time in the school library looking for enjoyable books, if they even have access to a school library.
- Many teachers feel that reading aloud, just for the fun of it, is an activity that they do not have time for anymore.
- School districts are not spending enough money on high quality children's literature, which is often far better than any textbook or pilot reading program could ever be.
- Parents and teachers are rushing children away from picture books as soon as they are able to read independently, when there are so many that could be used to teach and discuss a variety of subjects.
- Parents are not reading to their children often enough, if at all, and do not help their independent readers to find enjoyable books on a regular basis.
Let me be clear that I do not blame the teachers for any of these problems. The demands being placed upon educators these days, standardized testing being just one of them, make it one of the hardest jobs there is. There are so many dedicated teachers and school administrators who have made a difference in the lives of so many children, and I have a great amount of respect for each of them.
I firmly believe, though, that school administrators should be trying to hire a more diverse group of individuals, such as applicants who:
- have valuable life experience in other careers, and/or as parents.
- value lifelong learning and reading themselves.
- may not share the same culture or way of thinking that they do.
With that all said, I started this blog in order to share my knowledge and concerns with parents, teachers, and anyone else who's willing to listen. Even though there have been times over the past two months when I have felt like Tom Cruise in the movie Jerry Maguire (like no one out there is really listening), I have met so many other bloggers who actually value children's literature and reading as much as I do. The experience of connecting with like minded people has been so much more rewarding than I ever could have imagined. I want to thank Susan, Jen, and Terry, who give so much of themselves to the world of children's literature every single day of their lives.
If you don't think my opinion should count for anything due to the fact that I've never actually had my own classroom, allow me to share two recent books by educators with many years of actual teaching experience. Both of them should be required reading for anyone who has anything to do with education.
The first one is called Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It, by Kelly Gallagher. I read this book a few months ago, and have been planning on mentioning it for a while. This teacher/author has taught high school English for over 20 years, and really sounds the alarm about what he refers to as "readicide," which he defines as "the systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools." He provides numerous examples of what is going wrong in public schools, and how they can be fixed. It's not a long book, and it really should be required reading for anyone who works in a school setting.
I've personally witnessed many of the problems mentioned in this book (that's a post for another day), but I also strongly feel that without parental support (starting long before children even start public school), teachers will have a difficult time instilling a lifelong love of reading in students. That's why I was so happy to find a blog and another book that complements Kelly Gallagher's book so nicely.
When I found Donalyn Miller's blog last week, I was so happy to find another educator who feels the same way I do about so many aspects of teaching. A couple of days later, I found out that she had just released a book, called The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child. I immediately ran to the library to borrow a copy.
Even though this book was written mainly for educators, this teacher/author shares so many wonderful ways to instill a love of reading in children, that enthusiastic parents will enjoy reading it as well. Her ideas are simple and easy to implement in the classroom or at home. Well, I shouldn't say they'd be easily implemented in classrooms, because teachers first need a wide variety of high quality children's books to do so. The initial change in technique and focus would take time and effort to implement, but would be well worth it in the long term.
A few lines of special significance to me are:
"Readers without power to make their own choices are unmotivated," on page 23, and
"my students rack up substantial reading time that they formerly spent talking, getting into trouble, or standing around being bored," page 58, and finally
"By setting the expectation that reading is what we do, always, everywhere, it becomes the heart of a class's culture," also on page 58.
These particular lines are particularly meaningful to me because they are powerful words that parents can learn from as well. As a parent of a two avid readers, I can tell you that surrounding your children with books he or she has carefully selected, and making reading a valued activity on a daily basis, is the one true gift that you can give to your children. The best part is that this gift requires no money. All you need is a library card and a desire to spend quality time reading with, or alongside, your child.
It may be hard for some to believe that Donalyn Miller's simple suggestions could be so much more effective than the costly, complicated reading programs that are out there now. All I can say is that I used many of the recommended strategies in my own home since my first child was born, and both of my children are still advanced and avid readers. Both were reading at levels way beyond their ages by the time they were in first grade. I did also teach them how to read, but that's a story for another day.
I'd like to thank Jen Robinson for calling my attention to Donalyn Miller's book. You can find her complete book review here.
I'd also like to thank Kelly Gallagher and Donalyn Miller for paving the way for real change in our schools and in our homes. They have shown us how powerful one person and one idea can be, and why it's so important to make your voice heard when you feel strongly about something.
Comments, anyone? I realize that there are strong opinions about this topic, but I welcome any and all ideas. I don't mind if people disagree with me. I don't claim to have all of the answers. The important thing is to get the conversation started in the first place.
