Hello to All, I am usually another of those who quietly read and observer on this website gleaning ideas to share with others who are interested. As a special education teacher, I am an avid reader wanting to soak up as much knowledge as I can about reading, struggling readers and motivation.
1. Remembering back to my early reading days, I was one of those children who would read under the covers with a flashlight. I have always had a very serious visual impairment and my parents were afraid to let me read as much as I wanted so I took the trusty flashlight and read under the covers, I was always very good at sneaking a library book inside my social studies book too! I remember the day that my mother and I registered me for school - first grade that is - there was no mandatory kindergarten back in my day! I saw all the wonderful books that we would be using and I can remember being furious with my mother because she didn't bring them home with us then and there. I was already reading before I entered school.My parents both worked with me a lot at home and instilled a love of learning long before formal education stated..I grew up in a rural isolated area, the only child of older parents so my books became my friends.. Some of my favorite books were series books particularly the Little House Books, Nancy Drew and the Bobbsey Twins. I also loved horse books. I think there was a series about a horse name Tizz? WE are talking 50 years ago here! 2. Books have always brought a lot of joy to my life and it is so sad to see most of my students come to me with such negative experiences about reading. The majority of them have had so much drill and kill that they are in seventh grade now putting in time. I do lots of read alouds with lots of animation and special effects. WE have lots of deep discussions. WE did several books last year where we read the book then watched the movie and compared the two. Surprisingly enough, most students liked the books better.Some favorites were Stone Fox, the Hatchet Series, and the Sarah Plain and Tall Series. Several of my students were total non-readers at the beginning of the year. 3. I thoroughly agree with and earlier poster when she said. As more and more emphasis is placed on testing, the joy of a great book and the wondrous literature of my childhood and today seems to be losing it's place in the education of our children. It tears at my soul to see basal reading programs becoming the be all/end all for some schools and the time devoted to actually reading and escaping into the book deemed "inappropriate" by some. Oh for a day when our children "hide under the covers with a flashlight" even in our classrooms!! I want to do all that I can to turn on my formerly turned off students so they too can catch teh reading fever. June in KY _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
