As I reflect on my experiences as a reader, I realize that it has only been as of recently (as in, since being in the secondary education program) that I consider myself to be a good reader. My entire life I have equated being a good reader with being a fast reader. I now know that speed is not the key to reading. I really love reading historical fiction or historical nonfiction. When I'm reading historical nonfiction, and it is well-written, it seems like I can really get into the story of it all and put the book down and realize, "Hey! This isn't made up!" (Don't worry history friends, I make sure I'm reading from credible sources.) I also have thoroughly enjoyed reading general fiction books like Harry Potter, however, the books I remember loving the most from my schooling were books like Number the Stars, Johnny Tremain, and To Kill a Mockingbird. I can't really remember an entire period of time when I have disliked reading, only things I would rather have been reading than other things. Reading was something that was encouraged in my social groups and in my family culture. In fact, for a while after I got my glasses in fifth grade, I tried out the identity of "nerdy reading girl." It worked for a while, but then it just turned into "smart girl" then "college-bound girl." I do know that my brothers were not as encouraged to read as I was and I think it really has shaped part of their lives. There are things that we don't have in common now because they don't have that shared experience of reading with me.
As I consider how this influences the way I will foster literacy and a love of learning and thereby reading in my classroom, I am reminded that there are so many different kinds of texts that students can learn to read. I can provide as much time as possible for students to read in class and outside of class so they hear the message that good readers are not measured by speed or number of pages. Good readers are measured by comprehension and evaluation. And I can teach them skills to become better readers and thus better learners. This will build their own confidence as readers and I will work to reinforce the identities they shape in my classroom as good readers.
I appreciated the line near the end of your entry that says, "Good readers are measured by comprehension and evaluation". This is a good point to make. I'm sure you are not up to speed to my conversion to reading for fun or pleasure, so I will catch you up. In the last 6 months or so, I have had a change of heart about reading. There, now you are up to speed. A thought that I have is, watching a movie is a lot easier to do and I usually retain more. So why do we still read? I imagine that everything worth knowing can't be made into a movie, thus some form of print is a viable option. Reading keeps us connected as a what ever size group you want to consider. However, since reading usually takes more time, make it worth while and try and retain what you learn. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI can see how your experiences as a reader have shaped some of how you will incorporate text and other reading assignments as a teacher. These perceptions we have of ourselves as good readers or poor readers can be surprisingly sticky and can inform so much of what we do with our own reading habits. It becomes clear how what we do as teachers will also either reinforce or negate labels our students enter our classes with. Thanks for sharing your experiences and for taking the time to reflect on how this will influence your own teaching
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