My early home experiences truly shaped how I view my discipline. I am not sure when I really started reading and enjoying it but I do know that it was largely due to my family. I definitely come from a family of readers. I remember that in his spare time my father was constantly reading Stephen King and Dean Koontz books. I remember that my grandmother was always reading similar things and also reading things such as V.C. Andrews and Mary Higgins Clark. Not only did I see my grandma reading a lot but she was always trying to get my to read new books. I feel like reading was really encouraged in my childhood. As a result of observing their reading and being introduced to lots of new books by my grandma, I became an avid reader. I was really interested in mystery novels similar to the ones my dad and grandmother were reading. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I really came to value reading and read constantly instead playing on the playground like other children. I definitely feel like reading was very positively represented in my family. Many kids come to view reading as boring and something school makes you do. I never felt like that. I always felt like reading was a hobby to be loved and enjoyed.
I feel like my view on reading could be extremely useful in the classroom. As I said before, there are many kids who come from homes where reading simply isn't valued. Many students only read when required to at school and as a result their reading skills suffer. However, what I think really got me into reading was being introduced to books that I was truly interested in. I think that introducing kids to books that they are interested in is the key to helping them become good readers. I would love to start my school year off with a book that students choose themselves. I would provide students with ideas and suggestions of what they could read. Letting students choose a book that they are truly interested in will not only get them reading but will introduce me to what they are interested in. This will allow me to get to know my students better and plan lessons and activities around their interest. When students feel a connection to the classroom, they learn better and enjoy their education more.
I've heard that some research suggests that a father's reading habits have more impact on children than the mother's reading habits. You probably learned a lot of implicit lessons about the value of reading through watching your dad read Dean Koontz.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there are also ways that you could invite members of the community into your classroom to show your students that the people they admire enjoy reading and use it in their lives for a variety of purposes. Maybe invite parents in to give book talks?
Thanks for your posting. :)
I too have heard an interesting statistic the connects a home library with child's IQ. I heard that the bigger an at-home library a child has access to before school, the higher their IQ will be. Now I know IQ has been challenged and argued over for a few decades now, but the reason I brought this up is not because of the IQ scores but what the statement implies. That if our students are more exposed to books before even beginning school then they will be more open to other sorts of learning (at least that's what I get out of idea.)
ReplyDeleteI too was exposed to reading a lot as a child, though I don't recall my father reading a lot when I was child. It was mostly my mother and her Dean Kooontz books.
I think if you have students who are reluctant to read traditional texts, you could ease them into it by giving them graphic novels. Graphic novels is a win-win situation for reluctant readers because they can still discuss important themes and concept without the pressure of reading a traditional text. Then you could introduce them to another text with similar themes or ideas and have the students connect the two.