The focus of this chapter was to share who you are as a reader with your students in order to help develop their love of reading. The tips or strategies offered are to motivate students to want to read instead of them feelings like it is something they have to do while at school. As teachers, we would love for our students to have this natural interest or enjoyment of reading but the truth is that most students will not feel this way unless we guide or model that for them. Some of the main points within the chapter were to share your reading habits, share your passion, talk about favorite authors and books, discuss the importance of having a personal library, and maintain a reading record. I feel like these are all good ways of helping show students that reading can be for fun as opposed to something they have to do.
Reading is something I have always enjoyed doing but it's not something I ever really discussed with my class. About the only time I have ever mentioned to my class that I like to read is at the beginning of the year when we were doing the "Get to Know You" activities. Throughout reading this chapter, it helped me to understand how I need to share my enjoyment of reading with my class more so that it will help them to understand and know that reading is not just something you do in school and stop once you are done. I think that this would definitely help my students become lifelong readers. When I think back on my childhood and when I started to read for pleasure, it wasn't until middle school. Even then it wasn't because of a teacher sharing with me about how they liked to read, it was just something I started to enjoy on my own. I have to admit though that I'm not as much of a passionate reader as the author seems to be. I don't keep reading records or read anything I can get my hands on. For me personally, when it starts to get to that level of keeping a record or reading professional books just because, it takes some pleasure out of it. I like to read because it helps to relieve some stress and if I were to be at the level the author is about reading it would feel like some type of school work. Overall, I see the benefits of sharing who I am as reader with my students and it is something I will try to start incorporating into my reading time.
Erin, thank you for reflecting on your own practice as a teacher of reading. If you are not comfortable sharing what you are reading, you might share what you and your son enjoy together--I know your students would like some of the same books that he likes. That small window into our lives helps to make our relationship with our students much more personal. We become a friend who they will want to be like.
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