Caleb Thrower: November Blog

For my November blog I read Chapter 3 from Reading Essentials about sharing your reading life with your students. I found this chapter quite eye opening because sharing my own personal reading life is not something I have ever done, let alone thought of doing, with my classes. The chapter presents some compelling reasons why this is not only essential to growing a classroom community but also helping your students learn that reading doesn't have to be the monotonous task it is often presented as at school.

As I look at my personal reading habits I realize why I have never felt compelled to share them with my students, because my reading habits themselves are not typical. I read a lot in my personal time but that reading rarely includes picking up a traditional book and reading it from cover to cover. Most of what I read comes in the forms of blogs, comics, and internet message boards on topics I find interesting. But reading this chapter have convinced me that even though these are not traditional literary forms, it is still okay to share this with my class because it is still authentic reading.

I also enjoyed the section of how important a reading journal can be. I have never kept a reading journal but I can see where it would become a way to reflect on how you have grown as a reader over time. I think this is especially true of students when likes and interests change on seemingly a daily basis. Students will be able to look back on their journals and see what interest them and what books they may want to reread in the future.

I would like to take away two main things from this chapter. I am going to be more diligent in sharing my personal reading life with my students to get them to understand reading is something that can be done for entertainment. I am also going to have them begin a reading journal where they can keep track of their readings. Hopefully these two simple things will continue to help my students grow as readers while they are in my class.