The Fate of Reading
Educational tweeters and bloggers across the Internet are sharing this impassioned post from Sandra Stiles, a middle school English teacher. Dismayed by a new reading program implemented in her district, which limits the books students can read and marginalizes "pleasure reading" to an at-home activity, Sandra has taken a stand.
"I decided to become a teacher to teach students. Not to teach them to hate reading. I will do as usual. Against the district I will modify my program and teach them about good books and put good books in their hands and if they keep those books then I will go out and buy more. Until they fire me I refuse to fail my students."
How have we come to this? A teacher must risk her career to put books in the hands of her students?
Comments
Very troublesome... Check out and comment on What Remedial Reading Teachers Want (A Manifesto).
Posted by: Mark Pennington | August 15, 2009 6:04 PM
I guess we've come to it because we elect people to make decisions for us who put quantity ahead of quality. Economic rationalism.
Posted by: Book Chook | August 15, 2009 9:54 PM
Just curious what your thoughts and suggestions would be for implementing a reading program into our junior high math classes? I co-teach math and would like to use some of the ideas in your book for requiring books to be read throughout the year and switching from bell-ringers and fun "I;m finished" folders to meaningful reading time. Can this ideal be successfully implemented into a different subject area? I do believe that many students struggle with math because they cannot read the material! Any suggestions?
Posted by: Shawna Veit | August 22, 2009 7:00 PM
Dear Shawna,
I commend you for your efforts to motivate children to read during your math class. I agree that offering reading time after students complete their math assignments sends a powerful message that you believe in reading. Some other activities you might try:
You could read aloud a book to the children during any extra time you have. Mysteries might help with your math goals to teach problem solving and critical thinking and encourage students to read more books by the same authors. There are picture books that include math themes like The Librarian Who Measured the Earth and One Grain of Rice, too. Typing "picture books about math" into a Google search yielded several book lists when I checked today. You did not mention the age of your students, but even middle schoolers would enjoy picture books.
It is not necessary to tie your reading goals to your math instruction, however. Checking books out of the school library, placing them on the whiteboard rail, and providing students time to read promotes reading, too.
As for getting parents on board, can you collaborate with the English teachers and librarian in your building to encourage reading across the school day? How can your efforts dovetail with the reading initiatives taking place at your school? I think explaining why you think reading is so important to their children's success will assure most parents. Perhaps you could send home some books for parents to read with their children, reinforcing both your math and reading objectives.
Best Wishes for a marvelous school year!
Posted by: Donalyn Miller | August 23, 2009 10:30 PM