From The Desk Of The Retired Teacher
A little detour from what I’m doing right now, as far as subbing..maybe not? Reading, a huge topic as I reflect on the why, when, how, where and the what it means, leading to the goals/outcomes we want for all children. Lots of chatter on Twitter about that, and that’s a good thing! A post @ChrisQuinn shared, had me revisiting this topic once again. Links galore, comments from whom I consider authorities in this conversation, that is to say, the classroom teacher.
Am I an expert in this field? NO! Am I a Reading Specialist? NO! Am I classroom teacher (for this post, I will say yes, even though I now am officially, a substitute teacher). I, like many colleagues I have met f2f and on Twitter, share concerns and see familiar culprits. But not going down that rabbit hole. Let’s be forward marching and look at where we have leverage and strengths (just as I advocate to look at our students’ strengths, as a conduit to growth). A salient post that I wrote (link below), reminds me of the importance of building relationships with the students before making goals. Knowing what they need from us comes first and foremost, and that comes from spending time with them. Watching them interact with each other, with the materials, what they gravitate to and what they shy away from. Do they go to the library area as a personal choice? Do they choose books as a choice not a coercion or a must do? Observations key to “knowing” and that comes early on in our students’ “school life.” We can’t control or impose on them what goes on outside the classroom, but we can make that classroom a safe, caring place that gives them “wiggle” room to find themselves. And WE observe, to get to know them better. We listen and we encourage conversations. From early on (early childhood classrooms and kindergarten) how we engage in the reading process, that is, the love we have for read alouds, the excitement of storytelling, the availability of books: the classroom library inviting them to explore and the writing tools for their own book making, sets the stage!
That love of reading intertwines with the love of learning. For me that’s what reading is all about. How about you? Be it fiction, or non fiction whatever the genre that grabs them, how can that not be what warms a teacher’s heart? We really all are “The Reading Teacher “ wouldn’t you say?
These two quotes from @LRobbTeacher also lead to my writing today.
The road traveled 
Pingback: As Students’ Ponder | The road traveled