From: Robin Smith <robinsmith59>
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 13:58:35 -0500

Dear all,
    I am sure all of us feel as if we have a strange relationship with pop culture. On one hand, we feel like screaming when we walk into a bookstore and see more puppets and posters than books. In our local independent bookstore, we have watched books move from the center of the store to the periphery. Soaps, chimes, CDs, mugs, t-shirts and calendars take up almost as much space as books. The once-marvelous children's section is a shade of its former self and most of that space is taken up with series fiction.

    And, on the other hand, pop culture is often what brings readers to books.

    In my (second grade) classroom, especially at the beginning of the year, the children are thrilled to see my baskets of sports biographies, complete sets of Zack Files, Magic Tree House and the like. I even have the Rugrats and other TV tie-ins. I also have Captain Underpants, comics and other "forbidden" fare. I can't bring myself to read a lot of these titles, but I do have them. Maybe I am remembering my childhood reading the Nancy Drew mysteries in order, settling down with the Happy Hollisters or Trixie Belden or going door-to-door trading comic books. ("wanna trade??" were the magic words that brought comic books out into the hallway for carefully negotiated exchanges of Jughead for Little Lulu and Superman for Betty and Veronica)
    But, through reading aloud A LOT (no pitiable 20 minutes/day for this teacher! My children hear at least two picture books every morning and 200 minutes of a chapter book right before the end of the day) and bringing in new books as often as possible, my students broaden their horizons quickly. It is critical for children to HEAR stories and talk about the books they can read. I encourage them to pass their books on to a friend ("Who do you think would really love that, too? Why don't you go tell them about it?") and to find other books like the book they loved. I read aloud all sorts of books, from historical fiction to humor and from fairy tales to the newspaper. By November, kids are reading from all the baskets of books, not just the familiar or forbidden.
    Nancy brings up a serious issue, though. I also think many teachers are not reading aloud to their students as much as they were in the past. Even in my school, where reading aloud is encouraged by the administrators and English department chair, many teachers use reading aloud as a filler, if they have time. I have also noticed a disturbing trend: teachers playing books on tape to their kids. The teacher then goes about the business of straightening and grading and the like.
    I am horrified that, despite all the research, many of my parents no longer read to their children each night. I teach in a school where parents are highly educated, financially secure, and informed. Most of my parents seem to love to read. When I began teaching here ten years ago, about 85% of the parents read aloud regularly. But, the numbers are slowly dwindling. I do not know why, but I see it as my calling to change the tide where I can. So, in almost every letter home, I talk about books I am reading, books some parents are reading ("Mrs. X tells me that she is reading Ramona Quimby, Age 8 to Susie and Cameron and they are loving it!"), and tucking in information about reading and it's importance for brain development and its relationship with writing, spelling and vocabulary. The message that seems to work best with my parents is the one that goes something like this..."You spend a lot of time finding special programs that will enrich your child's development. The easiest and best way to aid your child's intellectual development is by reading aloud." I also regularly ask my children, "What did your dad read aloud last night? " or I suggest, "Why don't you take that home and have your mom read it aloud to you?"

Off the soapbox and back to my book, Robin Smith Nashville, TN
Received on Fri 16 Jul 2004 01:58:35 PM CDT