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Reluctant Readers
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From: sully_at_sully-writer.com
Date: Sat, 05 Feb 2011 09:25:30 -0700
nt
When I think of reluctant readers, I think of aliteracy. Alliterates a re people who are able to read but choose not to put that ability into prac tice.
There's a lot of blame to go around for alliterate young people and I' d put parents first and foremost. Alliterates typically grow up in homes wi thout reading role models. Parents who do not value reading will not have c hildren who value it. My mother has a high school education, but there was always reading material in our home when I grew up. We received a couple of newspapers, several different kids of magazines, and there were bookshelve s full of books. More importantly, I saw my mother reading newspapers, maga zines, and books. She wasn't reading great works of literature, but she was engaged in the act of reading which showed me it was important. She enroll ed me in the Dr. Seuss Book-of-the Month Club. I had subscriptions to magaz ines like Ranger Rick and Boy's Life. When we went to the flea market, I was given money to buy comic books. I was given books for gifts. When I was 10-year-old, my mother bought me a complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica . In short, I grew up in an environment that va lued reading, and it shaped me into a person who values and enjoys reading.
When I worked as an elementary school librarian, it was clear from the beginning which kindergartners were coming from alliterate homes. They wer e the children who did not know the alphabet and did not recognize nursery rhymes. They did not know how to handle books properly, turn pages with car e, etc. These were obviously kids who were coming from homes which did not value reading. They were beginning school at a disadvantage and they would always be at a disadvantage because they would continue to live in an allit erate environment. I don't buy the argument that parents don't have time to read to their children. People, no matter how full their schedules are, ma ke time for what is important to them. They will make time to watch a telev ision program or play a video game. If reading is something they value, the y will make the time for it.
Schools also have plenty of blame to share for aliteracy. Most reading education revolves around a philosophy that can be summed up by the inane slogan "learn to read, read to learn." Underlying reading education is the absurd belief that children learn everything they need to know about "how t o read" by third grade. Little or no effort is made beyond that grade level to enhance reading skills or emulate the pleasures of reading, u nless children are diagnosed with some sort of learning disability. By the time children reach 5th grade, reading in the classroom becomes largely a m atter of chore rather than pleasure. Emphasis is on "direct instructio n." I remember being utterly appalled when I heard my elementary school pri ncipal say at a staff meeting that reading aloud and sustained silent readi ng in the classroom is "not a purposeful activity." By middle and high school, it is rare to find attention given to appreciating the aesthetic p leasures of reading. The intense pressures now
placed upon "standards, " "achievement," and "accountability," have placed teachers in the unfortun ate predicament that they cannot spend time discussing a book or story in any depth that might make the reading experience meaningful to a studen t.
My middle school students were always amazed at the number of books I read. Many were convinced I was some sort of "speed reader." I explained to them that I am no genius and had no speed reading abilities. It's like pla ying sports or a musical instrument. The more you practice at it, the bette r you get. The more you read, the more effortless and enjoyable it becomes.
Public libraries can share some blame, too. Most are very good about o ffering early childhood programs for pre-school children, but there is a sh arp drop-off when it comes to school-age and young adult programs.&nbs p;It doesn't take much to get young children excited about books and readin g. The challenge is sustaining that enthusiasm and interest as children gro w older and increasingly find many other things competing for their time an d attention.
Edward T. Sullivan, Rogue Librarian Author, The Ultimate Weapon : The Race to Develop the Atomic Bomb (Holiday House, 2007) Vi sit my web site, http://www.sully -w riter.com Visit my blog, Rogue Librarian: All About Books and Readin g http://sullywriter.wordpre ss .com Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/sullywriter
Received on Sat 05 Feb 2011 09:25:30 AM CST
Date: Sat, 05 Feb 2011 09:25:30 -0700
nt
When I think of reluctant readers, I think of aliteracy. Alliterates a re people who are able to read but choose not to put that ability into prac tice.
There's a lot of blame to go around for alliterate young people and I' d put parents first and foremost. Alliterates typically grow up in homes wi thout reading role models. Parents who do not value reading will not have c hildren who value it. My mother has a high school education, but there was always reading material in our home when I grew up. We received a couple of newspapers, several different kids of magazines, and there were bookshelve s full of books. More importantly, I saw my mother reading newspapers, maga zines, and books. She wasn't reading great works of literature, but she was engaged in the act of reading which showed me it was important. She enroll ed me in the Dr. Seuss Book-of-the Month Club. I had subscriptions to magaz ines like Ranger Rick and Boy's Life. When we went to the flea market, I was given money to buy comic books. I was given books for gifts. When I was 10-year-old, my mother bought me a complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica . In short, I grew up in an environment that va lued reading, and it shaped me into a person who values and enjoys reading.
When I worked as an elementary school librarian, it was clear from the beginning which kindergartners were coming from alliterate homes. They wer e the children who did not know the alphabet and did not recognize nursery rhymes. They did not know how to handle books properly, turn pages with car e, etc. These were obviously kids who were coming from homes which did not value reading. They were beginning school at a disadvantage and they would always be at a disadvantage because they would continue to live in an allit erate environment. I don't buy the argument that parents don't have time to read to their children. People, no matter how full their schedules are, ma ke time for what is important to them. They will make time to watch a telev ision program or play a video game. If reading is something they value, the y will make the time for it.
Schools also have plenty of blame to share for aliteracy. Most reading education revolves around a philosophy that can be summed up by the inane slogan "learn to read, read to learn." Underlying reading education is the absurd belief that children learn everything they need to know about "how t o read" by third grade. Little or no effort is made beyond that grade level to enhance reading skills or emulate the pleasures of reading, u nless children are diagnosed with some sort of learning disability. By the time children reach 5th grade, reading in the classroom becomes largely a m atter of chore rather than pleasure. Emphasis is on "direct instructio n." I remember being utterly appalled when I heard my elementary school pri ncipal say at a staff meeting that reading aloud and sustained silent readi ng in the classroom is "not a purposeful activity." By middle and high school, it is rare to find attention given to appreciating the aesthetic p leasures of reading. The intense pressures now
placed upon "standards, " "achievement," and "accountability," have placed teachers in the unfortun ate predicament that they cannot spend time discussing a book or story in any depth that might make the reading experience meaningful to a studen t.
My middle school students were always amazed at the number of books I read. Many were convinced I was some sort of "speed reader." I explained to them that I am no genius and had no speed reading abilities. It's like pla ying sports or a musical instrument. The more you practice at it, the bette r you get. The more you read, the more effortless and enjoyable it becomes.
Public libraries can share some blame, too. Most are very good about o ffering early childhood programs for pre-school children, but there is a sh arp drop-off when it comes to school-age and young adult programs.&nbs p;It doesn't take much to get young children excited about books and readin g. The challenge is sustaining that enthusiasm and interest as children gro w older and increasingly find many other things competing for their time an d attention.
Edward T. Sullivan, Rogue Librarian Author, The Ultimate Weapon : The Race to Develop the Atomic Bomb (Holiday House, 2007) Vi sit my web site, http://www.sully -w riter.com Visit my blog, Rogue Librarian: All About Books and Readin g http://sullywriter.wordpre ss .com Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/sullywriter
Received on Sat 05 Feb 2011 09:25:30 AM CST
