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Reading, reluctantly and otherwise
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From: Elsa Marston <elsa.marston_at_gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2011 12:24:31 -0600
I have been following the Reluctant Reader discourse with fascination, and often with a lump in my throat. Thank you, everyone who has written on thi s subject, for sharing your own experiences and observations--they are so valuable. (I'm still reeling from the account of a school principal who dismissed both reading aloud and reading to oneself for pleasure as "not purposeful activity.")
At the same time, or very recently, another listserve that I'm on (this one for children's authors) has been discussing the experience of reading--and being read to--aloud in school. We got so excited, someone suggested putting these mini-essays together in some form that could be made availabl e to teachers and other educators--to show how important reading aloud is, an d how it can reach even those kids who have never been able to make the connection between books and enjoyment/growth/etc. We'd like to think that if educators could see this group of children's authors (some very well known) describing the lasting effect on their lives of being read to--just for the pleasure of it, not because it was prescribed by the curriculum--it might help promote this idea in our constantly needy system of education.
Thus far, no one has jumped up electronically and said "I'll do it!" (And No, I can't.) But I would like to see a connection between these two questions: how to reach "reluctant readers" and how to give children (and adults) the immeasurably important enrichment of hearing stories read aloud .
That's all I can say for now. I'm limp over what's going on in the Middle East.
Elsa www.elsamarston.com
Received on Sun 06 Feb 2011 12:24:31 PM CST
Date: Sun, 06 Feb 2011 12:24:31 -0600
I have been following the Reluctant Reader discourse with fascination, and often with a lump in my throat. Thank you, everyone who has written on thi s subject, for sharing your own experiences and observations--they are so valuable. (I'm still reeling from the account of a school principal who dismissed both reading aloud and reading to oneself for pleasure as "not purposeful activity.")
At the same time, or very recently, another listserve that I'm on (this one for children's authors) has been discussing the experience of reading--and being read to--aloud in school. We got so excited, someone suggested putting these mini-essays together in some form that could be made availabl e to teachers and other educators--to show how important reading aloud is, an d how it can reach even those kids who have never been able to make the connection between books and enjoyment/growth/etc. We'd like to think that if educators could see this group of children's authors (some very well known) describing the lasting effect on their lives of being read to--just for the pleasure of it, not because it was prescribed by the curriculum--it might help promote this idea in our constantly needy system of education.
Thus far, no one has jumped up electronically and said "I'll do it!" (And No, I can't.) But I would like to see a connection between these two questions: how to reach "reluctant readers" and how to give children (and adults) the immeasurably important enrichment of hearing stories read aloud .
That's all I can say for now. I'm limp over what's going on in the Middle East.
Elsa www.elsamarston.com
Received on Sun 06 Feb 2011 12:24:31 PM CST
