The Heinous Act of Readicide
Growing up, I never struggled with reading. It came naturally to me. I learned to read in kindergarten and took to it quickly. By the middle of 1st grade, I was reading 300-page Little House on the Prairie books. I guess I always assumed that reading was something that was taught in the lower grades and grasped in the lower grades; however, after talking to friends in college, I learned that reading has not been an easy skill to learn for some. My friend told me last week that she didn't learn how to read until 3rd grade (along with a couple other students in her class). This took me completely by surprise. I knew that not every student is a strong reader, but the fact that some students were learning to read 2-3 years late not only shocked me, but concerned me.
After starting my practicum I realized just how widespread the reading problem was. So many of my students struggle to read--they can barely sound out words and read at an unnaturally slow pace that is hard to make meaning from. Growing up, I had never noticed the amount of students that the system had failed. Now that I am close to earning my teaching certificate, I realize that my work is certainly cut out for me. I am going to have to make it my priority to set up these students for success as proficient readers.
After reading Readicide, I realized that I was after I accepted the fact that an overwhelming amount of students are not reading at grade level, I began to make excuses (like Gallagher points out that many in Education do) such as "Poverty limits students' access to resources" or "Students have too many obligations and extracurricular activities to be practicing reading." Gallagher points out that there are four problems with the way we are teaching students:
1) Schools value the development of test-takers more than they value the development of readers.
2) Schools are limiting authentic reading experiences.
3) Teachers are overreaching books.
4) Teachers are under teaching books.
What we, as educators, should be doing is instilling a love for reading through student buy-in. If students have some sort of choice in the matter (whether it's allowing them to choose their own book during SSR or giving them an option between two or three different curriculum books). If we give students more autonomy in reading then we can instill in them (less forcefully) an interest, perhaps even a love, for reading.
After starting my practicum I realized just how widespread the reading problem was. So many of my students struggle to read--they can barely sound out words and read at an unnaturally slow pace that is hard to make meaning from. Growing up, I had never noticed the amount of students that the system had failed. Now that I am close to earning my teaching certificate, I realize that my work is certainly cut out for me. I am going to have to make it my priority to set up these students for success as proficient readers.
After reading Readicide, I realized that I was after I accepted the fact that an overwhelming amount of students are not reading at grade level, I began to make excuses (like Gallagher points out that many in Education do) such as "Poverty limits students' access to resources" or "Students have too many obligations and extracurricular activities to be practicing reading." Gallagher points out that there are four problems with the way we are teaching students:
1) Schools value the development of test-takers more than they value the development of readers.
2) Schools are limiting authentic reading experiences.
3) Teachers are overreaching books.
4) Teachers are under teaching books.
What we, as educators, should be doing is instilling a love for reading through student buy-in. If students have some sort of choice in the matter (whether it's allowing them to choose their own book during SSR or giving them an option between two or three different curriculum books). If we give students more autonomy in reading then we can instill in them (less forcefully) an interest, perhaps even a love, for reading.
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