During high school and college I lost my love of reading for pleasure. I believe this was due to the forced readings that were required by the teachers. Prior to taking this course, I had not sat down and read anything for pleasure: books, magazines, newspapers, or anything else. The last books I read prior to taking this course were professional development books. In the past couple months, I have spent more money on books to read for pleasure than I have in the past five years. I also thought that reading for twenty minutes, meant sitting down and reading for a full twenty minutes. I had in my mindset that the stamina of reading for twenty minutes a night was a crucial part of the expectation. Throughout this course I read several books from the syllabus and other books recommended by classmates. Now that this class is over, I can say I have regained my passion for reading again!
During this course, I realized that I could not tell my students to do one thing and then do the opposite myself. I continued telling students how important it is to read across genres but I was not doing it myself. During this class, we practiced what we were learning and were easily able to see how to apply it within our classroom. The textbook, Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller, helped create the "a-ha" moment for me. I finally was able to read a book for enjoyment again and I have not stopped since. Donalyn Miller talked about reading during "edge time" and that twenty minutes of reading does not mean those twenty minutes need to be consecutive. Students are just as busy as we are outside of school and to expect a consecutive twenty minutes is unrealistic. Donalyn Miller also discussed reading emergencies and having books on hand to choose from. Even if students do not have books on hand for reading emergencies, there are always reading materials or something that can be read everywhere you go. Students do not need to be reading from a specific book during the twenty minutes assigned. Fake reading also became a topic of conversation.
During this class I grew professionally in the area of what it means to be a lifelong reader. I have taught both upper and lower elementary school-age children and know how important it is to read and model fluent reading for all children. I value and encourage the love of reading in my classroom through a variety of strategies. When I worked with lower elementary students, I encouraged reading through interactive read alouds, independent reading time, partner reading time, listening to reading online, and take home book bags. To create lifelong readers or “Wild Readers”, we must provide many opportunities and supports at school to encourage reading.
I learned that “Wild Readers” have reading plans. I learned very quickly at the beginning of the class that I am not a “Wild Reader.” When we picked book clubs I did not recognize any of the titles on the lists (except for any books that have been turned into a movie). By participating in the book club, I was exposed to books across different genres and read books that I would not have picked up on my own. During our first two face-to-face classes, we all participated in a novel share. As fellow classmates were sharing and talking about their favorite books, I recognized very few of the titles. As a professional educator, I need to be reading books for pleasure across many genres not only for my own growth but also so that I can help my students find engaging books that promote a love of reading for them as well. Donalyn Miller says to keep a to-read stack of books, a to-read list, reserve books at the library, pre-order new releases or books in a series, and use book award lists (Miller, 137-138). Using these strategies will help me become a lifelong reader.
In the future, I plan to continue to expand my book knowledge and continue to read now that I have renewed my love of reading. I will continue to share what I am reading with my students. We will continue our read alouds in the classroom, so the class as a whole can share a common book interest for discussion. For class, we read Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller, which is actually the second book in a mini series. Since the class is coming to an end, I decided to purchase the first book in the series, The Book Whisperer, to continue to grow as a reading teacher. I was so inspired by Donalyn Miller in Reading in the Wild that I just had to purchase the book that came before it. I learned how important it is to offer independent reading time at school. Donalyn said that we cannot ensure that students and families are making sure reading is happening at home. However, we can ensure that the students are reading by setting time aside for it in our classrooms.
Another way that I have grown is through my understanding that I need to be the 'master teacher' in my classroom. It is important for children to have a reading role model in their life. I can accomplish this in many ways in the classroom. One way I intend to show it is by reading my own books during the designated reading times. I believe this will remind my students how important it is to be lifelong readers and that even adults take time to strengthen their reading brains. I would model this during my multimedia project by reading along with my students too. Another way is to be knowledgeable about the books in my classroom and the interests of the students so that I can recommend books for them to read.
I have always thought that independent reading time should be silent in the classroom so that students can read and comprehend their books. After this class, I now know that students need time and opportunities to talk with their peers and the teacher about books. “Students need to connect with other readers and participate in a reading culture that values them” (Miller, 9). Children need to see themselves as readers and value reading so that they continue to engage in it beyond the school day and year.