I Read it, But I Don't Get it

This book is great. I think it contains a lot of really useful stuff!

I think that for some students, not all but some, we do need to redefine reading. I remember doing book reports in sixth and even seventh grade and realizing that a LOT of my friends did not even attempt to read a book. I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t just pick an interesting book and read it, but some of those kids were proud to have never actually read a real book and it never occurred to them to try. Some students just don’t see the point in reading. If you don’t read for fun then you probably don’t read well. The more you read the faster you get, the more you understand, the less time you actually spend doing it. So if you never read you might be pretty slow, often lost, and feel like it is a waste of your time.

If we do share real reasons for our students to read and help them understand how important it is, then the more they might be willing to try. Sometimes I feel like teachers are trained to keep information away from students. It’s like we are trying to trick them into learning because we assume that they won’t want to do it if we are honest. For the rest of their lives they will need to find information. It is true. If there is something you need to know you may not have an authority on the subject to ask, and you will have to find the information. We keep our information in written words, at least for now. Even using google to find things requires me to think about my word choice in order to find exactly what I need. Google sometimes comes up with a video link that fits my needs, but more often than not I have to read some article, blog, document, or book entry to figure out the truth about what I want to know.

When my son was learning to read we found out he is dyslexic. It was really hard for him and he got frustrated so easily. I remember telling him, when he refused to continue our phonetic lesson, that once he learned how to read it was like getting keys to the world, and no one would ever be able to lie to him again. He would have access to all the information in the adult world, and learning to read gave him the freedom to know anything and everything he wanted without anyone censoring it. I think if all of our students understood this truth we wouldn’t have to try so hard to make them read.

I didn’t have time to really read this book as closely and carefully as I would like. It is definitely one that I will keep and check back on for ideas, inspiration, and activities when I am a teacher. All of the tools seem easy, practical, and most of all they just make sense!