Micheala Jeter's August Blog Post 1: Miller, Chapter 1: Is There Enough Time?

For Blog Post #1, I read from Debbie Miller's No More Independent Reading Without Support, Chapter 1. The chapter is entitled Is There Enough Time? And Is Time Enough to Support Independent Reading? In this chapter, Miller delves into the aspect of time in the classroom.

She begins by stating that "children learn to read by reading... but not without support" (Miller, 1). Children learn by doing (reading), but they need support and models of how to do so. Miller goes on to say that many teachers would love to incorporate time for independent reading in their classrooms, but they don't have the time. She uses an example from  a group of teachers in Baltimore who wanted to incorporate independent reading into their day.

Miller quotes from Eduardo Galleano's short story "Bureaucracy 3" about a soldier who stood guard over a small bench. No one knew why he was guarding it, and no one ever asked. This continued on for years, until someone finally demanded to find reason behind the guarding of this bench. Thirty-one years before, one officer had been ordered to stand guard over the bench, so no one would sit on wet paint. I think that this was a great piece to insert. The soldiers were simply guarding the bench because that is what had always been done. But no one asked why?

This can be used in the school / classroom. Why do we do some of the things that we do? Do we have to do those things? Are they absolutely necessary? Miller goes through the 'typical' day in a classroom and notes several things that are done that could be done in much less time or even eliminated all together. Some of those things include calendar activities, morning/afternoon announcements, transitions, lining up and  'reading blocks'. Miller states that taking time from some of these such activities/transitions or eliminating them all together could make plenty of time for independent reading in the school day, with support, of course.

Miller also notes that "time isn't the only thing that we need to think about" (Miller, 7). Once we get to a point of independent reading, we need to be supporting those students as readers. We should not just sit and let students read to themselves in silence. Miller states that just because we see them turn the pages and appear to be reading, we don't know what's really going on inside their heads. We don't have any evidence of their understanding or if they're struggling to read. For these reasons, support during independent reading is necessary.

We want students to read, but we must first model what is expected of them and "equip them with the necessary tools to stay engaged and motivated" (to read) when we are not present (Miller, 8,9).