So, I will be totally honest….the first chapter of this book
kind of frustrated me. Yes, she wanted to
bring the joy back into teaching but she was preaching to the choir, so to
speak. Chapter 3 however, I totally
loved! I love to read…all kinds of
books. My mom taught Kindergarten and
Second Grade for almost 30 years. She
has a love for children’s books like no other.
I have tons of access to books as a child and loved them. She has a personal library, just like
Routman, in her home. When she retired
she brought all her books home and they are arranged by category and author in
her den.
When we are there with my kids
and something comes up, she says “I have a book for that!” and she does! The Relatives Came, The Doorbell Rang (she
makes my kids chocolate chip cookies and says ‘No one makes cookies like Grandma’)
and on and on ….
I guess I inherited that love and when I get to share
special books that are my favorites I get excited! I instilled it in my own children at an early
age and now as 7th and 3rd graders they are avid
readers.
When I introduce a favorite
book to my students I love to talk about when I read it as a child, the
memories, the experiences and what were my favorite parts of the book and
why. I tell them all about the books I
have at home. Which ones are my
favorites and how I got them. When we
had library time last year the kids would be so proud if they found a book in
the library that I had shared with them in the classroom. I LOVED that!
When my students parents ask me how they can help with at home with
their education I tell them to read with their child. It is valuable one on one time but it is the
single greatest way to help them grow.
More than flashcards and learning games on electronics, reading together
can help a student have a great foundation in their educational career. I loved some of her practical suggestions for
getting students excited about reading.
Some are not appropriate for my students but there are few that I hope
to use.
I completely agree that our job as 4K teachers is to build a love of literature within our students. I too share books with my students that I loved as a child, and that my own children loved. I think that by sharing great literature with students, teachers have the power to expand students story sense, develop language, and etc.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet story about your own mom! I think a love of literacy can be passed down from generation to generation. You are passing it to your class already!
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