I told three of my students today that beginning Monday they would not be coming to me for their reading class, but would be going to another room and another teacher (one they already know). I explained why I was doing it, and they weren't very happy with it.
"You mean we'll never get to see you again?" one boy asked woefully.
"No, we'll see each other every day, at breakfast, and in the hallways. You'll be right next door."
Another student quietly refrained from reacting too quickly, then said, "Uh, you know what I think about that?"
I asked him what he thought about it. He was being very calm, although his forehead was wrinkled in thought.
"I think I should tell you what I'll miss most about coming to your room."
"What will you miss most, G...?"
"Well, you probably aren't going to like it when I tell you, and I don't want to hurt your feelings."
He's always saying things in a roundabout fashion. It amuses me when he has something to say.
"That's okay. Just tell me."
"We-e-e-ll," he drew in a breath, always too serious when he points out something very important. He looked around the room, he glanced over his shoulders, then looked back at me. "I'm really going to miss coming here because of your books. I like checking them out. That's the only reason I like coming to your room."
"So the only reason you like coming to my classroom is because I let you check out books?" I asked, somewhat deflated, but knowing the student as I knew him, not offended.
"Yeah, mmhmm. I love your books."
"Well," I thought out loud, choosing my words carefully because this boy does not forget anything except his homework. "Maybe we can work out some kind of arrangement with the other teacher so you can still check out my books."
He smiled.
The way I see it, if the kid is in love with my books, I'd like to keep him in that frame of mind until he leaves elementary school. After that, it is up to the middle school teachers to foster him with successful reading experiences.
Nurturing a love for books and a love for learning is a holy and fragile mission, particularly with children who have reading difficulties. When a child encounters difficulties with reading, and he doesn't get the help he needs early enough, he begins a path of frustration, humiliation, and rejection. Every time he picks up a book, he will be frustrated, which will eventually turn to anger and self-loathing because his friends can read but he can't. Unless someone recognizes the dilemma and helps such a student out with the particular area of reading difficulty he has, be it word recognition, decoding, or comprehension, he will come to reject books, and likely will give up even trying because of the humiliation it causes him. He may come to reject efforts to help him overcome it if is ignored for too long.
So when this little fella' says to me he loves my books, I know he still has a chance.
2 comments:
This is wonderful. Sometimes I think we take reading for granted and underestimate it's power. I'm so happy my 2 year old niece just adores books. I hope she continues to love them just as much as she gets older. ~ Lori
fitzzer, you are so right. It all begins at home, before they even learn to speak. If I could have a wish come true, I would wish that every new parent understood the idea that very young children pick up reading readiness skills at home, on their mommy's and daddy's and grandparents' laps, listening to the books read out loud. What joy and pleasure this brings to the youngest of children. Those early reading/listening experiences prepares them for reading on their own someday. It teaches them story sequence, following text left to right, and making connections between what they already know and what they learn in a book. So much more. Keep reading to your little one! It's the best gift a parent can give a child!
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