February 5th, 2010
I found my passion for reading again.
One thing I am very thankful for is that my Mom really encouraged reading when we were growing up. I remember going to the library at least once a week and sitting for hours picking through the stacks and being excited about being there. You had to choose from the specific colored spines according to what level reader you were. It was awesome when you advanced a level because your reading selection suddenly grew. And you cannot imagine the delight when I advanced to the upper level: the adult section!
And then something happened. I was forced to read.
I had already been a big reader, reading books way above my level. My vocabulary was also advanced. I can be proud of that now. The problem then was that I was never very good with being forced to do anything, and not simply because I was stubborn. The problem I had was that somewhere in high school, maybe even junior high, something about learning and reading didn’t click. Teachers were forcing us to “see” the meaning in books and poems. Now all of a sudden our interpretation of books and poems were obsolete. Wait!…
I have read 1984 at least ten times in my lifetime. The first time I read it was freshman year in high school. I’m sure it wasn’t on my B-level English class to-read list, but I read it anyway. Now everyone knows the gist of this book, even if you didn’t read it. “Big brother is watching you” yada yada. But I really got into the internal struggle of the main character and was really touched by the loss of love in this terrible world he lived in. That was wrong. I interpreted the book incorrectly. Or at least that was what I was told. I didn’t miss the main points of the book, I just got more out of it than face value. Gives new meaning to: don’t judge a book by it’s cover.
I read it again, and again and again and each time I discovered something new from it. Sure one of those times I really understood what that teacher was talking about, but why was my interpretation of it dismissed?
This happened a lot. Especially in art too. My appreciation of art is mine, isn’t it? Well, that’s wrong too. High art, low art, non-art… art fart. It’s amazing how after time teachers and others can really make you hate what you once really loved. Reading and art were two things I was introduced to so early in life and eventually were made to hate because my interpretation of the two were so heavily discouraged.
So I don’t read anymore and I’ve been on a self induced hiatus from making art that is going on 13 years. Yet as of this week I’ve started to read to Sophie. She’s so little she doesn’t even understand what I’m saying, or does she? She watches my mouth make the sounds, she gets excited when I do and she smiles a lot. I would say that if nothing else she is enjoying herself. I am excited again to read and I cannot wait until she can understand and read along with me. I’m not wanting to rush things, but it is certainly something to look forward to.
How then do we avoid what I experienced? Now I am a little old school, I do believe that there is a winning team, keeping score isn’t a bad thing and having an understanding for the main point of things is important. But where does interpretation and a personal feeling for something come into play? And how do we encourage that while allowing for learning at the same time?
I just want to buy up all the books I can for Sophie and let her find her own meaning in them because I know that starting early will allow her to do that. Thankfully I have Mike for math and science!
Posted by Kate Stanley on February 5, 2010 at 9:35 am
One of the most important ways to encourage literacy in young children is to read to them. This is one of the biggest indicators for a child’s ability to learn to read is whether or not he/she was read to as a young child. This includes infancy. I can share with you a framework for language and literacy development that I created if you would like.
Keep reading to Sophie! It is one of the best things you can do for her as a parent!
Posted by Amanda Z on February 5, 2010 at 10:31 am
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You are giving a gift to yourself and to Sophie by letting her fall in love with the sound of words. Reading a a beautiful way to bond, as you’ve observed, and lets her find a path to language that is rich and colorful.
Have faith that not all teachers believe their intepretations to be the only ones that matter. I dare say, the ones that shine are the risk takers who question their own thinking in light of the new ideas of their students. There are some great educators out there, and some really poor ones. Helping Sophie find confidence in her love of reading (and abilities when they arrive) will allow her to seek out the former and dismiss the latter.
Thanks for leading me to your blog.
Big love,
A.
Posted by Kristen B. on February 5, 2010 at 3:18 pm
I think a lot of teachers do that because of their own personal fears–fear of not being in control, fear of not being right in their interpretations themselves or fear that you are right and maybe they just don’t get it. It’s one of those “They’ll find out I’m not perfect and then they won’t think I’m smart or a good teacher” things. Perfection never fit my teacher “thang” and I tend to say “wow, I never thought of it that way” and “I don’t know the answer to that–I’ll get back to you” almost as much as I give them a definitive answer. From time to time I look ridiculous because of it (when they ask me to help them locate something on a map and I have no more clue of where to look than they do), but more often they don’t even flinch.
Keep reading to Sophie (like you’d stop, right?)! Read the first little words she’ll soon acquire and the really big words she won’t encounter for years. The more exposure to any and all words, stories, and themes the better. Encourage her to look for the answer by constructing it herself instead of looking for the teacher’s nod of the head and you’re giving her a priceless fantastic gift.