The child who prefers non-fiction to stories is not a reluctant reader.
They are a specific kind of reader.
One who wants to know how things work, why things happened, what is true.
The fiction section of the library is not the only place readers are made.
Some of the most passionate readers I know have never finished a novel in their lives.
We narrow the definition of reading and then wonder why some children don't fit inside it.
@owenmiller75@jenteach13 Yes! I also teach them that taking the most direct route to their destination is critical. I model how to get to the trash can from different seats, etc.
You cannot force a child to love reading.
You can show them what a person who loves reading looks like.
You can put the right book in front of them at the right moment.
You can give them time and choice and no pressure.
And then you have to trust the process.
The love arrives when it arrives. It cannot be scheduled.
The teacher who stayed late on a Friday to reorganise the classroom library is not only being dedicated. They are being quietly obsessive about something that matters.
Which shelf a book is on. Which cover faces out. Which title a child will see first on Monday morning. None of this is in the job description.
All of it changes outcomes.
The best teachers are obsessive about the right things. We thank you all.
@bannon1975 Yes!!! I threw a book across the room once because of how a character acted. Then followed up with, “Who else has been wanting to do the same thing? It was such a bonding moment for my class.
@BasedRedWolf I would love if any of those chats actually turned into action from the administration. Since I know that that ship has sailed, I would never attend one.
@Ivotedfortdq9w@educator4ever36 This desk pulled me through having 4 super challenging behavior students. Anytime I sat down, they were at each corner.
The teacher who reads aloud to their class every day, not as a lesson, just as a gift, is building something.
Not reading skills. Not comprehension scores. A shared imagination.
A room full of children who have all been to the same place together.
Who have all felt the same thing at the same moment. That's not a literacy intervention. That's a community.
@jenteach13 Principal wanted me to share all of my self created lessons with another teacher. I said no. She says, “But you are a Christian.” I replied with,”Yes, I am. But I am not a doormat.”
@jenteach13 Worked in a district with 100,000 students. We were always “strongly encouraged” to pick the curriculum the district wanted. We were allowed to choose a different one, but we would forfeit all training, professional development, and support for the five years of the cycle.
@x_deepakpatel@SLegaspi I had been working so hard on building this boys self-esteem. He was learning how to play chess. I told him that woman didn’t have a say in his future. I told him how smart you had to be to play chess.
@x_deepakpatel@SLegaspi My third year of teaching a retired teacher was working with students. She came back and told me that she told my student, “Ronald, if you want to be a loser for the rest of your life you were on the right track.“ I told her to get out of my classroom and to never come back. 1/2
@jenteach13 Washing clothes
Curling hair (touch ups) for pictures, providing things for spirit days for kids who wouldn’t have stuff to dress up (weird hats, fun socks, etc)