Teresa Patterson's Blog Post #2: Chapter 3 Share your Reading Life

Teresa Patterson’s Blog Post #2: Chapter 3 Share Your Reading Life by Regie Routman

Sharing my reading life with my students is something I have never done to a great extent. I model reading and show great excitement over books when I read but I never really tell them about books I am reading or my reading habits. In reality, outside of my morning devotional time, I rarely have time during the school year for pleasurable reading.  I do agree with Routman that I can share what gives me pleasure as a reader and bring that into the classroom. 

I love and adore children’s books! One of my favorite classes in college was “Kiddie Lit”. I read to my nieces and taught one of them to read, putting books in her hand at the earliest age. She is still an avid reader. I was privileged to teach her in kindergarten instilling even more the love of reading. My personal library reflects my love of children’s books. I had quite an extensive collection long before my daughter was born. (Thankfully, through reading books, she delves into an imaginative world where dreams and wishes come to fruition.) I still can’t part with many of her favorites but my classroom library flourished as a result of her recycles or discards. “Kindergarten students who do well in school own more than fifty books at a minimum.” Routman struck home with this comment. Many of my students I am certain do not have even ten books in their home. The notes on small pieces of scrap paper lend one to perceive there may not even be writing tools accessible to them. I definitely agree with Routman in her comments about well -stocked and well-used libraries in homes and schools.  She says they are positively associated with reading achievement. Upon reflection of my daughter’s library as an infant, I fondly recall my mother in law telling me she had too many books. As she entered school and developed her deeper love of reading, my mother in law came back to me and told me she understood what I was doing and maybe she didn’t have too many books after all.  To this day, my child says she doesn’t have enough room for all her books!    

I enjoy the teaching tips and “try it and apply it” sections in the chapters.

I have mixed emotions concerning Routman’s ideas on respecting parents’ busy lives. Though I do believe that many of our families are overburdened and pressured, asking them to sign the homework paper stating they read with their child reminds our parents of their responsibility as a parent. Though some may sign for the whole week the first night in essence to get it done, others will do as we wish. Even siblings and friends can read with the child to count for their homework. Maybe we can put some responsibility on the students to make a happy face on the signature when it is done or sign their name as well.

I got an excellent idea from this chapter about a bulletin board with the students writing about/sharing their favorite book.  Perhaps later in the year, we will pursue that task. I also reflected on a past year when each student had their own reading basket in their cubbie with books of their interest. Another idea for future thought. I think we will discuss our “now” book and our “next” book even if it is for the whole class. Our children’s eyes brighten with surprise and delight when I share with them they are reading as they learn to read their names and those of their classroom community.