Gallman Blog Post #1

Routman (2003): Chapter 3-Sharing Your Reading Life

After reading this chapter, I have realized that I am guilty of NOT sharing my reading life with my students. I am often encouraging them to pick up a book and read, but haven't shown them any interest that I have in reading. I have heard many students say that they do not like reading and have no desire to read. My response has been that they have to read because it is important, and I have not provided any enthusiasm for them to read out of  enjoyment. I know that I have to do a better job with modeling just simply reading for pleasure and encouraging students to find books that are of interest to them. My favorite section of this chapter is the when Routman discusses the importance and pleasure of having a personal library. When I was a kid, we had tons of books in our house; encyclopedias, magazines, dictionaries, seemed like a million different things to read. I honestly have never been someone who absolutely loved reading, but I read so much as a kid because so many books were available to me (I wish I had pictures to show!). My mom encouraged me to read, and that is a large part of the reason that I was such a good reader when I was younger, and why I am a teacher now. I know that many of my students don't necessarily come from the best homes and may not have their own personal library, or parents who encourage them to read. This saddens me because I know that if a lot of my students had more books and encouragement at home, they too could be better readers. And, as a teacher, a lot of that responsibility now falls on me as well. I have to pick up the slack and share with them some of my great experiences with reading. I have never shared with them who my favorite authors are, and what some of my favorite books are so now I have realized that many of my students don't care about reading because I haven't shown them that I do. From now on, I am making a promise to myself, and my students, that I will model reading for pleasure and encourage them in any way that I can to pick up a book and read any chance they have!