In
section one of No More Independent Reading without Support by Debbie Miller and Barbara Moss they
discuss the importance of making time for independent reading. This has been my
favorite section from all the books and articles that we've had to read for
this class. As I started to read this section I immediately felt a conviction
of my first two years of teaching. I was exactly like the soldiers that stood
by the bench, guarding it but never knowing why. As a new teacher I found
myself "copying" what other teachers did or what they told me I
needed to do, even if they couldn't explain to me why they were doing it. The
summer after my second year I finally figured out that I could make changes to
my schedule that would benefit my students in my classroom and it was O.K.! I
was also one of those teachers that would say, "I don't have time for
independent reading." As stated in this book, when I revised my class
schedule and took out 30 minutes for calendar, 10 minutes for bathroom time (3
times a day), and water time I found all kind of time that could be used for
independent reading. I love this section and I feel that this section would be beneficial
for a new teacher to read.
I am so glad you decided to blog about this chapter, You and I had such a great conversation about this chapter a few weeks ago! I am very impressed that you immediately made changes to your schedule and found more time for independent reading!
ReplyDeleteHI Tori,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about how you read this chapter and really connected with what the author was asking us as teachers to do...to take a close and hard look at our schedules and look at not just what we were doing, but why, and to decide if it was effective. Doing this opens up opportunities for us to revise, to adjust, and to change each year in order to grow professionally, and most of all to meet our students' needs as readers and writers. Thank you! Dawn