I wasn’t a reader of books as a child. In fact I despised reading. I only remember reading Ramona Quimby Age 8 and a book about Mary Lou Retton. I never participated in the reading competitions where you had to fly your rocket to each planet for every hour you read. Only once did I participate. It was because my teacher made me. And I wasn’t happy. I wandered library shelves looking at covers, wasting the time until our teacher told us to line up. Then I’d grab something last minute then shove it in my desk until the day it had to be returned. I just didn’t have time to read. I needed to run, ride by bike, and do cartwheels. But that wasn’t the problem…
If you knew me now you’d laugh at that story of my childhood. I now love books. They are shoved into every nook of our home and my classroom. I talk about books like they are my friends, saying things like, “This book will change your life forever.” I can’t walk into a bookstore without walking out with a new adventure in my hand. I scavenge thrift stores and the Friends of the Library store for new books to add to my collection. I’m embarrassed to admit that once, my husband found me in a thrift store with a stack of books in my arms that I was preventing from falling by holding my chin down on them. My husband laughed at me and said, “No way… we are on a road trip and there just isn’t room in the car!”
My daughters’ rooms are littered with books as well. Just two days ago my youngest daughter cried when we weren’t going to have enough time to get to the library for her to get the next book in her series. My oldest soaks up books and is left craving for more at all times. In fact, I might even say she has read more books than me and she is only 11 years old!
Why is it so different for my daughters?
Why do they love to read?
Why didn’t I have that as a child?
And more importantly, how can we as educators continue to inspire my daughters’ love of books?
Please read this post by Pernille Ripp, titled The Five Truths of Reading.
Let’s help children find a love of reading and nurture that.
This week for Share #YourEdustory, we were challenged with sharing a book that has inspired us as our summer reading. I constantly refer to The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller. Her book justified my philosophy of keeping the element of choice alive in your reading program. Nothing kills motivation more than being told you MUST read this book. In addition, Donalyn speaks to the journey of finding books that inspire children. We must actively get to know our students so that we can find the books that hook the readers in our classroom. Because sometimes it just takes one book or one genre that will hook that reluctant reader in your classroom. It may be just one book that sparks a love for reading.
Share #YourEdustory.
