Reading – for the fun of it…
A few years back I heard a shocking stat at an in service. Less then 40% of teachers read for fun. I wish I could remember the exact number (and a quick Google search didn’t pull up the information either). This pains me as both a teacher and a parent. Today my one year old ASKED for a book. She does that quite often- her fourth word was book – but today it was a specific book. “Mermays…. Mermays….” My one year old was asking for her book on Mermaids. I’m floored. A one year old who says Mermaid. That would never have happened if not for books.
As teachers we know about the power of reading. How it helps young minds develop, and sharpens pretty much all our skills. People can teach themselves anything if they know how to read and think critically. So my question this week is… what aren’t more teachers reading? If you don’t like that question how about this… what was the last book you read?
Personally for me it was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I’ve loved the whole series. I’m a HUGE fan of the urban fantasy genre (fantasy novels set in modern day settings). Currently I’m reading the Golem’s Eye – Book two in the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. A student recommended it to me… I love them! That’s how I find most of my books. I see my kids reading them, and I want to visit the same worlds they do. I like to know where they’ve been. It gives me a point of reference when I’m teaching them. It’s another connection. I personally think it would be a huge handicap if a teacher didn’t read. Heck – not just a teacher, it’s a handicap for anyone, but especially teachers.
My personal library is currently over 600 books, and growing. I used to hate reading as a kid though. I read a few books each month so I could do my obligatory book reports, and that was it. Then in about the 5th grade I discovered Robert Newton Peck, and his Soup novels. That started the ball… then came Lloyd Alexander and the Chronicles of Prydain, and Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quartet. After that, the reading got tougher in class and I just gave up. But when I got out of school, and could choose my own books again… nothing stopped me.
Now I’m extremely animated when I talk about books. That passion has ignited my students to read. We’ve spend recesses and lunch hours talking about books. I was once hauled into the principal’s office because of it. She had taken some of my girls on a special field trip, and all they talked about on the van ride was what novel they were reading… not in class but at home. She said she’d never seen anything like it! But if you’re not moved by reading, or by math, or by learning – how can we expect our kids to be?
I leave you with one more book… fast becoming my favourite – though I hate the fact that I cry almost every time I read it. It was recommended to me by a wonderful man, educator and poet, David Bouchard. It’s called Reading With Dad by Richard Jorgensen. If you are a father… you need this book. And you need to read to your children. And you need to read to yourself, every night.
It’s only 5 weeks into the summer holidays, and I’ve already read 5 books. Have you?
I go back to school in two days and I’ve read 19 books this summer, ah the joys of having grown children. Last summer I read 32!! I love to read and loved HP too.
After watching Harry Potter 5 in IMAX 3D (read it first) I reread Half-blood Prince and then read Deathly Hallows this summer. Wow!
Summertime, as a teacher, is my time to read books for pleasure (other than blogs and online stuff). Being a Div 2 teacher a few years ago, I read a number of grade 4 novels and loved them. Afternoon of the Elves and Van Gogh Cafe are my two favorites I’ve read in the past few years.
I also love Anne Rice’s Vampire series (started reading those ages ago after watching Interview With a Vampire) and also her Mayfair Witches series (first book awesome but 1000 pages which is tough for a slow reader like me).
More recently, I’ve really gotten into books written by Chuck Palahniuk, author of the movie Fight Club. Wow – what a twisted individual. I think part of the reason I like many of these bizarre books is because as a teacher we need to be such good role models and act ‘normally’ most of the time. Choosing a book with insane, bizarre characters or scenarios allows me to lose myself in a book even more I find. If you’re new to Chuck Palahniuk, please do yourself a favor and read ‘Survivor’. Not to spoil the book, but it starts off with a guy working a suicide hotline who encourages people to kill themselves. Enough said.
Great post! Reading the books your students read is obviously a great thing to do, but being able to choose something for YOURSELF is important too.
Why don’t some teachers read for pleasure? TIME! I am an avid reader. I’ve loved reading since I was a small child, a love which was instilled in me by my mom who was always reading to us (at home, in the car, camping, etc.). I love most genres and as a teacher, I’m always on the lookout for a great read to recommend to my students. Sadly, though, my time to read for pleasure, just for me, is quite small. Self-made? Yes. I find there are just too many other things that need to be done once school has started. Long gone are my weekends of curling up with a good book. Now, I curl up with planning, or marking. By the time all of that is out of the way, I have the “required” reads for school. Following that, I’m done. Drained. Perhaps in a few years when I’ve settled more into this profession, this will change. I truly hope so.
I know some of that stat is accurate in that I know a number of teachers who don’t like to read. They hate reading to their class (how awful!), but at least they do it because they know they should. Other than that, they’re not readers. It’s hard for someone like me to imagine.
I agree with Christine about the time factor during the school year in which we get to read for fun. It just seems non-existent. I only managed to get through 2 1/2 books this summer, but they were well worth the read. Tuesdays with Morrie was given to me by a friend and it was such an inspirational read, while Inkheart, also recommended by a friend was a terrific story. I can’t wait to get into the next one. I also agree with Shane that it is so important to be able to talk about books with our kids, it’s what brings them alive and feeds the passion. I was nuts about book reports in school and couldn’t wait to do the next one because it was then that I could capture some of the excitement I found in books. Still, I love reading for pleasure and am particularly fond of the classics. It’s just finding the time, because once I’m captured in a story, there’s no stopping me for hours!
Oh, I also wanted to say, if you ever have a chance to experience David Bouchard’s books, or better yet see him in person, he is absolutely amazing! His passion for reading is unmatched and as he reads his books they come so alive, it’s like a drum pounding into your soul! Poetic and beautiful, they are a must for your library.