The new year underway, I began to reflect on my reading life; therefore, also thinking about the reading life in our classroom. Over the break, I was able to enjoy reading for pleasure, where I read books that have been on my "Books I Plan to Read" list for quite awhile. The books I read were recommended to me by dear friends, who are voracious readers and know a good book when they read one. Their recommendations were spot on and I found myself in the "Reading Zone" time and again.
As I began planning our next steps for our reading lives in the classroom, I came across this blog post by a fellow reading and writing teacher. I don't know her, but I know she is passionate about teaching reading and writing and thinks deeply about what she reads. I read her blog often for inspiration.
In her post, she reflects on her reading life and what she noticed. It made me think about why we read and the best way to enjoy reading. The changes I have made to our reading class are somewhat influenced by this post and my own reflections.
She begins her post with a quote by Kate DiCamillo, author of Because of Winn-Dixie and many other acclaimed books: "Reading should not be presented to children as a chore or a duty. It should be offered to them as a precious gift." As a teacher, who considers reading as a "precious gift" in my own life, I hope, if you do not already feel this way, you will see reading as a gift in the New Year.
As you read her blog, post your reactions to her reflections. I have posted my own response to demonstrate the level of thinking you should demonstrate in your own post.
