Reading in Real Life
Many adults do not feel like good reading models for children because they do not feel like they understand reading well enough. They don't feel like they know how to teach reading. Well, they shouldn't. That is the job of us reading teachers. For adults who are not teachers working with students, our job is to support reading interactions.
As an educator, I have worked with all kinds of readers and extensively with struggling readers. I helped them all find themselves as a reader. That’s what I did; what I do. I lead as example sharing my excitement and experiences of reading and learning. I use my skills as a reader to help them find text they can connect with or that can support their learning. I taught them the science of reading and about their own strengths and weaknesses so they could find the tools and strategies that fit them as a reader. I helped them discover what reading in real life meant for them.
Reading is a complex process involving multiple skills, and good reading is interacting with text. I think that what we often forget is that it also requires a lot of scaffolding and modeling. Reading interactions are not always complex, in fact they are the basis of the concept that people either “love, hate or tolerate” reading. You don't have to love reading to be able to support reading interactions; you can just be honest. Supporting reading interactions does not have to be complex but it can be just as powerful as the teaching of complex reading skills. I share this idea with parents and teachers all the time and have been wracking my brain to find ways to help people understand this concept. How could I model this to help share not only my passion for reading but also my knowledge on how to help grow better readers? It was a matter that weighed on my mind. Then I realized, Amy, just do what you do;
Be a reader.
Model for others.
Apply the science of reading.
Help readers learn more about strategies and how they can fit for them.
Empower others to discover what Reading in Real Life means in their worlds.
Thanks for being a reader!
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