Bond With Your Students - Reading Essentials by Regie Routman

     " Look you don't have to like my child, but you must bond with her if she's to learn anything
at all!" what a great statement! As I read the list of bonding musts in this text by Regie Routman
I began to use it as a check off list for myself. These bonding items are essential in the success of a student. I do know that these bonding musts are not always as easy at it seems to accomplish.
     Teachers are human just like everyone else and I have witnessed fellow teachers and even students who just do not "like" each other. This can be a huge barrier in learning. In these cases we must become the professionals we are. I love the way Routman breaks this all down for the teacher. We all know these things but to see it broken down is so great.
     " The child experiences months even years of frustration and failure" It is up to the teacher to
help that student realize he or she can be successful. Teacher talk and bonding strategies are crucial
in the success of a student.
       This chapter of Routmans  book reminded me of  an experience I had in school as a very young
learner. I remember very distinctly as received my report card I had a "C" in Math. I tried very hard to get a better grade the next time. The teacher wasn't much help because  her "bonding skills and teacher talk" wa few yere minimal. I will never forget she told me "I guess you will just always be a "C" Math student that's good enough". Wow! It took me quite a few years to get over that and do better.
      So YES bonding is so important for the young learner! I experienced it myself and I still remember the teacher, the classroom and what I was wearing. Such an impact she made on my life.

Blog 2 Becoming Authors and Sharing for Shared, Guided, and Independent Reading

While reading Regie Routman's book this week, I was interested in the section that talked about letting the students become authors to share with other children. I decided to try this and , OH BOY, I hit the jackpot.
" The texts students write themselves are highly motivating and engaging." My students began creating books about the sun, moon, daytime, and night time sky and we have now put these in two different book baskets in the room. They have been so interested in reading their peer's work and have wanted  to be better writers themselves. The excitement the children are having  over this has been phenomenal. They have read these over and over. You can reach your most disabled reader this way because he/she will be proud of their little books.  " Shared writing texts are a great way to differentiate instruction". 
     Making classroom books, as Routman talks about, is not only fun for the younger children, but they find success reading these as well. She states to type them out and send home for the children to read to their parents. These scripts of "their" books are powerful and they are excited about becoming authors.  The message we give students when we help them become authors of their own texts is this: " Your language, knowledge, experiences,interests, and culture matter."
    Parents love to receive these books at the end of the year as well!!
   

It is ALL about Choice

            It is very surprising to me that we as educators have been told the importance of Independent Reading, yet most of the teachers I know in the Middle School don’t see much value in this time.  We have even been shown studies that show the difference that Independent Reading time has on students.  According to Miller and Moss in the book No More Independent Reading Without Support, "Literally hundreds of correlational studies find that the best readers read the most and that poor readers read the least."  Why are we not helping those poor readers by given them time in class to read and read whatever they choose?  I know as a classroom teacher it is hard to drop the standards you are teaching and let students just read without any restrictions, but think about the students that do not have any books at home to read.  If we don’t put books in these students’ hands, where will they get the opportunity to improve their reading.  We’ve got to teach students what our expectations are during this independent reading time.  For me it is not a time to catch up on emails, grade papers etc.  It is a time for me to stop with all the paperwork of teaching and pick up a book to read.  I am trying to be an example for my students.  Sometimes I pick up articles, books for this class, a novel for students or even my own personal book to read.  I want them to see me actually enjoying reading and even reading to learn.  I think this is where some educators drop the ball.  If your students don’t ever see you reading, why do you expect them to read?

            Another topic that surprises me is that educators feel the need to pick what students are reading.  I do not like when I am given something to read that is not interesting or even applicable to what I am teaching.  I can’t for the life of me understand why some educators think that we need to have all students reading this genre of books.  According to the authors, "In the Revised Publishers Criteria for the Common Core State Standards"(Coleman and Pimentel 2012), the authors state that students should have "daily opportunities to read texts of their choice on their own during and outside of the school day."  The entire reason to put books into the hands of our precious students is to have them read and to enjoy what they are reading so they will read more and become more proficient readers.  I know there is a time and place for reading materials chosen by their teacher, but I am only talking about independent reading.  The only other issue that I have with independent reading is the amount of books in some of our classrooms.  I am guilty of not having enough books, but I am currently working on this and our administrators are in the process of acquiring more books for our classrooms.  I am so glad that we have a former reading coach on our administration staff that sees the value of independent reading.  I just hope that she can help some of our younger teachers and even some more seasoned teachers see the value that independent reading can have on our students. 

Urgent! Urgent! Emergency!! ( A Call for Urgency!)

If anyone is familiar with the band, Foreigner, from the 70's and 80's you realize what I mean!  I couldn't help but have the tune "Urgent" playing in my mind as I read Part 2 of Routman's, Reading Essentials.

The main focus of this section is to "teach with a sense of urgency and joy" so that our students are able to become the independent readers and writers we want them to be.  Making every moment count and teaching with intention should be our priority so that our limited amount of time with them is producing the maximum desired effect. As teachers, we know that the more they depend on us for feedback, the less responsibility they have for their own learning. Every minute we spend with them is an opportunity to teach them something that will move them forward. Our expectations need to remain high for every student especially the ones from low socio-economic backgrounds. It is these students that  "must have meaning-oriented instruction in order to succeed at high levels."  When we model strategies, provide support and guided practice with tasks and materials that are relevant to them, we are contributing to their success and competence. And that is what answering that urgent call is all about. 

Now, excuse me, but I think I feel an urgent need to go dust off that vinyl record hidden somewhere in my garage! Rock on! 

Blog 2 – Students, just like players, will ‘run through a brick wall for you’ when they know you care about them, show them respect, and they know you love them!

In chapters two and three of Reading Essentials by Regie Routman, the focus is on bonding with your students, sharing about you and your reading life with them, and just building a relationship with them.  It discusses how there are some students that are difficult to love, but that we still must bond with them.  Bonding with students means that we are respectful, kind, care, listen, protect, celebrate, know and include interests, value, have faith in, and encourage all of our students.  “Unless we reach into our students’ hearts, we have no entry into their minds.  Through drill and memorization, we can get students to complete assignments and pass tests.  But there is a price to pay for such short-term accomplishment.  We will never inspire our students to learn for their own sake and to love coming to school” (Routman 12).   It is the same way with football, you will get so much more out of a team when you treat them with respect, you care about them, and they know it…they would, literally some of them, run through a brick wall for you!  Sometimes the student that is the one that is difficult to love, when you show them respect and they see that you care about them, they just take off and become one of the hardest working students in your class.  The student athlete that sometimes gets in trouble and many of the other staff find it difficult to deal with, when you instill discipline and respect, and he sees that you care, a lot of times becomes the role model student.  It all comes down to them knowing that you care, and when they know, it does not matter if it is reading, math, or football…most of the time they are going to give you more and many times their best!  So bonding is crucial with all of our students in whatever capacity we are working with them.  “Worldwide, the strongest predictor of reading achievement is the quality of student-teacher relations” (Routman 13). 

Part of the student-teacher relations is letting them know about you and your reading life.  When trying to get students to read more, read better, and read for their own enjoyment, it is important to be good examples.  Show them, tell them, and discuss with them why you read, what you read, and that reading can be enjoyable!  “Too many of our students are reading because they have to, not because they want to” (Routman 37).  Every student has something that they enjoy doing or that they are interested in.  Encourage them to find some books about the things they like, and read!  “If our students are to become readers, they have to enjoy reading and find it satisfying.  Only then will they choose to read, read for their own purposes—and get high test scores too” (Routman 37). 

It all goes back to the bonding…when you create that bond, and they know that you have their best interests in mind, you will be someone that they look up to and they will follow your lead.  So when you share with them how important reading is to you, and you have built that bond, they may just read because they look up to you.  Again I say, it all comes down to them knowing that you care, and when they know that you do, reading or football, they are going to try harder and will reap better results… higher reading levels reached, improved test scores, or wins!

Help Me Simplify My Life, Please!

Hello to all and welcome to my very first blog! Please bear with me as I learn the ropes about blogging. Never tried this before but there's a first time for everything, I hear.

The book I selected (as many of you did also) is Reading Essentials by Regie Routman. At first glance, it resembled many other similar texts that I have read over the years as I tried to implement various strategies into my reading instruction. The first chapter grabbed a hold on me just by the title, "Simplify Your Teaching Life." I really wish I could simplify my entire life I thought, but maybe if I start with just one aspect it will have a carryover effect. So that's my goal for this course- I hope to do more by doing less. Regie states that if we want to get our student's excited about literacy then we have to love coming to work and know how to make the curriculum relevant to their lives. She goes on to say that "none of this is possible if we are exhausted from an overstuffed curriculum with no time to collaborate, reflect, and renew ourselves." Amen, Sister, I say!!

The best advice this book has given me so far is that we must bond with all of our students if any learning is to occur. Our students need to know we care, respect and value them as learners and human beings. They want us to listen to them and have faith in them. They need us to provide optimal learning conditions and keep them safe from harm. Once we connect with each and every student and reach into their hearts then we have the opportunity to enter their minds and work our magic. And last but not least, we must bring joy into our classrooms and enjoy the time we spend with them. So here's to a teaching life that is "saner, smarter and stress-free." I hope you will join me.

Patrice