I enjoyed reading chapter 2 because I learned what attitudes towards reading my future students are likely to have and ways, as a teacher, to change these negative attitudes to get students enthusiastic about reading. In prior education classes I have learned the extreme importance of teacher enthusiasm to excite learners. This chapter solidified my belief. It is not enough to simply challenge students to read more often; they need and deserve a teacher who is excited to build their interest and whole heartily wants and believes all their students can become avid readers. Motivation is the fundamental key to learning and as a result of reading a section of The Book Whisperer I have gained the knowledge that an important method to motivating students to read more is to offer them the choice to decide what books they will read. Just as Donalyn Miller explains, only when students are interested in the books they are reading will they then associate reading as a positive experience. As a result of reading this chapter, I also learned the effect labels have upon students. The article discusses how the negative labels such as struggling and reluctant are too often used. Labels such as these offer no hope for students and deem them as failures before they are given the chance to succeed. In first grade I was placed into reading intervention and labeled as a struggling reader. I felt I was looked down upon by my teacher and other students who had heard my label, it was not until my resource teacher motivated me and called me a late bloomer that I felt confident enough to read again. After my resource teacher’s positive attitude towards me, and her true belief that I could develop into a good reader, I began to read ahead of grade level, so I know the tremendous affect positivity can have upon a student learning to read. The article taught me the three common types of readers, identified with positive labels: the developing reader, dormant reader, and the underground reader. I learned developing readers are those who are not reading at grade level and have difficulty understanding reading material, reluctant readers primarily read only what is required to do well in their classes and nothing outside of school, and underground readers are those are gifted readers but do not relate reading for school to the reading they enjoy on their own. The biggest take away piece for me from the article is that despite what category of reader a student may fall under all students are capable of learning to love reading with the right teacher strategies.
As a result of reading this chapter, I also learned the effect labels have upon students. The article discusses how the negative labels such as struggling and reluctant are too often used. Labels such as these offer no hope for students and deem them as failures before they are given the chance to succeed. In first grade I was placed into reading intervention and labeled as a struggling reader. I felt I was looked down upon by my teacher and other students who had heard my label, it was not until my resource teacher motivated me and called me a late bloomer that I felt confident enough to read again. After my resource teacher’s positive attitude towards me, and her true belief that I could develop into a good reader, I began to read ahead of grade level, so I know the tremendous affect positivity can have upon a student learning to read. The article taught me the three common types of readers, identified with positive labels: the developing reader, dormant reader, and the underground reader. I learned developing readers are those who are not reading at grade level and have difficulty understanding reading material, reluctant readers primarily read only what is required to do well in their classes and nothing outside of school, and underground readers are those are gifted readers but do not relate reading for school to the reading they enjoy on their own. The biggest take away piece for me from the article is that despite what category of reader a student may fall under all students are capable of learning to love reading with the right teacher strategies.