Reading is the most important thing a student can learn in elementary school. Ever heard that one? I'm sure you have, probably you've said it yourself. You might, and I might, even believe it. But if you step back and look at how we spend our day, where we focus our attention, how we encourage our students to use their time, are we backing up our convictions?
We had a literacy expert visit us recently and point out that our children weren't in texts very much, and didn't seem to have much access to text in the classroom. Well, let's put aside for a moment that this visitor basically took a snapshot of our school, not a film, freezing a moment in time and using that to make judgement. I won't judge the judgement, just want to point out that like a "walk through" evaluation of a teacher, this judgement seriously lacks context. I think it's a little absurd to bemoan or pretend our students' suffer a lack of opportunity to get texts when they are in a building with a library with no walls or doors, open from before school until after, and with most teachers allowing students to visit anytime, any day.
It does, however, point out something important. Not in what the expert saw, but in what she was looking for when she walked through the building. You see, a classroom teacher must make reading as natural as breathing in their class. We celebrate that nothing has more influence on students than having a good teacher, but that brings great responsibility. Are we doing enough to encourage kids to pick up text and read?
My colleague (and great teacher) Heather Hess and I worked for years to develop a Gospel of Reading. Commandment number one follows:
We believe reading is curriculum. It’s the most important curriculum we teach. Kids don’t get to opt out of math by saying they don’t like it, they shouldn’t get to opt out of reading either. We believe reading is first a verb, then a noun. Reading should first be what your class does, not a forty-five minute block you teach. You have to model it, you have to be a reader.
How do you do this? Let kids know that free time is reading time. Finish your spelling early? read your library book. Already done those math problems? Good time to finish that chapter you're on. Packed up early? Find out what happens on the next page in your book!
Next (and this is the most unpopular thing I'll ever write) stop showing movies for rewards. Not only does this present some interesting copyright/public performance licensing issues, it also reinforces the behavior we claim to despise: kids watching a screen instead of reading, running, or talking with one another. Just as I have real trouble finding a good reason for homework in elementary school, I cannot see reason to show a movie as a reward. Use video to teach, you bet! But to park children in front of a movie when we constantly complain about not having enough time to teach our curriculum is just awful teaching, terrible classroom policy.
Lastly, let your students see you reading and talking about books. Yup, put up or shut up. Not much to say about that, except you need to do it.
Now here's the bonus on this little bit of the Gospel. It doesn't cost us anymore than we are already spending. Don't think you can buy an answer to this problem of kids not reading. It takes good teaching, and good teaching is mainly hard work.
