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Hi Walt,
Greetings from the river valley. Good to see you up and running on the board!
The days are lengthing, and my spirits begin to soar again, even looking out across the endless tundra called the second semester. Somewhere down the road is a destination station known as June by most. Teachers know it as freedom. Until then I continue to battle the great beast, Ignorance.
Yesterday we had our first official SSR (silent sustained reading), an activity known by various names in the teaching community, such as DEAR (drop everything and read). Early in the year, I put it in my lesson plans as SSL (silent sustained looking) because they couldn't read a lick, just look at pictures. That made my principal laugh. Good! Principals have a very unfunny job these days.
But yesterday was the real thing. I dumped a bunch of phonics-based booklets of varying levels into a box lid in the middle of the floor, surrounded by five LeapPads. I forced the class to sit and read independently for twenty-five minutes! There was none of this "read with the kids" to set an example, no, I sat in my easy chair and prodded and nagged to keep the proper behavior going. My main job seemed to be keeping them away from me. All of them wanted to read to me.
"No, not till we’re done, then we can read to each other!" and I firmly sent them packing back to their spot on the rug.
Colin managed to sidle up to me and read just loud enough and ask me a word or two, so that the net effect was he was reading to me on the sly. I let it go on. At one point he made it through a few of pages (five words or so to a page, with phonetically “regular” three and four letter words, and simple sight words) and he looked up at me with a mixture of surprise and glee and said, "I’m reading!" Sort of like when you realize you’ve made it solo a few bike lengths and haven’t crashed.
Earlier this week Cortney demanded that I make her a Scholastic Reader folder like the high readers, and today she finished the orange books and graduated to blue, mainly because she pestered me to death to prove mastery of one after another of the blue ones, even during free time. Blare, Ashley, and Sarah (the others who find reading harder than the rest), have followed suit, and now everyone has folders. I am seeing a desire to read that wasn’t there before, among all the kids.
When we had the inclement weather schedule the other day, I told the class they could do whatever they wanted during the cancelled morning recess time, and several asked, almost in unison, "Can we read?" and almost sheepishly, like it might be out of bounds to do something academic during play time.
"Oh, I guess so, if you must!" I deadpanned.
"Oh boy!" they blurted out, like they were getting away with something!
I’ll tell you what’s going on. I don’t know! That’s what’s going on. Maybe it is typical for first grade after the first of the year to suddenly take off.
Maybe it’s Kris, Ray, Chantel, and Taylor who set shining examples. Kris will sometimes turn proudly announce to the class and announce, "I beat book 37!"
Maybe it is the constant repetition and focus on reading. Maybe it is the non graded, work at your own pace. It is not important why, it’s just a good thing I am seeing this progress, because many days I leave so depleted and beaten down by these cute little monkeys that I wonder what in the hell I am doing.
The elixir that revives me is the words, "Hey, I’m reading!"
Jim
In Reply to: Look Ma, No Hands posted by Jim H. [579.4] on February 18, 2004 at 09:32:52:
Sounds like you're an excellent teacher. I used to be a TA and there are not very many like you. Great job!
Joanie
In Reply to: Look Ma, No Hands posted by Jim H. [579.4] on February 18, 2004 at 09:32:52:
Hi Jim H.
Thank you for reminding me of those "first time" times. I do remember learning to read (and ride a bike) and so many other firsts of growing up...first time staying home alone, playing first recital, first boyfriend, first period, driving a car, acts of love...oh my God, those magic days. You are so lucky to be around it day in and day out. Firsts get fewer and fewer it seems. I feel younger when I manage to find ways to have firsts in my life.
Of course, there is always the big one waiting at the end. Yikes!
Nancy
In Reply to: Look Ma, No Hands posted by Jim H. [579.4] on February 18, 2004 at 09:32:52:
Great stuff! What an important job you are doing.
I'm not a teacher, but, having been a bookworm since childhood, was determined that my son should enjoy reading too. When he was learning to read, there came a stage when he knew quite a lot of words, but the graded material at school was beginning to be a bit tedious. I took the pedal off a lot of listening to him read from school books at night; instead I looked out other stuff at the right level and encouraged him to read to himself and over about three weeks he became a reader. The very first book he read to himself was a joke book.
I'm sure there is also an age thing here too - he was just six and ready for it. In the UK children tend to start at 4-5 (sometimes earlier) - fine for some, but not for everyone. It can set up real blocks. In my son's case writing was a problem for years - if he hadn't been asked to form letters before the age of six, as in France, say, I think he would have been fine.
In Reply to: Look Ma, No Hands posted by Jim H. [579.4] on February 18, 2004 at 09:32:52:
Hi Jim,
Isn't it wonderful when they "get it"! I experience moments like that in my massage practice when I try to teach people how to take care of themselves.
Best wishes,
Jan
In Reply to: Look Ma, No Hands posted by Jim H. [579.4] on February 18, 2004 at 09:32:52:
Thanks, Jim.
I will be forever grateful that phonics was still in vogue when I learned to read. "See-Say" was the biggest mistake the educational system ever made in this field--in my opinion! No wonder so many kids begin enjoying actual "reading" when they are introduced to phonics.
Namaste`
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Look Ma, No Hands posted by Joanie [132.62] on February 18, 2004 at 12:46:24:
I'm sure there are many excellent teachers out there, Joanie. Me? Naw, I'm a big phony, Wizard of Oz, snake oil salesman flying by the seat of his pants. I do have a good time at it though.
JIm
In Reply to: Re: Look Ma, No Hands posted by Nancy [1652.14] on February 19, 2004 at 03:56:33:
Thanks, Nancy. Certain moments have that "first time" charge to them, and those kind of moments happen a lot around kids! Does make you feel younger.
Jim
In Reply to: Re: Look Ma, No Hands posted by Rib [1602.4] on February 19, 2004 at 05:06:48:
Thanks, Rib. A lot of unwise practices go on because education is a political beast!
Jim H.
In Reply to: Re: Look Ma, No Hands posted by Happygal [11.384] on February 19, 2004 at 07:21:22:
Hi, Jan. Teachers live to see the "Aha" experience in their students. That makes it all worth while. Some day I would like to teach adults, as you do, but what would I teach them? Your field is a great one.
Jim
In Reply to: Re: Look Ma, No Hands (Phonics!) Archive. posted by Walt Stoll [9.8] on February 19, 2004 at 07:46:14:
Yep, phonics is huge, Walt. It is all built on that foundation, even though a large portion of our words do not follow the rules.
By the way, what is "see-say"?
Jim
In Reply to: Re: Look Ma, No Hands posted by Jim H. [879.4] on February 19, 2004 at 09:00:52:
Hi Jim,
It seems pretty obvious to me that you ought to be teaching writing to adults. You might want to get a few of your stories published first though. I bet you even know some magazines that might be interested. :o)
Best wishes,
Jan
In Reply to: Re: Look Ma, No Hands posted by Jim H. [879.4] on February 19, 2004 at 08:43:06:
Thanks, Jim H,
That is all any of us are! Only the best recognize it.
Namaste`
Walt
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