Teachers as Literacy Leaders
By: Jennifer D. Turner, Mary DeKonty Applegate, Anthony J. Applegate
In order to teach our students meaningful information, it is essential we believe in our practices. One of the most important things I am realizing, as a student teacher is we must have confidence and show students the importance and power of reading. There are so many components of reading and two (fluency and comprehension) of which I find of primary importance helps unlock their love for reading. The only way students become fluent readers are through opportunities to practice in a comfortable environment. Additionally, comprehension comes from extensive modeling of the thought process good readers go through from the teacher.
As this article focuses on modeling to students our love for reading, I agree but believe it goes much more beyond that. Yes, we must model that we value books and reading however, I believe it is more important that we express the power that comes from reading. Literacy instruction should not be surrounded by convincing and pressuring kids to be bookworms; rather it should focus on showing students that there are so many alternate ways to be involved with literacy that give you power. I think being able to read environmental print everyday, and then transferring this knowledge to meaningful conversations is the overarching idea behind literacy instruction and creating life-long learners. However, at the lower elementary school level, this is difficult to deliver to students because they are just beginner readers. This is why it is our jobs to get to know our students and capture their interests.
The article discusses how literacy leaders, “… teach students to regard stories as slices of life that a writer shares with us, tales that are often interspersed with profound truths that can be unearthed by those willing to think creatively about them.” When teaching this concept to children and expressing how when learning the process of reading, we learn better how others operate. We are laying the important foundation of interpersonal skills something that will follow them throughout their lives. By motivating and showing students the different aspects of literacy, we are creating life-long learners.
Jenna makes a valid point that students need to be in a comfortable environment to really open up and have a love for reading. I know that we sometimes do not always practice what we preach especially when it comes to reading because not all teachers like to read. We should not have to force our students to read and instead open them up to a world where reading is fun and meaningful. I agree with Jenna that it is more important to express the power of reading because it can open up a whole new world of possibilites. We need to show our students that reading can be enjoyable.
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