Emily Plumley - Blog #1 - Routman, Chapter 3: Share Your Reading Life

    As an avid reader since I was very small, I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter. One of my favorite things from this chapter was something the author said at the beginning. She said, "While excellent teaching is essential, without time to practice and read extensively, students will not become readers." And that is so true! We can't expect students to be incredible readers, if they don't get time to practice reading or develop a love for reading. 
    I believe it's very important for teachers to tell students why they should read. Not just because their test scores could go up or because they'll improve their comprehension skills. But because reading can be fun and something they'll grow to love! Also, I think it's important for teachers to show their students how to read, and how to enjoy reading. 
    My parents started reading with me at a very young age, and I was lucky enough to develop a love for reading and books early on. But I was also surrounded by adults that had a love for reading, and that was very encouraging as a child to want to be like all the people I looked up to. I can remember many weekends where my parents and I would be sitting in the living room, all lost in our favorite books. There were times that our power would go out after an icy winter storm. When power came back on and we went back to school, teachers would ask the students what types of things we did to pass the time. I was often one of the only ones to say, "Read!" The power may have been out, but my parents and I would sit around candlelight and read our favorite books. And sometimes those were the best times to read, sitting at a candle, lost in a good book. 
    Throughout school, I had several teachers that also shared their love of reading with my classmates and I. And since I wanted to someday become a teacher, I looked up to my own teachers, and their passion for reading further helped my passion grow too. One of my biggest inspirations to become a teacher was my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Owens. She did a read aloud everyday, and she always wore "Magic Lipstick". We would come in from lunch or recess (I can't remember which), and we would hurry to our desks for our class read aloud. While we sat anxiously waiting in our seats, Mrs. Owens would go over to her cabinet, slowly pull out the "Magic Lipstick" and put some on. Then she would grab our read aloud book, and the "magic" started. The "Magic Lipstick" she wore gave her special voices for the different characters in the books. We would all always be glued to her during read aloud, listening to hear the different voices. Just by Mrs. Owens wearing her "Magic Lipstick", she got the classroom excited about reading and read alouds. I don't remember her ever skipping a day either....usually because we begged her to read 'just one more chapter'. 
    In my short time as a teacher, I've tried to encourage reading with my students. I started collecting books for my classroom library when I was just a sophomore in college. Whenever I could get books at a reasonable price, I would get as many as I could. And with the help of a super supportive and encouraging mom and some really great deals, I started my first year of teaching with a pretty big classroom library. The books in my classroom library are one of the favorite parts of my classroom, and I have loved getting to introduce that library to my classes. I've also tried to do a read aloud as much as I can with my homerooms. I've chosen to read a series of books that my amazing 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Owens, read to my 4th grade class. The Wayside School series of books are silly, goofy, funny books for any kid or adult. We start with Sideways Stories from Wayside School, and work our way to the following books. I absolutely love watching the kids get drawn into the stories, hearing them laugh at silly parts, or seeing them look completely confused at parts of the books that don't make any sense. The kids almost always beg for "just one more chapter, please Mrs. Plumley". 
    As I wrap up this blog post, something that comes to mind when I think of the title of this chapter, "Share Your Reading Life", happened during my student teaching. With the 3rd grade class I student taught, I read the Wayside School series of books to them, and they loved them. The Book Fair came to the school and they had the entire series for a sell in a pack of books. I remember the students being so excited that the book I was reading to them was for sale at the Book Fair. Throughout the time the Book Fair was at the school, at least 6 of my students that year bought the series. Several would read along with me during read aloud, and others would be itching to keep going and would read a few chapters ahead (which I was also guilty of during almost every read aloud Mrs. Owens did). Seeing their fresh and new excitement for a book series I had loved since I was close to their age, really put a warm feeling in my heart, and made me excited to grow the love of reading in my students. I hope to be able to share my reading life with all my students, present and future.