I'm starting this blog today to document the journey of my high school reading class and the reading life at our school. As a teacher of struggling and/or alliterate readers and as our building reading specialist, I have goals of each student becoming a comfortable reader and of a school where reading is part of the our culture.
It's May 1st, the start of Get Caught Reading Month, and we're beginning this journey with some fun. Teachers can send me pictures of students reading books by choice and they'll get entered to win a $25 gift card to a book store. Teachers are also sending me book recommendations that will be read on the announcements throughout the month. And, on Monday we'll start a month of YA Lit trivia where classes can email their answers and win candy.
Just getting our feet wet.
In my classes over the last two years, I've been growing from being a regular language arts middle school teacher to being a high school intervention teacher. I spent 15 years teaching middle school, and then we opened a new school last fall. The first year had some serious bumps. I felt like I was a first year teacher again getting to know kids, getting to know books, getting to know high school culture. Some days I wanted to hide under my desk. Some days I wanted desperately to fit in and be a "real" high school English teacher. Some days I glimpsed a peaceful future where kids had turned into true readers and class ran smoothly. Some days.
This year has been a million times better in many ways. My feet are back under me, I have grown to love my BIG kids, I have more books, and still, it's not enough. I haven't engaged all my readers. I haven't seen tangible evidence that they are growing as readers in ways that stretch across their school experience. I don't regular see kids reading in their free time. I have much to learn and improve.
So welcome to this blog. Let the journey begin!
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