Hi, my name is Annie Croon. I am a “Literacy Specialist” (is there really such a thing?) at Gamewell Elementary School in Caldwell County, and have been here for the past two years. I work with kids who are struggling with reading, grades K – 5. I will use any intervention tool at my disposal to help kids make meaning of what they read. I will borrow, copy, or steal something if I know it works and will make reading fun for my students. I’m not afraid to be a fool in front of my students, and have been known to resort to comedy to engage otherwise disinterested or unmotivated kids. Who wants to do dreary meaningless tasks all the time? We don’t, how can we expect our students to?
I learned to read with Dick and Jane, and I seem to remember I couldn’t spell worth a darn for a long time. I know I learned the code quickly, because from a very young age I was reading anything I could get my hands on. That was me under the covers with a flashlight late at night. Some of my favorites were fairy tales from all over the world. I just couldn’t get enough. My favorite book was an oversized, beautifully illustrated anthology of tales from many countries. Kids just don’t read fairy tales any more. Too bad.
I’m still an avid reader, although I rarely get to choose what I’ll be reading. I am constantly reading for homework or school work. When summer comes, I usually find the fattest, trashiest novel I can and work on my tan until I finish it. I read War and Peace one summer, and Anna Karenina followed shortly thereafter. Something about the length of an incredible saga turns me on. I guess this summer I’ll have to forego that pleasure.
I became a reading teacher because I was crushed by the knowledge that my own child will never be a joyful reader. My son struggled with reading, and now has the idea that he is a poor reader. Because it’s hard for him, he avoids reading at all costs. Somehow I will find that “just right book” that turns him on and hooks him for good. It is my desire to help other kids overcome their difficulties with reading so they can actually stop struggling and enjoy, understand, and learn to love reading.
I suppose some day I will find out who I really am as a reader / writer. Right now I am so busy fulfilling requirements; I don’t ever have time to write just for me. I used to write quite a bit of poetry; now at least I am journaling, thanks to Dr. Frye. It’s amazing – the things you begin to notice when you start living like a writer. At least that keeps me honest. I can’t expect my students to write when I don’t do it myself.
I look forward to what lies ahead in this course; many of our students are disaffected and marginalized within our classrooms. I’m looking for ways to make my methods more inclusive, more worthwhile to all my students. Working within the framework of curricular guidelines, that’s a tall order. I need inspiration for new ways to turn kids on, and keep them reading, even when it’s hard. If only the love of reading were a contagious bug!