Hello my name is Maria Blevins. I was born and raised in Statesville, N.C. When I got married I moved to Flat Rock, N.C. (the Flat Rock near Asheville not the one in Surry County). I lived there for several years and have recently moved to Lincolnton, N.C. Within my own state I have noticed many discourses in reading. When I worked in Henderson County we had multiple Reading Recovery teachers per school. A school of 300 students may have 2 Reading Recovery teachers. A school of 200 may have 1 and a part time person. My school hade 700+ students and we had 5 Reading Recovery teachers. It was apparent to me that reading was valued in a different way in this county. The school I am currently teaching at in Lincoln County has 300+ students and one reading specialist. Things are different from county to county as far as the way reading interventions are addressed. Now back to me and my own literacy learning. When I was young and in school I do not recall a reading teacher or specialist who addressed the needs of struggling readers. But that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t one. Maybe I just never saw them or knew who they even were when I saw them. I wasn’t always a good reader. Most of my trouble in reading was tied to my ADHD. I couldn’t read to comprehend but I could fluently read. I was read to as a child. My mom would read those Little Golden Books to me and my sister when we were real young. Then I remember she stopped reading to us at night as times got busier for her. There was a period where no one read to us and then I recall when my father started to read to us. He would only read what he wanted to personally read. This was no pleasure reading for us kids. If we wanted a read aloud it was going to be on something he was going to sit in the recliner and read anyway. So that is how I got to know Readers Digest. Most topics were above my head, but I think the actually flow of reading and fluency in my father’s voice is what I learned the most from in hearing his readings. Hearing good reading modeled gave me something to work towards in school. Now that I am older I do favor realistic fiction, nonfiction, and biographies. I wonder if the Readers Digest reading has anything to do with that? In my own classroom I do 3 units on biographies a year. I do a black history unit, a president’s unit, and a hodgepodge unit. I just love biographies. They are my favorite genre! I love to read about other people’s lives and how they tackled their problems. I look forward to our readings in this course!
Comments (2)
Maria,
I don't remember a reading teacher when I was growing up either. I teach in Gaston County and we don't have a reading specialist at all. We have about 650 students, but no reading teacher. In Gaston County you basically have to be a Title I school to have a reading specialist. I think we need more reading specialists in schools. That's neat about the Reader's Digest! I guess whatever you hear as a young child influences what you like to read as an adult.
Posted by Jamie Brackett | June 2, 2010 7:09 PM
Posted on June 2, 2010 19:09
Dear Maria,
I find it interesting that your Dad read Reader's Digest to you as a child. That sounds alot like something my Dad would do. He has always been very interested in factual information, mainly things relating to History. I however am not all that interested in reading about History. I love to read anything related to Science! We had subscriptions to Reader's Digest and Time Magazine when I was little. I loved reading Time Magazine. It's fascinating how our parents likes and dislikes in reading can often shape our own. I think we may have the same effect on our students, so I think that's wonderful that you include biographies in your curriculum.
Reshawna Greene
Posted by Reshawna Greene | June 5, 2010 10:23 PM
Posted on June 5, 2010 22:23