Learning Log 7

I think that a lot of teachers have the same worries about their students who move on in their academic careers as I know that I would if I were in her situation.  It just illustrates how important it is for teachers to get to know their students' reading likes and dislikes as well as their reading habits when they walk into the classroom in the fall.  This can easily be done through reading questionnaires, and then teachers will know which students are motivated readers and which ones are not and can plan accordingly.  I think that one of the worst things that a teacher can do is put the students back at square one instead of getting familiar with their students.  If we want students to become lifelong readers, then we need to keep them motivated by offering them choices in their reading material even if we may not think that they are reading classical literature.  I know that this is not an easy feat in our education system that is focused on standardized testing, and that it may seem easier to tailor reading instruction to the tests.  I think this approach of teaching to the test sets students up to become alliterate readers when they finish their academic careers.  I would like to point out that the author, who does not teach to the test, has had her students' test scores come out very high.  I think that the high test scores that her students have is because of the fact that she puts so much emphasis on reading for the joy of reading that it has a longer lasting impact on her students becoming lifelong readers.  I think that independent reading is so important to a student's academic success that I will try to find those wasted minutes in the classroom, and I will have my students use those times to read independently with books that interest them.