A recent article posted on a friend’s Facebook page suggested that we are pushing students too fast. You can read the whole article here:
They discussed what all of my colleagues have been saying for years- we are forcing students to conquer curriculum before they are ready. We don’t allow kids to play, learn to interact, or even learn how to learn. Instead, we are jamming advance math concepts and sophisticated literature down their throats younger and younger.
We have known for years that the US does not measure up to the world when it comes to reading. Our students can hold their own until about 4th grade. Then we slide down the scale. Decoding, it seems, we can teach. Reading, real reading with comprehension, is not our strength.
So, our immediate response was to make the reading instruction more rigorous. We didn’t change it; we just introduced it to the students earlier. We still excel at teaching decoding. But we still suck at the rest including interventions that work.
Now you might work in a district that is fabulous. You might be a reading specialist who is doing it right. When I say we, I am referring to the collective experience.
Assigning more academic reading and demanding more homework is not going to improve reading. It certainly is not going to instill a love of words. Let’s get the joy back.
Joy makes tackling difficult tasks easy. It motivates you. Drudgery does the exact opposite.
R-n-R Reads 