Readicide- Part B- Post 2

Summer break. An easy read. Laying in the sun. My favorite time to experience the "Reading Flow." Well, I experienced the "Reading Flow" during the second half of this book. Unfortunately, I was not on the beach this week. I take my nephew to his Jujitsu practice after school. Ten kids, in a large gym, practicing a form of organized fighting. I decided I needed to increase my time management, so I pulled out the Gallagher text for the hour. I am cruising along, once again very interested in Gallagher's writing, and I am interrupted by a constant smacking sound on the mat. It had been going on long enough, that I figured I needed to look up. It was my nephew, trying to get my attention because obviously I need to watch him the entire hour. Sorry little man, I was in the flow!

Okay, so you all know I am a Gallagher groupie. However, he really made me reflect this week on how much I can improve upon my English lessons. I do not let my students experience the flow for themselves! Why not?! We read an average of ten pages together, and then they have a curriculum guide activity. What a boring way to read! I guess I have always done this because I feel that they need me to help them understand what is going on in the book. Gallagher allowed me to realize that they have no idea what is going on because we stop and pick it a part every time it is getting interesting! My students are taking several weeks to read a novel. I have created readicide in my classroom.

I struggle on a daily basis to get my teenagers to do something. Anything really. Just take an interest kids! They do not like reading, they will not SSR, and reading on their spare time is definitely not in the cards. Even in my English class, students put forth the minimal effort and do not seem  to have interest in making themselves better. However, I do agree when Gallagher expresses, "teenagers, like all people, are willing to work hard when they recognize that their efforts will bring them something valuable" (76). I can relate to this both personally and professionally. I will put in the work, if the outcome is of interest to me. Why don't my students want to work hard on their English lesson? Well, because answering comprehension questions every ten pages is not a desirable outcome. If I was to frame a book well, that interests students, and then allow them to relate the book to their own lives through discussion and reflection, I'll get more buy in.

So, I will try SSR again. Only because Gallagher has not steered me wrong yet! However, I plan to implement the one-pages. If my students do not have a final expectation for the book, they will not read. I hope that once SSR is in place for awhile, students will begin to read for the enjoyment of it, but only time will tell!