Chapter 14 Reflection

Chapter 14 begins by describing a scene that occurs often in middle schools. A teacher is persuading students to read, as she shoves book after book in their hands, while saying, "you'll love it!" You may even want to call this pressuring-- a tactic that will almost surely turn the struggling or uninterested middle school student away. The author writes open and honestly about her struggles with students in the past. Though always having good intentions for her students to succeed in reading, she conveys throughout the chapter that at first, she went about it all wrong. She finally came to the realization that she was "handing students books that she loved, instead of focusing on what the students might enjoy." She also realized that is was time to make a change, and adjust to the students a bit more. Simply asking students why they like or dislike certain books would be a good way to start. From this, teachers can use various comments as a tool for introducing them to books they may enjoy in the future. For many students, books can be overwhelming. That is why it is important to think of all of the things that make books "easier" to read: thin books and short chapter, white space, some illustrations, well-defined characters, plots with a lot of action, mysteries, funny books, and realistic language. By considering the student's desires, they will read more. "Students like to read when we let them read what they like" is a quote from the text that may have a large impact on giving struggling readers a chance to dive into the world of reading.