Common Reading

Rap star Common has launched a teen book club called The Corner. The Corner features an online chat and interviews with other rappers about their favorite books.

The Corner Book Club Membership has many great advantages! Make new friends around the country and discuss what you are reading in school and at home. Members will have the opportunity to meet Common and win a chance to interview a celebrity artist of the month. Eighth through Twelfth graders will also have the opportunity to enter an essay to win a scholarship. Sign Up Now!

The Teacher Effect

The Teacher Effect
By Deborah Hansen

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“Now, would you read that paragraph again so we can understand it this time?” My 5th grade teacher stood in front of the class with her hands on her hips as she threw these cutting words across the room. I had just read a section from the daily “out loud” and now the boy behind me was being directed to read the same paragraph again. Her words slashed through my soul and the humiliation I felt that day is as fresh and hot as if it had happened this morning.

My father had been in the Navy since I was five, so we moved from one duty station to another every two years. My life consisted of packing and unpacking boxes, hesitantly making new friends and then having to leave them all again –a cycle I found harder and harder to face each year. We had recently made such a move to this city, and I had been attending the local elementary school for just a few days. Reading had been a source of solace to me amidst all this confusion in my life, a way to escape from the constant upheaval. I was a good reader with an extensive vocabulary and I devoured books in the sanctuary of my bedroom at home.

That day was white-hot and blinding, like Florida afternoons can be, the pavement sending up waves of heat outside the classroom window. The metal desks were arranged in traditional rows, our books and papers spilling out onto the floor around our feet from the small storage space beneath each of us. We were taking turns reading out loud, each of us in our proper order based on the seating chart. I had counted ahead and found my designated paragraph, terrified that I would make a mistake. My one goal in life at that age, the misfit “new kid” forever, was to be invisible. But, like many things in life, we create the very monsters that we fear. My nervousness resulted in an overly-rapid pace when it was my turn to read. I just wanted it to be over.

When the teacher spoke those caustic words, I burned with shame. I wanted to cry, to run away, anything to stop all those eyes from staring at me. I knew they would be laughing at me in their little cliques later on the playground at recess. Today, I realize that the fault was the teacher’s, not mine. But when you’re 10 years old and have never fit in anywhere your entire life, the blame is always yours. It hides around corners just waiting to bite at your heels every painful minute of every horrible day.

What that teacher couldn’t possibly know that day was that her thoughtlessness would prompt me to set a career path to make sure no other child would face such humiliation. I became a teacher. For 15 years, I dedicated myself to the philosophy that a teacher is one of the most important people in a child’s life. Our words and our attitudes have a lasting impact on the minds and the souls of the children who are placed in our paths every day. We must treat these hearts and souls with the tender care that such a precious gift deserves.

We never know the damage that has already been done to a child when they take a seat in our classroom. We can’t take the chance that a child may already be teetering on the brink, suffering from abusive relationships or the effects of poverty. We can’t truly know what they face at home every day when they are out of our sight. Our thoughtless, painful words might be the ones that push that child over the edge. All we can do is provide a safe, warm place to be during the hours they spend with us. I know. I remember.

Boys and Books

By: Jane McFann (2004)

The statistics are consistent: Young male readers lag behind their female counterparts in literacy skills. This article looks at the social, psychological, and developmental reasons why, and suggests solutions — including the need for more men to become role models for reading.

It's a chilly, rainy day with a wind that rattles the windows. The reader settles deeper into the cushions of the sofa, smiling with satisfaction. What a perfect day to read. "I really can't wait to tell my friend about this book," the reader thinks.

Now the question is, as you imagine the above scenario, what sex is the reader? Is it almost automatic to envision a female? In today's culture, is the image of an enthusiastic reader often a feminine one? Certainly there are many committed male readers, but where are they in the popular culture? And, perhaps more important, what images exist that encourage young boys to read?

The statistics are consistent: Young male readers lag behind their female counterparts. According to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) in 2001, fourth-grade girls in all of the 30-plus participating countries scored higher in reading literacy than fourth-grade boys by a statistically significant amount. Similar findings show up in the U.S. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, as well as in studies in New Zealand, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Searching for "why"

Why does this disparity exist? Theories abound. According to Michael W. Smith and Jeffrey D. Wilhelm in Reading Don't Fix No Chevys: Literacy in the Lives of Young Men (Heinemann, 2002), research on gender and literacy provides some interesting insights:

• Boys take longer to learn to read than girls do
• Boys read less than girls read
• Girls tend to comprehend narrative texts and most expository texts significantly better than boys do
• Boys value reading as an activity less than girls do

According to a national survey conducted by the Young Adult Library Services Association in 2001, boys of an average age of 14 listed their top obstacles to reading:

• boring/no fun 39.3%
• no time/too busy 29.8%
• like other activities better 11.1%
• can't get into the stories 7.7%
• I'm not good at it 4.3%

Jon Scieszka, author of children's books such as The Stinky Cheese Man and the Time Warp Trio series, believes that boys are slower to develop than girls biologically and therefore often have early struggles with reading and writing skills. On his Guys Read website, he also says that the male way of learning, which tends to be action oriented and competitive, works against boys in many classrooms.

Serious subject, sensible solutions

The issue is certainly a serious one, and the solutions must come from a multitude of sources: parents, teachers, librarians, and communities. Michael Irwin, a Massey University, New Zealand, professor, claims that "girls talk more than boys, speaking 30% more words over a day than boys. And they talk more from an early age — to toys and dolls and playing school — so it's natural they are more adept with language."

In this Massey Magazine, Issue 14 article, which appears on the Massey University website, Irwin suggests strategies to help boys read better: clear, structured instruction; short bursts of intense work; specific goals; praise; hands-on learning; and use of humor.

Irwin notes that some New Zealand schools have even experimented with splitting classes into single-sex groups for language subjects and have found some success in this. "Boys are very conscious of what their peers think of them," Irwin says. "Their fear of failure curbs their classroom participation. They don't answer questions because they don't want to risk being wrong, and having their peers laugh. And after puberty there are the hormones to deal with, too. They start to worry about what the girls will think of them."

An area that seems to be critical to stimulating reading success among young male readers is the choice of materials. According to Smith and Wilhelm in Reading Don't Fix No Chevys: Literacy in the Lives of Young Men, boys differ from girls in the choices they make of reading material:

• Boys are more inclined to read informational texts, magazines, and newspaper articles
• Boys are more inclined to read graphic novels and comic books
• Boys tend to resist reading stories about girls, whereas girls do not tend to resist reading stories about boys
• Boys like to read about hobbies, sports, and things they might do or be interested in doing
• Boys like to collect things and tend to like to collect series of books
• Boys read less fiction than girls
• Boys tend to enjoy escapism and humor, and some boys are passionate about science fiction or fantasy

On his Guys Read website, Jon Scieszka concurs with this research, saying that adults need to "let boys know that nonfiction reading is reading. Magazines, newspapers, websites, biographies, science books, comic books, graphic novels are all reading material."

According to Wendy Schwartz in the ERIC Digest entry Helping Underachieving Boys Read Well and Often, the male perspective needs to be considered in the selection of reading material. "Reading choices made for boys frequently do not reflect their preferences, since girls are clearer and more vocal about what books they want, elementary school teachers are predominantly women, and mothers rather than fathers select reading materials for their children," Schwartz says.

"Further, boys, like all children, want to see characters like themselves sometimes," Schwartz adds. "Therefore, materials should feature people of different ethnicities, races, and backgrounds who live in a variety of types of homes and communities."

According to Schwartz, the boy who reads the sports page or instruction manual needs to be applauded. "The reading that boys do should not be dismissed as inconsequential even though it often does not include the novels and other traditional materials usually read by girls," Schwartz says. "The genres preferred by boys can be equally helpful in their development of reading, thinking, and problem- solving skills, and should be considered key resources in their education."

Teachers who allow boys to see the rich variety of forms that the written word can take may help to create more enthusiastic readers. Librarians also can play a key role in providing male-enticing reading materials.

According to Patrick Jones and Dawn Cartwright Fiorelli in "Overcoming the Obstacle Course: Teenage Boys and Reading," an article in the February 2003 issue of Teacher Librarian magazine, there are immediate steps that librarians can take to improve attitudes toward reading among boys. These include:

• planning programs aimed just at boys
• doing book talks in the classroom that include a lot of nonfiction
• buying American Library Association Read posters that feature males
• encouraging coaches of boys' sports teams to participate in a Guys Read program such as having athletes read to younger children
• increasing the number of periodicals, magazines, comic books, and newspapers in the library
• actively recruiting boys to work in the library
• surveying boys about their reading
• buying books that boys recommend
• putting books where the boys are: next to the computers, copy machines, and study tables

Allowing boys to find reflections of who they are and what they like in a library may encourage a return visit.

Did you Know?

Stepping Out of the Classroom

Published: June 2, 2008
Stepping Out of the Classroom
By Cindi Rigsbee
Premium article access courtesy of TeacherMagazine.org.

I once had an administrator who told me that educators are the worst for wishing their lives away. “Only two weeks until spring break!” is an example of a hallway conversation that occurs in every school building across America just as the weather turns warm.

The current teacher-to-teacher rhetoric in my school is “Seven days left!” Seven days until those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. Of course, teachers will tell you that their summers are anything but “lazy” with all of our professional development and planning involved (not to mention second jobs or summer school teaching). Many teachers are in school buildings well before the new school year begins, arranging furniture, decorating classrooms, and creating instructional bulletin boards.
As part of a partnership, teachermagazine.org publishes this regular column by members of the Teacher Leaders Network, a professional community of accomplished educators dedicated to sharing ideas and expanding the influence of teachers.
Still, I’m hearing these words everywhere, and teachers are full of that difficult-to-contain joy that is usually exhibited by their students. I, however, am experiencing different feelings: the seven days I have remaining will be my last as a classroom teacher, at least for a year.

I was recently named North Carolina’s Teacher of the Year, and next school year I will be serving as a teacher ambassador across the state. I’ll be making presentations, serving on committees, and working with the State Board of Education. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to meet and work with educators in an area that covers 52,669 square miles, from Mount Mitchell to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. But while I am elated by this honor, I am equally sad to leave my students.
A Teacher's Voice

Bill Ferriter, a member of the Teacher Leaders Network, and a former regional teacher of the year himself, has written with concern about the idea of teacher leaders leaving the classroom to pursue other adventures in education. He’s asked about the “shelf life” of a teacher: how long do we continue to have credibility after we pack up our classrooms and step out of our schools? And I add to that—will anyone really believe that I know what I’m talking about once I’m able to eat lunch for longer than 15 minutes without hearing “He took my milk!” and “She’s in my seat!” between bites? And what about the idea that teachers who leave are able to actually use the bathroom whenever they want? (I can’t testify to this, but I’ve heard it’s true.)
Personally, I believe there is a real need for those who are leaders in their schools, those who really understand what it’s like to stand in front of 30 wiggly bodies and make a difference, to accept other roles in our profession and speak for teachers’ interests. We’ve all sat through seminars and workshops led by those who have never had to keep the simmering pot from exploding on December 22nd—as well as those who try to tell us how to teach when their only experience involves the fact that they attended school for many years. When I go to those types of meetings, I long to hear a teacher’s voice; I want to feel a teacher’s passion as it threads its way through the discussion. Other teachers’ stories have always helped shape my own teaching.

I recently sat through a presentation where a former insurance salesman turned textbook salesman tried to share the reasons that his book would be good for my students. I wanted to tell him that he doesn’t know my students. He doesn’t know that Joe hates to read and if there’s not a story about skateboarding, he’s not going to open the shiny new book.

52,669 square miles of Joes
Speaking of Joe, now there’s a reason that it’s hard for me to leave. Who’ll be there when he says, “I need help” before he even looks at the work? Who’ll be there to see him dance the “Joe-Joe Jig” whenever he hears music? Who’ll be there to talk to him about his parents’ separation? Yes, it will be difficult to pack up my room.
But I have to believe that there are 52,669 square miles of Joes. And maybe one thing I say to a teacher will make a difference in another Joe’s instruction and in the way he’s treated when he struggles. I think when it comes to shelf life, the heart is one thing that never has an expiration date. So I’m going to leave part of mine right there in the school building while I embark on the most exciting year of my life. I owe it to Joe to make a difference.
Cindi Rigsbee is a National Board-certified reading teacher at Gravelly Hill Middle School in Orange County, North Carolina. She was recently selected as North Carolina’s State Teacher of the Year for 2008. Her blog The Dream Teacher focuses on slices of classroom life.

What do Teachers Make?

Why won't they let them read?

I have been around the district and back again and have seen wonderful teaching. However, there is one thing that still amazes me. The lack of student reading in 2nd grade and above. Why is that?

Am I coming in at the wrong time. Are teachers nervous and change their format upon a visitor's entry?

I am not sure. But we need to get the students reading more, often. And I'm not talking about popcorn reading, popsicles stick reading or round robin reading. Let's get some choral reading going on!

Stop the Silence! Stop the lectures!
Let's hit it people!
Hoorah!

What happened to the Phonemes!