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Your childhood mirrors my own minus the base home. Although, my father was raised on army bases around the country. I don't think that counts, however.
Our family all read each evening sitting in a favorite chair, stretched out on the carpet or curled up on the sofa. When it was time for bed my brother, sister and I got in our PJ's for one great story or chapter read by one of my parents. It was a wonderful time.
Some evenings after our reading respite, we would listen to Amos and Andy, Dick Tracy or My Little Margie on the radio. But, it was the adventure of books that we all really grew up loving. (By the way, my favorite books in grade school were all of the Walter Farley "Black Stallion" books! What mental pictures I could conjure up! )
My children were all raised the same way. Most children grab a favorite Teddy or a truck when told that a car ride is on the day's agenda. Not my kiddos. They all would grab a book and pop into the car ready to pass the time while Mom ran some errands.
I wish that all children had the opportunity to be read to and to be encouraged to read. I agree with you - your cousin must have felt quite wounded by his father's comment. We all have our individual interests and deserve to have them respected.
I received a lovely book of nursery rhymes and stories as a baby shower gift for my first son almost 40 yrs. ago. Since that time I always give a keepsake child's book as a shower or new baby gift. It is a gift not only for the new little one, but for Mom and Dad, too. It is often all that is needed to inspire new parents to begin reading to their children from birth on.
Ahhhh, fond memories. Maybe that is why we love reading so. It rekindles those lovely childhood memories and creates the fodder for new ones.
So nice to chat with you, Ketabcha. (Gotta know where that name comes from!)
You're right. When I think of my childhood I fondly remember books. I loved the Cherry Ames, Student Nurse series. Nancy Drew books turned me on to mysteries. The Big Golden Book of Bible Stories is what turned me on to a life-long interest in religions and cultures. In other words, those books opened up the world to me and they continue to do so with the children of readers.
My screen name means "book" and "notebook" and "diary" in Farsi (Iran) and Dari (Afghanistan and Tajikistan). Long story. Family military assignments and all that jazz back in the early 60s.
That makes makes me wonder, too, Lisa, about people who don't like to read, but are on the forums daily. Except, there is a huge difference between reading (engaging yourself in a mental picture you are creating) and actually simply "conversing" with folks on the forums.
Many people like to talk, but not read. Forum reading and responding, to me, is more like just talking. What do you think?
You have a point there.
Also, now that I think of it, those people (who I was remembering, and referring to...) who posted on forums that said that they don't like to read would a lot of time post things out of context, which makes me wonder if they just skimmed over the posts before them, or didn't even bother to read most of them.
Lisa, I would guess if we took a survey of those who enjoy reading and do it often vs. those who don't read much of anything, the habitual readers even read their cereal boxes while they woof down their corn flakes in the morning.
I think you are probably right, Lisa. An inattentive careless reader will take things out of context because they simply have not read the preceding posts - they didn't want to use their time available on "needless" reading.
And, Skinem, you have a great point. Even if it is a magazine that one reads regularly, the reader is becoming educated in some form or fashion, passively learning sentence structure, improving their reading skills, and stimulating some gray matter.
I had two young fellas in middle school that I worked with together although they were in different grades (7 & 8). Neither boy could read beyond a third grade level and struggled with comprehension.
We started our reading remediation in the fall with Superman comic books. They would read silently, then aloud to our little group of 3 and I would always read to them for several pages in order to pattern good reading for them. They loved it and we were able to move on to other book selections as the year progressed.
They both ended the year reading on a 7th grade reading level. I thank the comic books for initially getting them interested in reading at all. They worked hard and we all enjoyed the experience.
I hope that they are both men in their thirties reading to and with their own children every day!
People are diffferent. When I have a book I really enjoy, I read like crazy, but sometimes I go for months without reading a book. I like to see the words and turn the pages.
My husband travels a lot, so listens to a lot of books on tape...not something I enjoy...it's like watcing tennis instead of playing tennis. For Christmas we got a Kindle (in which you download the book and it appears on a small screen) and DH is obsessed with it. Go figure.
I had two young fellas in middle school that I worked with together although they were in different grades (7 & 8). Neither boy could read beyond a third grade level and struggled with comprehension.
We started our reading remediation in the fall with Superman comic books. They would read silently, then aloud to our little group of 3 and I would always read to them for several pages in order to pattern good reading for them. They loved it and we were able to move on to other book selections as the year progressed.
They both ended the year reading on a 7th grade reading level. I thank the comic books for initially getting them interested in reading at all. They worked hard and we all enjoyed the experience.
I hope that they are both men in their thirties reading to and with their own children every day!
Some good methods there, gemkeeper!
I had some students struggling with reading who were turning 16 years ago. We had a prescribed remedial reading program for them that was of no interest. I ended up using the DMV's driver ,license study guide to help them with some specific reading skills...they were a lot more motivated to even try and read that, dry as it may be, then they were the other stuff.
Some teachers were just shocked that I'd try something like that. ...like I said, it was quite awhile ago. I figure if a student is reading SOMETHING, even if it's not great literature, it's better than nothing.
(Gemkeeper and Ketabcha, I've enjoyed reading your posts about your weekly readers, getting your boxes of school book orders...nice memories here as well. Both parents were readers. Gemkeeper, as an Army Brat, you can appreciate this...I'm an Air Force Brat and remember all the moves with the boxes and boxes of books, with the bottom of more than one coming out on more than one move...)
Children love to be READ TO first; then reading really begins.
I think you were very innovative with your driver's license choice of "literature", skinem. Most young people from age 10 on are dying to get behind the wheel of a car, so you probably were fulfilling part of their dream of that first time! Vroooom!
Whatever it takes to create the initial interest in reading is okay by me. I started with my own boys when they were toddlers still in car seats by reading all of the road signs and store front signs as we did daily errands.
I would imagine that a child who grows up with parent(s) who regularly read to them or with them has some of the most endearing memories tied up in those times together. A chapter read from Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer or J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan by Mom or Dad is just the thing to create a life-longer lover of books.
They were all reading by the time they started kindergarten - and, they could always recognize "Dairy Queen" and "First National Bank" without even one hint.
The boxes of books, including the ones that lost their load, do bring back fond memories for me! In fact, I just recently opened one mover's box that I discovered in an unused closet (We moved here 7 years ago!). Inside were about 15 old college textbooks from the late '60's! Can't part with those treasures!
I think you were very innovative with your driver's license choice of "literature", skinem. Most young people from age 10 on are dying to get behind the wheel of a car, so you probably were fulfilling part of their dream of that first time! Vroooom!
Whatever it takes to create the initial interest in reading is okay by me. I started with my own boys when they were toddlers still in car seats by reading all of the road signs and store front signs as we did daily errands.
I would imagine that a child who grows up with parent(s) who regularly read to them or with them has some of the most endearing memories tied up in those times together. A chapter read from Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer or J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan by Mom or Dad is just the thing to create a life-longer lover of books.
They were all reading by the time they started kindergarten - and, they could always recognize "Dairy Queen" and "First National Bank" without even one hint.
The boxes of books, including the ones that lost their load, do bring back fond memories for me! In fact, I just recently opened one mover's box that I discovered in an unused closet (We moved here 7 years ago!). Inside were about 15 old college textbooks from the late '60's! Can't part with those treasures!
I agree a few chapters from books like Cujo, Carrie and the Shining will bring lasting memories to children they'll never forget.
I agree a few chapters from books like Cujo, Carrie and the Shining will bring lasting memories to children they'll never forget.
My son would have liked me to read these aloud, but I prefer my SK reading to be silent. He did, however, love to hear recaps.
We stuck to reading the Magic Kingdom For Sale series aloud. Those were some really fun ones to read aloud because so many of the names are hard to pronounce and we'd come up with some really wacky alternatives.
What a hoot -- reading Stephen King aloud to kids. I always contended that if I were ever to teach American Lit again during my tenure, I would like to include The Stand.
Our read-alouds, in the evenings just prior to lights-out, included Roald Dahl's works -- The Witches; The Twits, and George's Marvelous Medicine among our favorites. This is the fellow who gave us Matilda and James and the Giant Peach. Santa, one year, brought her a cookbook based upon his stories, which was equally as entertaining, and got the kid in the kitchen cooking simple things.
It is incredibly sad, the number of kids who don't read, or who say they don't like to read. In my HS classroom, I would 'tsk tsk,' saying they were missing-out on some g-r-e-a-t tv in the their own heads. . .
Head TV, good one RDS! Wish I could've had an HS teacher like you!
I've met a few people who dont read, and I dont mean to sound snooty, but it shows in their conversation. I'm no hot-shot mega-brain conversationalist, but their speaking style just...shall we say, 'flows' differently.
One person said they dont have the time, but as someone here pointed out, they have plenty of time to be on the computer. When I visited their place for the first time, something didn't feel right. I realized there was not. one. book......in the house.
A colleague of mine doesn't read either. She is also 'too busy'. To me, (just my 0.02 here) it sounds like an excuse. Why not just say "I don't like to read?" (OK, ok I know why; because then Judgemental Judys like me come along and say 'what??? You dont like to READ?? Are you MENTAL???)
Being the only person on my team at work who enjoys reading has its advantages though. My boss gave me a Borders gift card someone had given her, b/c she knew I was the only one there who'd use it.
Last edited by jacq63; 01-15-2010 at 04:17 PM..
Reason: for someone who reads, I have zero grammar skills.
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Children love to be READ TO first; then reading really begins.
