Have you ever tried to teach someone to do something that you yourself didn’t like to do? It’s the very hardest teaching because the primary thing that needs to be developed within every learner is a burning desire to learn whatever it is. The easiest teaching in the world is to help children learn something they are […]
Those who love to make music, who take joy from an instrument, never have to be told to go practice. True musicians will play even when their families don’t want them to. They do it because they love it. I’m not speaking about the child who can play because he was forced to take lessons, […]
Twenty years ago this week the first Harry Potter book was published. That was a watershed in children’s book publishing in my lifetime, creating a starburst of delight. At the time I had only heard murmurings on local news about this new character. However, the gravity of the impact that Harry, along with Hermione, Ron, Hagrid, […]
Very young children can’t be avid readers in the fullest sense of the term. They can be excited by books and about the closeness they feel when loved ones read with them. If they have had lots of experience with good books they can certainly be admirers of books and be drawn to open them […]
This week the United Nations invites us to celebrate International Mother Language Day. I’m guessing most of us are unaware of this invitation, especially those of us in the U.S., where celebrating our mother language is a bit like fish celebrating water. Why celebrate something that seems omnipresent? Indeed, those of us who hail from the good ole […]
When I see strangers reading books in public places, I often startle them by inquiring about their book choices. I take their brief personal reviews into account when looking for my next read. As a result, I currently find myself in a book aimed at ages “9 to 12.” During lulls in our traditional holiday […]
That news appeared recently here in Louisville, Ky. However, that very percentage has been used this year to describe lack of school-preparedness in children across the United States. My first reaction was one that calls for some actual investigative journalism to answer the question of why Kindergarten classes, by and large, are not ready for half the students […]
Nancy was in her sister’s kitchen chatting with Kerri as she prepared a ham for cooking. Kerri put the ham in a large roasting pan and Nancy interjected, “Don’t forget to cut the ends off.” Kerri replied, “Oh right. When we were kids mom always cut the ends off.” They looked at each other and […]
I recently encountered an article indicating that school-age children rarely talk with their friends about what they are “free” reading, mostly because they don’t have time in their academic day. Wait! Really? That’s huge! This lost conversation represents a lost educational opportunity, seemingly sacrificed on the altar of what apparently passes for instructional efficiency! But […]
When a learner’s family and community commit to developing full literacy for everyone, there are at least two principles that guide efforts in that development: The community must ensure its literacy learners have ready access to abundant good books to read (“good” meaning relevant to each learner’s life). Those closest to literacy learners must ensure they are […]
