Week 5 Wow

We had a busy week this week. At one point, I almost forgot to read a picture book. My students won't let me forget.  "You owe us a story," says one. "Aren't you forgetting something?" asks another. My struggling readers are the students who really seem to look forward to my stories. They are the ones that almost sit on my toes while I read to the class. They are also the ones who keep requesting stories. And yes, they are the ones that need this time the most.

One of my students read a book for the first time ever this week. It took her 5 weeks to even try but  this week, she did try and she succeeded. I asked her why now? What changed? She said, "because reading is fun now." She didn't elaborate beyond that. She is a little girl of very few words but it is a start. I can't describe the pride I feel inside towards her.

Her progress validated what I have suspected for awhile. After years of teaching to the test, drilling sight words, and intensive intervention groups, the thing that seems to reach my students the most is reading for fun. Don't get me wrong, intervention is necessary but in our quest to address reading deficits, we are killing the joy of reading. We as educators and parents need to try hard to keep that joy alive because that joy is what motivates our students to try.