Today I saw a prime example of how
principals do not support reading in their building. One principal keeps bringing me books that
teachers have left in their classrooms as they have moved on. He is putting
them in boxes and then sitting the boxes in the library like he thinks ALL
books belong here no matter what, so I said to him, “No these need to be in the
classrooms.” He says, “No the classrooms
need to be clear of clutter”. Yep, He
called Tom Sawyer, clutter! YES he did,
(not to mention Corrie Ten Boon and even Maniac Magee. ) I just saw red! We have book cases in every classroom and you
want them clear? I asked him do you like
to read things you don’t like. He goes
well no! I said, o.k. then how do you
know what every kid likes? YOU don’t,
that is why you need a book about soccer and a love story in a classroom. I realize we do not have space for every book
in the world, and nor am I asking you to keep tomes upon tomes, but honestly
every skill we learn starts with READING. Every job you do involves reading
something, your pay check requires you read something. When you work in a low socio-economic
district, kids come to you without understanding a literary world. They do not have literate homes; they have a
Bible, maybe and nothing else. So
reading is not valued at home, so if they are walking into clean, stark
classrooms then guess what, they aren't reading and not learning. And reading
is not valued at school either? Yet you
want them to read? Every test you give them involves reading something. And you
want them to increase their skills. Hmm.
I bet you don’t make a championship football team, without a ball, or
field, or practice. You are not piquing their
interest. It infuriates me, you aren’t helping the
children. It reminds me of a time that,
I was working as a curriculum coordinator at a church day care. When I walked into the two year old room, all
the toys were put away, and the toddlers were just milling around one
another. I asked, “Where are the toys?” The teacher said, “Oh I took them away
because, Sam is biting his friends?” I
was so angry; I promptly started dragging out the toys again and guess what Sam
got busy learning, playing instead of biting.
If people do not understand the children they work with each day, they
should NOT work with those children. If
people do not want to empower a child, they should not want to work with
children. If people want things neat and
easy and clean, do not work with children.
Children are real, messy, incredible, possibilities that you have NO
idea what they may do or become. We
learn from our mistakes, we learn from great models we need the writing of
great authors. We need books!!!
