Chapter 6

I had no clue this was the process good readers go through everytime they read this really struck me. It's interesting that we can do this without our knowledge. Also teaching this is going to become more and more difficult as thinking while reading progresses. How do we as teachers teach kids when we don't even know what is going on in their head?

Chapter 4

"How do I know unless I already know?" (Al's comment to Beers p.47). This comment really made me think about what it takes to be a teacher and what we should be required to teach. These strategies that Beers discusses are very important because of exactly what Al said, "How do I know unless I already know?" If the student doesn't know how to recognize something or the thinking process it takes to recognize it, they are not going to be able to magically osmosis it into their brains. WE HAVE TO TEACH THEM HOW TO DO IT!!!!!

Chapter 3

Something I noticed that I forgot to mention i my previous post, is the classroom examples Beers gives showing the different students with different problems this helped put the problems in a realistic perspective. By doing this Beers has helped me see what I might expect in my own classroom.

Chapter 3

Because dependent readers are most often the ones who require the most help from the teacher this chapter focuses on what they do that makes them dependent and how we as teachers can better help them become independent readers. A special focus on recognizing a dependent reader was very helpful. I have realized that even as a student I categorize others I see by the things they say or do when it comes to reading and that this characterization usually comes with the idea that the person is uncaring or the assumption that they are not trying to succeed. This chapter has shown that this is not always the case. Sometimes, maybe even post of the time, the student has problems unrelated to their level of knowledge or caring on the topic. This is very important to teachers because we are who fixes these problems and without the proper diagnosis of the students problem how can we fix it? It is our job to help these kids and therefore we must take on a more active role in figuring out the true problem underneath the facade of the uncaring student. This is perhaps the most important part of our job.

Chapter 2

This chapter is filled with so much information that I feel every Language Arts teacher should know. For example, Beers tells of how she expected perfect readers who were ready to dig deeply into the meaning of literature. The students she had were exactly the opposite and unfortunately this discouraged her greatly. Her greatest challenge that year, a young man by the name of George, proves to be her greatest example of what she believes students shouldn't do. However, in this chapter Beers explains that this is a wrong assumption because every child may act like George if/when given certain texts. Beers also explains that there are two types of readers in this chapter and explains how to deal with both types: dependent and independent readers. I found this part especially helpful. If a few of my teachers would have had this information, or had used it in their classrooms, I am sure I would have been a better independent reader sooner than my college career. Finally Beers makes a comment at the end of the chapter that I felt truly capture what it takes to be a teacher. She says, "Teaching reading to adolescents is both rewarding and frustrating; it's a science and an art. It's making mistakes and growing from them. It's the most important thing I do as a teacher" (Beers, When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do, 2003, p.22). Making mistakes is a part of everyone's growth and as teachers we should not expect perfect from ourselves or our students, especially through our first experiences. Instead we should strive for a better way to overcome the mistakes and create a better learning environment for our students. Mistakes are part of perfecting that environment.

Hi all!!!

This is the site where I will comment on many aspects of the book When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do by Kylene Beers. I have so far enjoyed my reading of this book and have learned a lot from just the first couple chapters. my hope is that this blogg will get those who have read this book thinking about new ideas and discussing them with me. I look forward to your future comments!!