Ashleigh Wines- September Blog Post "The Pleasure Principle"

   When reading this article, there was several times that I thought in my mind, "I need to implement this in my classroom!", or "This is so me!" I really enjoyed reading this article.  I actually loooove to read, so it's not hard for me to enjoy reading something. :)  I want my students to feel this way too!! I can not remember having a classroom library growing up, but I do remember my mom taking me to the public library and letting me roam through the children's section.  I don't know how I picked books, I guess just reading a few pages, but I want to be that person who influences my students to love to read like I do.  When reading through this article the first thought that came to mind was that I do not do enough independent reading time in my classroom,  I struggle to find time to have a quiet time in my classroom where students can relax and read.  I also struggle with independent reading because in times that I have implemented it in my classroom, I notice some students just look around. I didn't know quite how to get them sucked into a good book! :)
    One of the first things that caught my eye from this article is workshop.  I would love to learn more about how to include this into my day.  Honestly, I have never thought to share with my students new authors, new genres, or new books.  This would be huge for my students though! I would love to add a section in my room, or near my library where I could sit out books for the students to view! This is a new step I would love to take! I also love how this is where I could teach mini lessons on how to actually read or understand their text.
    As I stated earlier, I do not implement independent reading as much as I feel I should in my classroom.  Time is the biggest issue for me right now.  I am learning how to balance my time throughout the day.  Another thing that I noticed when reading the section "Getting in the Zone" is that I don't have a "comfy" reading environment in my room.  One of the bullet points from the list of things that help students get in the zone is pillows or cushions.  I would like to add these types of things around my room for my students to use.  Another thing I feel that I need to work on is the number of book and genres in my classroom library.  I do not feel that I have enough books in my classroom library for each of my students to read through and enjoy.  I really enjoyed the "Readers Bill of Rights" insert as well as the "Leveling Made Easy" insert.  I would love to add these as posters to my classroom library as well! Maybe even have my class come up with their own "Bill of Rights" as a whole! :)