Brittany Daly - Blog Post 2: Routman (2003), Ch. 3: Share Your Reading Life

In this chapter, Routman discusses the importance of sharing a love of reading with your students. I have always talked about my love of reading with my students, but Routman suggests taking a few steps further. First, she recommends that teachers bring in the books they are reading to show their students. When she brings her own books into the classroom, she discusses the reasons she chose each book, what each book is about, and what she is learning from each book.  I love this because it shows students that you practice what you teach.  In the past, I have only ever brought in my own books one time.  I tend to read quite a bit of historical fiction, and sometimes the historical period of my book coincides with the historical period we are studying in class. On this occasion, I was able to use a story from my book to reinforce something we were learning about that day in our social studies lesson.  I remember my kids asking in amazement, “Miss Daly, you read that whole book this weekend?” They were clearly impressed, and I think they were able to see that reading was a form of entertainment for me.  I wasn't reading because it was required; I was reading for fun. If this one instance helped them to see that reading should be considered a fun and enjoyable part of life, then I should be sharing my own reading habits more often.

Routman also suggests keeping a personal reading record and sharing it with students. When I read this, I felt slightly inadequate because I have not spent a considerable amount of timer reading lately. I have been so busy with a million different tasks that I have not been reading for pleasure.  What would my personal reading log look like? Then, I thought about all of the various texts I read on a daily basis.  I tend to read a lot of blogs and articles.  Sometimes I read magazines, short stories, recipes, and directions, etc. Whether or not I am reading a novel, I am still reading.  Creating a personal reading log and sharing it with my students will show them that I read a variety of genres.  It can show them that one doesn’t necessarily have to read books each day to be a reader. I think that keeping a reading record of my own would encourage me to read even more. Routman shared the same revelation. Keeping a reading record encouraged her to make different reading choices and read more. “We teachers have to be readers if we are to teach reading and writing well” (p. 35). This statement encourages me to spend more time reading and to share my love of reading with my students.