Tag: reading

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Kids and Reading: for Parents’ Eyes Only

meanderingthroughmidlife

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Happy Sunday everyone! And hopefully, happy Spring too.

A few times this weekend I have had conversations with moms who moan about their child’s ability to read, or lack of desire to read.  It’s nothing new to be asked questions about reading instruction, since it is the day job, but what struck me was how the moms approached reading as something little Johnny or Jane should do well because of school.

Somehow, reading = school.

And that’s a shame.  Really.

As an educator, I admit that the literacy systems in place today do little to encourage the love of reading.  Recently, school has been seen as a business and there are days I feel much more like a data analyst than a teacher.  High stakes testing has accelerated a stressful learning environment that focuses on getting from A to B, not on enjoying the journey of learning.

But when a parent continues that message at home by quizzing Johnny or Jane about what happened in a story just before bed, Johnny and Jane are taking school to sleep.

So here’s my two cents.  Do read with your child before bed.  Get into bed.  Snuggle up.  And read.  That’s it.

 

See, reading before bed is not so much about the book.  It’s about the time they spend with you.  Taking fifteen minutes to read aloud while sitting together will tell your child that you value them enough to take the time be with them.

It’s about your relationship with your child.

So when Johnny and Jane go to school the next day and are asked to read, they remember spending time with you.  The positive emotions you had while reading together transfers to the school experience.  And a “spoon full of sugar might help the medicine go down.”

Show your child that you value reading.  Let them see you read.  Fill your house with books.  Take them to the library.

DON’T JUST GIVE THEM A TABLET.

But that’s just my two cents.

Now, you’ll have to excuse me.  I’m off to continue The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler with my nine-year old.

Happy Reading!

JMonell

 

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Too Sensitive?

meanderingthroughmidlife

Recently, I read about Laurie Forest’s THE BLACK WITCH and the Twitter war it created.  After reading two or three articles, I wanted to read the book for myself.  Sometimes bad press is better than no press.

Luckily, my local library could acquire a copy.  So off I went dashing headlong into Forest’s world, keeping thoughts about accusations of racism in the recess of my mind.  While the writing is not as crisp or as descriptive as I usually like, and the protagonist, yes, I said protagonist, Elloren changes too quickly from naive country girl to university survivor of  Mean Girls, I did not find evidence of the kind of racism or homophobia about which I had read.

Don’t get me wrong.  There are definitely things that Elloren does or says that made me flinch and twitch.  But I did not throw the book across the room and utter a primordial scream.  And this is because the offensive actions and statements are part of Elloren’s transformation from ignorant person of privilege to curious student of the other.  While she cringes in the mirror of truth about her heritage, she seeks information from those she fears, or loathes.

Now I must confess that I am only half-way through, but Forest’s first foray into fantasy is worthy of being read.  Good books have the power to make a reader feel, and feel I have while reading The Black Witch.

Is it too controversial for the YA market?

I don’t think so.  I grew up reading Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey at twelve.  Then there was The Bell Jar, and Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack.  And who can forget Terry Brook’s Shannara Series?  I was fifteen when I first read Dean Koontz’ Phantoms.  While these were more gritty than the usual Judy Blume, or Paula Danzigger, they spoke to me as a kid.  Then again, there weren’t too many YA books back then, and the adult section of the library was my playground.

Yes, these are different times.  But what bothers me the most about the upheaval over Forest’s novel, is that it appears that a good many people who bashed the book on Good Reads never even read it.  They heard “racism” and decided to go to war.  I assume this happened on Amazon as well. American Culture seems rife with the obsession with shiny trinkets that distract.  It’s like we fall in love with the shiny wrapping paper and forget to open the box inside.  Rarely do we READ the entire article or book without forming an opinion.  We exist in a social media vacuum that depends upon likes and dislikes, or simply, the click of a button.  It’s quite a superficial experience.

Racism has become an inflammatory word that ignites hate, but we need to feel comfortable reading texts that make us question our society, even when they shine a light on our darkest shadows.  Through common texts we can examine our own reality and face our challenges.

Sensitivity towards others’ experiences is a necessity in this century.  But exploration of our own views is fundamental for our growth.

Happy Reading!

J Monell

 

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Falling into the Flow

meanderingthroughmidlife

It’s been nearly sixteen years since I dared called myself a “fledgling writer”.  It used to be that I could sit down and verbal vomit onto the screen a complete story.  I was a pantser.  But now, writing is a bit more tricky.

Which is why I am turning back toward reading to jump start my writing.  But reading isn’t always easy these days either.  There is the required reading for work, the rereading of texts for work, and the endless emails, texts, tweets, and posts.  But it surprised me how challenging it can be to fall into the flow of a novel.

I will put the book by the bedside, intending to spend a chunk of time reading before sleeping.  Instead, I will spend a chunk of time on social media, checking out the latest news stories, and be half asleep by the time I put down the ipad/phone and pick up the novel.

Why is that?  I know that Nicholas Carr’s THE SHALLOWS tries to explain that Google just might be “making us stupid” by encouraging us to skim and scan, to not read.  But it frustrates me that when I think I want to sit down to read, I struggle.

Last summer I tried a new approach.  I picked up a book that I loved as a teenager: Anne Mc Caffrey’s Dragonflight.  For a week, I fell in love with reading again, yearning for the extra free moments when I could slip into the world of Pern and ride a dragon alongside Lessa in my imagination.  And it was interesting how things that did not stand out for me as a thirteen-year old reader, did as a midlife mommy.

More importantly, I felt a sense of accomplishment.  I had fallen into the narrative’s flow and allowed myself to experience  the story.  For a little while, I had forgotten all the day to day challenges.  Reading in the flow was cathartic!

And all it took was carving out some time, choosing the right book, and slowing down.  Slowing down might have been the magic ingredient in the fairy dust that transported me to Pern.

It was a healing experience.

Upon finishing Dragonflight, I felt compelled to research about Mc Caffrey’s life and her inspiration.  Then I marveled at how dragons are once again an important part of our culture.  And at last, the single sandy grain of a story began to form in my head.

Reading is breathing for a writer.  And I am still working on falling into the flow of others narratives.  But when it happens, it’s extraordinary.

JMonell