Reading

Today was another day of fun at the library. It started out with many kids. The most I ever had. It had to be about  ten children!

All wanted to read with me except one. There was a little kid who sat right beside me. He was about seven years of age. He seemed pretty smart. He took a book and started making loud noise. At first I thought he was being bad and tried to chastise him but everything I did did not work. All the other children were laughing at him and his sisters seemed embarrassed. Then I thought, he must have had a mental problem.  Pretty soon all the kids begin to ignore him and I did too; but his older sister was kind of hurt that her brother did not or could not join in with us, she left the circle. I wish I could do something but did not really know what to do.  I tried to keep the group I had, entertained. The other sister of his begin to act out a little but it did not continue. I wonder if  I can help him at all. Gosh, I don’t even know his problem!

I also saw the student who did not take out the books that I suggested for him…the same one on the way to the ninth grade. We spoke about the books I suggested. He said he liked adventure books and that is why he did not take them out. I  encouraged him to read the books he likes; however, my plan is to find a better adventure book for him to read. He’s been all over Europe  and it sounds like he misses traveling.

The two girls who I assigned to read the Outsiders by S. E. Hinton actually came today and stared reading.  Now, I have to make sure I read it.

I read to an another student today who is in the sixth grade.  I later assigned him to read Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. I have faith that he will actually read it.  It was a great day.

While I was reading The White...( forgot the title so from now on I am going  to keep a list of all the books we read) a parent came to me and ask if I usually read to the children to which I replied yes. She said she is going to bring her son who doesn’t like to read. I hope I can help him like to read.

Perhaps I should take out a book on how to teach children to love to read.

Blurry Rain

Today I volunteered at the NYPL and it was unlike any other day. The student I usually read with had lost her book and also had a hard time staying focus. She is usually good but today – well, I guess it was the rain. I don’t know if Iam too hard on the children I work with, you know, assigning them books and all while it is summer. I just feel like the world is changing really fast and we shouldn’t allow our children to waste time. Anyways, we read and others joined us. A brother and a sister. The sister was on her way to the 8th grade and could read well but her brother who was on the way to the 3rd grade was not that much of a good reader. He didn’t stop at periods and had trouble pronouncing words. But that’s common. I assigned him to read a book by Ron Roy and hopefully he reads it.  I also assigned another child who is on the way to the 9th grade to read two book for 9th graders after I saw him about to check out a book third graders will read. He didn’t take out the books I assigned though. I think that is what bothered me the most. The fact that he did not take them out. How do you get students to read anyway? Was I too pushy?

At least church was great tonight, despite the rain.