Comments on: Reader’s Rant

By: Alyssa

Alyssa — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:56:20 +0000

A book shower! I’m reading your blog and taking notes on how to be a kickass parent.

I feel your frustration on getting urban kids to read. I remember in my first job mentioning reading a book for fun and my students looked at me quizzically and said, “Why would you do that?”

And who could blame them? They lived in a book wasteland. The school library had long since shut down and the books were all trashed. Their “reading” class was a scripted, teacher proof curriculum that consisted of drill and kill phonics lessons and reading out of early reader books created especially for that curriculum. They never got their hands on real literature. Worse, their teachers had no time to read aloud to them. It wasn’t in the schedule! If that was your only exposure to books you’d think reading was boring too.

SO effing unfair.

By: AngelaK

AngelaK — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:41:58 +0000

I could not agree more with you on bringing the responsibility of the parent back to the forefront of our children’s education. My husband is a teacher so we are very in-tune with how un-involved parents are! Its sad, its pathetic and to be honest; it totally disgusts me. Now, he teaches at the high school level and those kids, wow…I never knew just how un-involved parents could really be. Sadly I also see it at the lower grade levels because our eldest son is in 2nd grade. In first grade there were kids who would show up to school without their homework done…without their reading done…really?? Who sends a 7 year old back to school without their schoolwork done? A parent who doesn’t care, that’s who. But society as a whole, it seems, will always blame the teacher for why their precious angel is failing 1st grade, 2nd grade, etc.

Schools now must have “incentives” for kids to actually get their shit done. Really? I mean, ok…that’s great…reward them for working hard, but hello, I had NO incentive days, rewards, prizes, etc for doing MY homework, for SHOWING UP to school or for respecting the educators who will get me ahead in this rat race we call, “The real world.” I JUST DID IT. And now, I have the same expectations for my kids as my parents had for me. Do your work…do it yourself, no one is going to hand you anything…you have to work for it. Be honest, be respectful cause if you’re not, well, you’re gonna be punished for it – by me…the big bad Mom (and Dad) who actually care about raising a good kid. And why do we do this?? Because we love them!

By: Beth

Beth — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:26:54 +0000

I’m so with you on this. If you asked my boys to list their favorite things to do, “reading books” is right up there with bike riding, legos, and even movies. Ask the middle school kids what’s on their list of favorite things to do, and it’s rare that reading is even ON the list, let alone in the top 10. I feel sad about parents who don’t read to their kids, as well, because THEY are missing out on an incredible way to bond as a family. The time I spend reading with the boys snuggled up next to me is the most stress-free, calming, centering, flat-out happiness-inducing time of my day. I couldn’t live without it. So, it’s not just the kids who are missing out. Sad. On the flip side, I do see more of my adolescent students getting into reading because of books like “The Hunger Games”, “Unwind”, and anything written about vampires or fantasy worlds.

On that note, I hear Dr. Seuss calling….Gotta go read with the little guys. Cheers!

By: Kami

Kami — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:35:28 +0000

miss you Ar!

By: Kami

Kami — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:35:11 +0000

Thank you so much for commenting Jen! Noce to meet you! It is easy to blame the schools for multiple ills of society. But imagine how healthy we’d be if nutrition and literacy practices started at home. hmmm….

Book suggestions for your 4 month old: Anything by Sandra Boynton, Dr Seuss board books (they like the rhymes), Mother Goose, books that you can sing (Old McDonald, Itsy Bitsy Spider etc).

Yay!

By: Kami

Kami — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:31:19 +0000

exactly.

By: Kami

Kami — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:31:00 +0000

Adam, I love you. What a terrific comment! I can’t wait to read SuperSadTrueLoveStory and Gappers of Fripp. As for Jane Austen, I recommend Sense and Sensibility for your first stop. Family book club. I love it!

By: Arden

Arden — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:48:18 +0000

Kami for President!!!

Love this post.

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:55:21 +0000

By the way, we are starting to build our library for our 4-month-old, and I would love suggestion!

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:53:04 +0000

Hello, I have been reading your blog for a while now, but this is my first time commenting. Love your blog! This post is true on so many levels. I am a dietitian, and think it is too easy to blame the schools for childhood obesity and poor nutrition. The truth is, more responsibility should be given to the parents to expose their children to healthy foods and engage them in physical activity regularly. It makes me want to pull my hair out when I am counseling an obese youth, and encouraging him or her to try 1 new vegetable, when their parent starts making a face and comments how gross vegetables are. Argh! Ok I will get off my soap box now. Thanks for being so honest.

Jen