For this module I spent a considerable amount of time and interacted with Dr. Carol (name change) the assistant principle of my host school and Mrs. Nina (name change) the school's librarian. Talking with Dr. Carol was very interesting and informative. Before becoming an assistant principle he worked at a high school where he loved teaching for nine years. I asked Dr. Carol why isn't there more men in the field especially African American men and he stated that it's a matter of money. "He stated that although teaching is the most important profession it just doesn't pay enough unless your in administration and that must men choose a career where the pay is well". Then he went on to share that he would have love to continue to teach but because of his grouping family he had the position that he has now held for six years. We discussed parents involvement, funding and environment/exposure. I really enjoyed talking with Dr. Carol and I came away knowing that my selection of Early literacy was indeed the correct topic to write on.
I also spent time with Mrs. Nina the librarian who was instrumental in helping me to see what goes on in the library with the children. When I was a child we went to the library and pick out a book and that was it. We started reading it there and put it back or took it with us to finish. Mrs. Nina expressed their her desire is to promote a love for reading and that in the library is not only to share the books, but to have book talk and discuss about the authors etc. The children look at videos and have work sheets and this way she assess the children's understanding to see if they paid attention to what they watched and their answers to the worksheet. The children come in by grade and they are instructed to choose a book for their grade level and sections are design so the children will know where to go. Mrs. Nina has the accelerated reading program which begins in the library and continues in the classroom on a regular bases. To foster and encourage the love of reading the school will be hosting a book fair beginning next week and this will promote parent involvement. I will be there on Tuesday to help with the book fair and interact and engage with both the students and their parents.
The insight that I've gained is that literacy is a topic that school officials are most concerned about because it is the foundation being build and established both in school and home. To my surprise Dr. Carol said that "teachers are the primary source and they should be held accountable when they don't form to standard".
The challenge that I'm having with my topic is that there is so much information that it can be overwhelming when trying to make sure I have what I need that will write a successful paper and that I not leave out any vital information. The advantage that I'm bless with is that I get to spend time with the parents and students in a atmosphere that supports my advocacy purpose at the book fair.
http://carmenisby.blogspot.com
Please Note: I posted this exact post in the submission under Submit URL so much earlier than now.
I can remember my early experiences with literacy as nothing more than visiting the library, checking out a book, and taking it back the next week. No one ever read the book with me, discussed it with me, or provided activities or experiences concerning the book or any other book. Most of my reading was independent. Nevertheless, I developed an avid love for reading and have tried to instill that in my daughter. Unfortunately, she lost interest in reading with the many "100 Book Challenge" programs and reading "contests" at the schools she has attended that makes reading a competition among students rather than as a foundation for learning and future success.
ReplyDeleteHave you come across any of these programs in your research? I think they may have the right idea in promoting literacy, but are going about it the wrong way. Many schools in my area have stopped the programs altogether, which is a bad idea. I think they can be effective if the is on the literacy element rather than the competition. What is your opinion of these programs?
Did I misread or is Dr. Carol a male? Very interesting if so as I have never seen a man in administration at the preschool/early childhood level.
ReplyDeleteNo mam you read it correctly I just misspelled his name without realizing it until reading your comment. I meant Dr. Carl.
ReplyDeleteHi Torri,
ReplyDeleteWell when my son was younger his school also had the book challenge he always participated and the school would have a book list that were required to read over the summer and is now 19 and reading is off the chart where they can't gage it. I thought it was a good thing to do. I'm not sure if schools are still doing this, but I know our public library is promoting book reading challenges in the summer to keep the children focus, interested and abreast. Because they loose much over the summer so I again think it's a good idea, but for competition purposes it can cause children to be dishonest, loose interest and jealously.
The best way to make it fun for the children would be to take competition out and make it more of a challenge to them. they should be able to talk/discuss the book and or write a short paper on it. For example let's see how many books you can read in a month or something like that and still reward those who diligently try.