It’s time to break the cycle.

I feel lucky to reflect this week remotely, from the comfort of my summer vacation.  I am spending the week with my niece and nephew.  My niece is preparing to start Kindergarten.  Her summer goal is to read 1000 books by the start of Kindergarten.  She is on 793 right now!  It is amazing to see her learn and grow so much right in front of my eyes.  

Each day, she reads me a few books and I read her a few books.  The learning reaches beyond the context of the words in those short stories, though.  As we walk on the boardwalk, she reads me letters and numbers off of the signs that we pass.  She reads me the iMessages she sends to her cousins written in all emojis. 

She is immersed in literacy in nearly every context of her life right now.  Whether we are watching tv, walking the dogs, playing on her iPod, sitting on the beach, or riding bikes, her world is becoming more and more available to her, as she gains the tools she needs to unlock written language.  All of a sudden, the adults can’t talk about getting “I-C-E-C-R-E-A-M,” on the boardwalk without a five-year-old catching on. 

An article I read this week primarily focused on the importance of encouraging young learners in literacy across all media, just as my niece is encouraged this summer.  After reading this article, I started to think about my own students, who are probably enjoying their summer routines as much as I am.  But then it occurred to me… How many other students are as driven to read all summer long? 

I began to think about some of my L2 learners who would thrive with this same type of regimen this summer.  Moreover, families in general would thrive with this inclusive approach to early literacy.  Many of my L2 learners speak their first language with their families all summer long.  Not all parents are taking their children to the library each week and encouraging them to complete a challenge.  I do believe that every student wants to learn, but not all students have access to the same resources as my niece. 


So if all students truly want to learn, and all teachers and parents truly want to provide meaningful learning experiences to their students/children, how come teachers and parents have such difficulty motivating students to learn?  Maybe it has to do with the way it’s packaged.  This article discusses why educational technology can’t be the change that many educators see it as quite yet.  We tend to get stuck in our routines as humans.  We must break the cycle and create a new routine that’s worth spreading, and worth replicating.  

Comments

  1. That is absolutely amazing that your niece has set that goal! But as you stated, sadly, not all kids have those resources or parents who place an emphasis on reading. This summer we have almost 3 full months off due to getting out early in June and starting late in August. The biggest concern in my building as the end of the year approached was, how are we going to get our kids to read over the summer. We have a great local library that has offered many incentives and fun activities for kids to do with parents. Another thing our district has is a Book Mobile that drives to the elementary schools each day and allows kids to check out books to read. Unfortunately, the kids who absolutely need to read every day still aren't. While technology is an excellent tool to provide meaningful, engaging experiences, unfortunately over the summer months, the excitement and engagement are lost. As you summed up your post with, we do need to create a new cycle that is better and more beneficial for out students. I enjoyed reading your post!

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  2. I couldn't agree more and unfortunately see this among my students every single year. The amount of learning that is lost during summer break, and even our shorter breaks throughout the year, creates huge learning gaps. A lot of the students I teach go home to very limited resources as well as limited parent involvement. It is terribly sad to hear them come back in the beginning of the year and talk about the video games they played or the TV shows they watched, rather than the fun outdoor activity they did where meaningful learning and experiences take place. It certainly is not our 7 and 8 year olds fault, but the fault of the cycle. I think the article is great and pertains to every single one of us. How often do we all get caught up in our routine or what we "always do" instead of branching out and trying something new for the benefit of our students. Excellent post and I look forward to sharing the article you found with other teachers I work with!

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