Thursday, July 2, 2009

Best Kept Secret: Kids Are Reading

I have spent the last two weeks at the Chippewa River Writing Project. Wow, we are writers! http://chippewariverwp.wikispaces.com/ We've been doing teaching demo's, writing critical responses, and doing lots and lots of writing. I have written a science fiction piece about a girl on a hot air balloon which is the mass transportation, a monologue from the perspective of my cat, a story about characters on a deserted island, a story about my house like Sandra Cisneros' House on Mango Street, and another about my cultural heritage. Today I presented activities on analysis and synthesis in academic writing.
I've had two conflicting issues. K-12 English teachers spend a lot of time on fiction (while I spend none at the college level), and K-12 students read a lot. These teachers are constantly talking and telling stories about the books their students are reading! Yet there is the common understanding at the college level that "kids don't read anymore." What do I make of this?

Perhaps these teachers are extraordinary. Perhaps reading is happening in the lower grades but not in high school. Perhaps college teachers are out of touch. I haven't decided which it is. But it is certainly wonderful to be surrounded by such enthusiastic, knowledgeable, open teachers.

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