Tim Childers’ Blog

This NMSA session is being led by Sharon Faber, Ed.D.  She began by stating what my teachers and I have been talking about for months: secondary teachers are not trained in literacy.  I had one class that dealt with reading in the content areas.  That’s it.

According to Faber, NCLB has given us more kids coming out of 3rd grade that have learned to read than ever before.  The problem is that beginning in the fourth grade we shift to reading to learn.  The kids that haven’t mastered learning to read, will be left behind at that point.  Elementary teachers blame parents, middle school blames elementary teachers, high school blames middle schools. I’ve heard it all before (okay, I’ve said it before!).  53% of college students have to take at least 3 classes before they can take college credit classes.  That’s huge!  Of course, there wasn’t a citation, so take it with a grain of salt.

If kids come in without a seating chart, they fall out in three groups.  The kids who sit at front are those that are academically read and eager to learn.  These kids are reading ready.  The middle group is there everyday, but they will do the bare minimum to keep you off their back.  They are almost reading ready.  The kids in the back don’t want to be there at all.  The further toward the back of the room, the more at-risk they become.  They assume since they can’t do the work that they must be dumb. If they think they are dumb, they will do whatever they can to not participate.

The kids in the back of the room are not dumb.  Some of them may be the smartest in the room.  But they can’t read.  They know all the words on their favorite CDs.  They can play all the coolest video games.  They can use all the electronic gadgets.  But they don’t have to read to do those things.

OK, this blog is long enough, and the session has only been going for 10 minutes!  Look for a follow-up later.