I have written before how my mother loved to read, so it was no wonder that I followed in her footsteps. Later, as an elementary school teacher, I hope I instilled a love for reading in my students. (My favorite part of the day was reading aloud to my students for twenty precious minutes after lunch recess).
In those days, we used a program called the Writing Road to Reading. The basic idea being that reading and writing go hand-in-hand. The phonics-based total language program, is still taught in many classrooms throughout the U.S. today.
Romalda Spalding believed that the immediate incorporation of spelling and handwriting with phonics instruction reinforced all the skills. Students create and add to notebooks everything they learn.
Children learn to put sounds together, form meaningful words, write meaningful sentences, and develop their creative minds. Through it, children learn to enjoy the great works of children’s literature.
I wasn’t taught to read this way myself (I taught myself to read before I entered first grade). However, when I began to teach both regular and remedial classes using this method, something inside me clicked and “filled in the gaps” in my learning.
I’d always loved reading, but now as a teacher, my passion for reading exploded. I began reading children’s books and worked my way “up.”
I am guessing that readers of this blog are either avid readers, writers, or both. I would love for you to share how your love for reading/writing began. I will reprint your stories in this blog in the near future.
brenda poulos 