This post is written by member Rick Joseph, the 2016 Michigan State Teacher of the Year.聽
I love to read. I believe in the power of story to change lives. After soliciting ideas on social media, I selected聽, by Michigan author/illustrator Patricia Polacco, as the Official Book of the Michigan Teacher of the Year 2016.
The story compels readers to realize that no matter their ability, they are geniuses. It encourages readers to seek out their genius, nurture it through hard work, and use it to contribute to the betterment of others and the world. We all belong, and we all have something to contribute to our communities.
This is a message that everyone needs to hear constantly. But no group needs to hear this idea more than our children鈥攅specially in the form of stories, read out loud.
As humans, our brains are hardwired for stories. We tune in naturally to the familiar architecture of a story arc, with its problems, solutions, characters, and settings. Joseph Campbell writes about the聽聽as a global story archetype, one that is common to all cultures around the globe. Our stories have always helped us not only to communicate, but to make sense of our world and realize our place in it. By reading aloud, we share these stories, and in doing so, we create community.
People have also known for years that stories develop children鈥檚 vocabulary, improve their ability to learn to read, and鈥攑erhaps most important鈥攆oster a lifelong love of books and reading.
The ability to develop a passionate reading life is crucial, according to Jim Trelease, author of the best-selling聽. 鈥淓very time we read to a child, we鈥檙e sending a 鈥榩leasure鈥� message to the child鈥檚 brain,鈥� he writes. 鈥淵ou could even call it a commercial, conditioning the child to associate books and print with pleasure.鈥�
This reading 鈥渃ommercial鈥� is critical when competition for a child鈥檚 attention is so fierce.聽 Faced with many options鈥� television, movies, the Internet, video games, and myriad after-school activities鈥攁 child may overlook the pleasures of sitting down with a book. In addition, negative experiences with reading鈥攚hether frustrations in learning to read or tedious 鈥渄rill-and-kill鈥� school assignments鈥攃an further turn children off from reading.
A child who does not have a healthy reading habit may suffer long-term consequences.聽As Trelease succinctly puts it, 鈥淪tudents who read the most, read the best, achieve the most, and stay in school the longest. Conversely, those who don鈥檛 read much, cannot get better at it.鈥�
This is a relatively simple idea, and comes down to the importance of building a habit. Additionally, reading aloud is, according to the landmark 1985 report聽, 鈥渢he single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading.鈥�
Recently, I read The Junkyard Wonders aloud to 聽5th graders at Auburn Elementary Schools. The kids were enthralled with the story and connected easily with Polacco鈥檚 message of optimism, hope, and perseverance against all odds. The next day, in an unrelated visit to Auburn, I stopped in the same classroom. What was most remarkable was that as soon as I entered, I was swarmed with kids who were thrusting their books in my face.
鈥淢r. Joe, have you read聽?鈥� came an inquiry from an eager聽5th-grade boy.
鈥淚鈥檓 reading聽. Have you read this book?鈥� spat another.
鈥淟ook what I鈥檓 reading:聽. I love this book. Have you read it?鈥� another asked.
I was flabbergasted that a read-aloud from the day before to complete strangers had created this instant reader-to-reader bond. I was reminded of out-loud reading鈥檚 intense power to stimulate a desire in the listener to grab a book and read more.
I felt part of a community of readers who talk about the stories they鈥檝e read, try to make sense of them, and connect them to their own lives. Kids were so hungry to share their books with me. And they were hungry to communicate their excitement about stories鈥攁nd to urge me to read, read, READ!
Rick Joseph is a National Board Certified Teacher and has taught 5/6 grade at Covington School in the Birmingham Public School district since 2003. Prior, he served as a bilingual educator and trainer for nine years in the Chicago Public Schools. He is thrilled to serve as the Michigan Teacher of the Year 2016.