You Owe Me a Coke!

I love that Josie equated caring with asking a question.  Thank you for asking such a caring question.        

What are some of your favorite routines that give you a glimpse into a student’s life

as a reader?

I have been thinking about this and there seems to be several obvious responses, like using reading surveys, talking about favorite books, graphing places and people that we like to read with.

But the most important way that I find about a student’s reading life isn’t really a routine at all.  Or is it?

For me, it’s the casual conversations that often happen on the way from the classroom to my reading classroom and back.  But could it happen more often?

The other day I was in the middle of reading a book with Brandon.  We were doing word work with –ed endings.  Just for fun, since it is October, the last word we looked at was ‘haunted.’  When I told him the word, we both laughed and said, Ooooo, it’s spooky!” at the same time.  We laughed some more and then Brandon gently squeezed the sleeve of my shirt and said, “Pinch, poke.  You owe me a Coke.”  

Do you know what we wrote in his journal that day?  Yes!  It was “Pinch, poke.  You owe me a Coke.”  And he wrote it with joy, urgency, and willingness.  This casual and spontaneous conversation thing was like a magic motivation pill.

So how can I make casual conversation more of a regular routine?  I think it goes back to the caring questions that Josie spoke about.  But I also think that it’s sharing something that you love and enjoy.  It’s easy to forget about the fun part of reading and writing when you are preparing for tests that continue to change with each passing year.  But the fun part is like the middle of an oreo.  You just need it to hold everything together.

What fun have you been able to put into your teaching?

I’m still stuck on the Cody series.  I just love her unusual way of looking at the world and bringing lightness and happiness to herself and others.  This is the second book of the series and I would say that the biggest strength in this series is getting to know the characters.  Tricia Sprigstubb does refer back to character traits from the first book, so it is more meaningful if the books are read in order.  This has been my own personal fun for October.  Thanks, Tricia and Cody!