GROWING READING HEARTS, continued

Boy, oh boy, can I dink around a lot on the internet. I'm up early this Saturday morning to fill out paperwork so that Kadeem can play in a spring football league (because we do not have enough sports in our life), after which I will go to school and finish packing up the third grade CSAP books, then go buy a shirt and a pair of size 16 shoes so my son does not have to wear tennis shoes to a wedding this afternoon, then be at the wedding downtown at two. Yikes! 

Anyway, just came over from Chicken Spaghetti where I read a wonderful quote by Donalyn Miller, a middle school teacher who blogs as THE BOOK WHISPERER. Miller writes:

There are many days when I don't get it right-- my lesson falls flat, my temper is short, or I am too distracted to focus on the child standing in front of me. My students forgive me on those days because I am one of them- a reader. I rarely fail when talking to children about books and why they should read this one. It pleases me when my students consider me an expert whose opinions about books they value; I convince a lot of kids they are experts because they read too.

This fits right in with what Mary Lee and I have been talking about regarding reading engagement this week. Bottom line, I think, teachers who care hugely about books help students become people who care hugely about books.