What are you doing right now?! READING!

I have the biggest RANT right now.  I was trying to figure out what I write about next with my awesome blog...Not that I was running of things, seriously!!!  But I couldn't figure out what my heart wanted to write about.

Some of you may know me, and some of you may not.  I taught for about five years, and now I am subbing in a different state.  I'm pretty cool with it, actually.  I thought this was SUPER Cool.

I was reading my plans for the day, and there was this set in place:  AIR 10:40-9:05...The kids pick up their reading books and they read it for 25 minutes a day!  No looking at magazines, Guinness Book..., no staring at the wall, yadda, yadda...  I was amazed!  They do this everyday!

I wonder why other districts don't.  It has been scientifically proven that the more you read, the smarter you get.  You are broadening your vocabulary, imagination, interests.  I seriously think this helps students become those "life-long readers" we have been looking for. 

Not only should students be reading, I seriously parents should be picking up a book in front of their children...YUP!  I don't care if it's the magazine, or newspaper...the point is you're reading, you do it everyday, and guess who sees ya!  So, then once your "I HATE READING" child sees his/her parents reading, then they give up the argument...at least I would hope so.  They don't have to read in front of their friends...they can read at home.  They should understand that it doesn't matter where they read, as long as they are comfortable and relaxed.

I know that this is not just the educator in me who stresses this.  My mother was a HUGE reader.  She read, and read, and read!  Actually, it was because of her that I love reading.  SHE was one who told me NOT to read a certain book because I wasn't ready for it. I was in High School at the time.  I took it and started reading it only because she told me NOT to.  It's funny how children does the opposite, isn't it.  It took me months to finish this 900 page SMUT novel.  Hahahaha.  Of course, she didn't know that I took it to read at the time, otherwise she would have probably pried it out of my grasp. 

After that, I went straight to Harry Potter and have pretty much been a HUGE YA fan.  However, I love that I can pretty much read anything and LOVE it.  I mean, I don't love EVERYTHING I read, but most of the things I read I do like it.  If it makes me picture the scene in my head, then it's a good read for me.  I'm not looking for PERFECT grammar, even though I do see most books have CRAZY mistakes. 

I guess now that I think about it, I have always had a HUGE love for reading.  When I was in elementary school, I was always bringing home books.  I was SO in love with The Polar Express.  I was especially in love with it after it came in theaters.  I also remember reading Amelia Bedelia Books, MOST of the Babysitter Club Books, the Boxcar Children series, Wayside Stories, Ralph the mouse...I mean I think I could go on and on.  So I guess you could say that this was me then!

                               
I hope you don't take this post as me being bossy, or telling you what to do, because it's not that at all.  I'm just stressing some important points with childhood reading.  They say you should read to NEWBORNS to develop that love of reading.  As of right now, my little guy LOVES reading when it comes to bedtime and he will constantly pick up books for us to read. I hope it lasts long!  Hope you had a beautiful weekend!  Love. You. All!