Am I a good reader…..In
the World’s Eyes, not at all! Personally sitting down to read a book for
recreation or comfort is not my ideal source of “FUN.” Especially when it came
to required reading in school, which was my least favorite thing in the entire
world. It didn’t give me a chance to be interested in the material so it was
more of a drag to get through an entire book. When options were presented, I of
course would read material that I liked, like sports books, or autobiography’s
of my favorite college coaches and so forth. All through high school and
college I never got into reading. It was not until a year and a half ago that a
book really caught my interest. I decided to serve a mission for the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Iowa. We believe in the “Book of Mormon
Another Testament of Jesus Christ” that we read with the Bible and together
they make up the fullness of the everlasting gospel.
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My entire childhood I was
told to read this book, to learn about it and so forth, but I made the decision
to not to. I did not want anyone to tell me what to do, so to sort of rebel I
never read it. At age 22 I finally made the choice to read it for myself to
know if it was true, and It changed my life forever. That book has brought more
peace and understanding to my life than any other book I have ever read. I have
read it time and time again in less than 2 years and will continue to read it
throughout my life. Not only do I love that book, but I have grown to like
reading more than ever. I actually now want to read other books that are
related, and that means in many different aspects. The daily lives of
individuals who have
struggled with personal trials. How to be happy and find
good in the world, inspirational stories and so on. The decision to read for myself,
allowed my heart to open up to reading and learning from other sources as well.
I am so grateful that it took me that long to enjoy reading, because now it
means so much more to me to do it for myself and not for someone else.
I want to help
students learn to read without forcing them to read material that does not
interest them. I feel very strongly about meeting the needs of every individual
and allowing them choices with things they will read and learn from in the
classroom. With Physical Education and Health there are so many wonderful
reading materials that I know can interest all minds. So they will be given
options of what they want to read. They should enjoy the time they have to read
and learn about people, health related material, sports, fitness, and so on.
There is a never ending supply of inspirational stories, motivating words, and
confidence building materials within these subjects. They deserve their own
opinions and perceptions of what reading is to them, why they enjoy it, and how
it can best influence their lives. Reading really is a wonderful thing and
needs to be used to help and influence people, not force them to do things to
do them. Book do change lives, and I am living proof of that. 
I am with ya! Sitting down to read isn't my thing. It was hard in high school when I was presented with the required reading..It wasn't interesting to me a lot of the time. I loved reading your experience with the Book of Mormon. Especially how it helped you want to read other books related to it. I think that can be a great key in getting students to enjoy reading. Letting them read what interests them and then I think the ball starts rolling! Thank you for your post! I really enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI love your philosophy on reading! I've never been a huge reader, but I don't hate it. I think it is so important for students to find some sort of intrinsic motivation to read-it is so, so much more meaningful that way. Thank you for sharing your experience!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your personal reading journey. I love that you have read a lot of books about sports, sports figures, and how sports can give you a positive mental outlook on life. For days that students have to sit out of your class due to illness or other causes, I think it would be great for you to have a little classroom library or office library so you they can read some of those inspirational books. I wonder if you could even put a little table in front of your office with sports magazines, like magazines about yoga, football, or other aspects of health. I would actually bet money that if you left them out, students would flip through them and learn from them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great posting!