I have a wonderful library – actually books all over the house – into which I can dive and escape for awhile, books to inspire more art efforts, recipes, how-to books, and more. I am rich in books.
When I was a teacher in elementary school, teaching 1st grade through team-teaching 1-6 during the eight years I taught, I tried to teach the basics (phonics, breaking words into syllables, word meaning, etc.) but also I hope that I passed my intense love of reading into the hearts of my students. (I got in trouble by bringing my guitar to school and helping my kids learn phonics while singing and dancing to the beat. I was told, “Ms. Lewis. This is NOT a music class!”)
I can think of no skill more important than reading. There are no limits when one can read. You can learn new skills, explore things you may never see, widen your horizons, fill your soul.
When I ran my own reading clinic for three years – teaching kindergarten through adult in Tulsa, Oklahoma – I saw personalities and goals change. I loved watching the light bulb turn on when things finally made sense. We tested to find out what was needed and then supplied those needs with fun stuff, like comic books, to make the work worth the effort. It was wonderful to see kids realize that they weren’t ‘dumb,’ – they just didn’t have all the puzzle pieces!
I feel so lucky to have a stack of books on my desk here in the office, waiting for me to enjoy!
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