Reflecting on Myself as a Reader

I've always loved to read, ever since at a young age. I remember in kindergarten, one of the first books I ever read was Go, Dog, Go by Dr. Seuss. My kindergarten teacher had always said that I was a natural reader and I was one of the few who were able to read at the time.

While I was in elementary school, I always used to love getting the book order pamphlets (I forgot what they were called! Scholastic Reading or something?) and I would always order a ton of books from there. I was also a part of the Babysitter's Club Little Sister's Book Club, and they would send me books through the mail. Many of my reading experiences when I was younger were always positive. I can't even recall a negative experience with reading.

Even now, I find that I am always reading. Since school started, I haven't really gotten a chance to read as much as I wanted to, but I love reading books when I have the time. I also read a lot of magazines and have websites that I read daily whenevever I first sign online. Barnes and Noble is my second home. :)

How can we create a community in our classrooms?

I think in order to create a community, it is so important for each student to know each student's background and where they came from. In Walking Trees, Ralph Fletcher writes about how each student will write something and have him/her read it aloud to the other students. Many of the things the students write are personal and going on in their lives currently. Being able to share something to the class helps the other students to get to know one another. Not only does the student read the writing aloud, but the other students can give the student their ideas and opinions about the writing. One example comes to mind, where a student writes about how as the oldest, she has taken on many responsibilities while her father is working three jobs and her mother is busy with house related problems. She had to take care of her three brothers every day after school. After she was done reading her writing, her students volunteered to help her with her responsibilities. By having the students share with one another their lives, this helps in creating a community not only in the classroom, but also outside the classroom as well.