True Prize of Reading

I admit, I am a mother that bought into the 'pizza reward program' for reading. I diligently recorded the minutes every night read by my children and initialed the required minutes .

It was a ritual in our house--read, record and be rewarded. But is that really what happened?

I remember going to a certain pizza place every month-(Red Hat Pizza Palace, don't despair--my kids still love you!) to redeem this valuable coupon(1 small -1 topping pizza-eat in only) .--This ended up costing our family a minimum of $40.00. I questioned the value of the 'free pizza program." I wondered....what would happen if kids weren't rewarded with pizzas, stickers or prizes for reading??!!

I must admit, as a teacher, I have once given prizes for the most minutes read, the most books read etc. Wow!--I must say I even grew pumpkins in the garden at the lake with the promise of giving the largest away in October to the reader that read the most minutes!( I had to drive home that 30 lb. pumpkin!--I really did NOT think that one out!)

Now, I think differently.

Why do we do this?! What are we thinking?!

I don't want to give prizes for the most books read. I don't want to reward students with pizzas and stickers. I don't want kids to think that they shouldn't read once the program is over or when there are no prizes to be had!

I want them to learn that reading bestows gifts and that reading is its own reward. Reading makes us life learners and makes us smarter by increasing our vocabulary and background knowledge. I want students to learn that reading is fun and life changing. Why do we as teachers need to make up games and rewards?

I want to teach my students that reading allows us to travel to destinations that we will never experience outside of the pages of a book. I want them to learn that reading at bedtime until they fall asleep is a natural and healthy sedative. Why do we cheapen and undermine reading by connecting it to an incentive program? Let's not lose sight of what the true prize is: an appreciation of reading that will add more to their life.

Jumping In with blogging

I'm the first to admit--I am consumed by teaching--and I mean that in a good way. I voraciously read the newest professional books and am always re-evaluating and analyzing my practice. Teaching is always on my brain in most of my activities--while shopping, Can I use this in my classroom?--while reading the newspaper, This is a great article to use for..... and so on and so on. Sometimes I think I am compulsive and need to shut off my teacher brain, at least for part of the summer, but then I find something else interesting that captures my teacher attention and away I go!

I also spend hours on the computer and can weave my way through amazing project ideas, posts and teaching networks. I receive daily, weekly and monthly email messages and newsletters with teaching tips and ideas, zen relaxation practices, research updates and best practices in teaching. I have bookmarked sites I want to revisit, created a folder with all of my accounts and passwords and have even hand-written all the usernames and passwords in case my computer ever crashes.

While I am fascinated and excited about how all of this can impact and change my teaching, I must admit, most of the time I feel overwhelmed with the possibilities. I fluctuate between feeling quite proficient in using a tool new to me, to feeling like I am just scratching the surface of technology and should be including and doing more.

So why am I jumping in and starting yet another piece of technology that I need to check, record profiles and think about? Well, I came across another teacher's blog and found it inspiring. I found it thought-provoking and yes, another springboard for my teaching ideas.

But more importantly, I am excited about starting to follow other teachers' blogs. I can't wait to learn more and hear about how others engage and inspire students. I'm an 'idea person' and get SO excited when I read about a project that I know just fits my style--like A Global Read Aloud. I can't wait to participate. This project, by the way was started by the teacher whose blog I was so inspired by. Thanks P.Ripp!

So here I go, jumping into the blogging experience. I have a feeling I better hold on tight!