entry 6

 

The first success of the classroom literacy in Maier's classroom is how much  time she let her students read on their own. Letting students read on their own allows them to read what they want, the freedom to their own imagination , and letting them read what will draw them into the book. When I was a child, reading  on my own as exciting for me because I was a good reader, and I could read some of the books other kids weren't ready for. This allowed me to push myself further. 

 

Another success is how much Maier read to the kids. It said in the article she reads to kids at the rate of 120 books read out loud per week. THAT is a lot of reading to kids. The exposure of all those books, and learning new words from those books, and hearing proper grammar over and over again must encourage the students to improve their reading and writing subconsciously. The exposure to this kind of literacy is helps the students, because the literacy is all around them.

 

Another reason why Maier's students do so well is because of the bond with the teacher. They know about her life, and she lets them ask questions about her. This bond is important because it establishes trust, as well as many other things. Students must be able to trust their teachers, if the teachers want to students to do well. It lets the children know they are in a safe place, and that the teachers is looking out for their best interest. By having this bond, students don't follow teachers, but students and teachers work together to see what is best for both.

 

Individual writing time is another important factor. To let kids freely express how they are feeling with words is an important skill, and to let children do this is empowering to the students. At the school I went to as a child, we had free writing time, during which many of the boys in my class wrote about guns and war and death. Many parents in society today would probably feel uncomfortable with how often the boys did this in class. However, my teacher let us write about what ever we wanted, and if we felt the need to write about people dying, she let us. Kids need to feel That its ok to express themselves, in whatever way they like. They need to know they wont be judged for what they write. Their imagination is their best tool as a child, and its important they learn how to use it, without restriction.

 

Lastly, sharing their stories make them successful. Being able to read a story that you've writing to an audience of people is scary and exciting. It makes the kids proud, knowing they have accomplished something. It celebrates how far the children have come as writers. It gives them a spark of learning to share what they are proud  of, which runs out for many people as life goes on.