Thank you for having me here today, Tonya, I am really enjoying your blogs! I am in awe of how you are able to accomplish so much with your days while also entertaining "us" with really great reads!
For several years, I ran the "Reader of the Month" program at our middle school. Once a reader was selected ( not necessarily a straight A student, but more importantly a "book worm"), I would meet with that student to give them a list of pre-interview questions. I've taken pictures of readers laying under the school marquee, kidding around in the library, strutting their stuff by flashy school lockers. The best part was always sitting down and finding out about these kids.
When did they remember first loving to read? Who was the first person that they ever remember having read to them? What didn't their folks know about them and books? Where did they read? What did they read?
What did they read?
Those kids could run off genres and authors to me in a flash! How fortunate I was that never did a one of them flip me that same question. My reading diet was as odd as could be.
Most of the time, I was reading books based upon the grade I'm teaching. Since 1984, I've taught every one of them. Each grade had its own treasures.
Then, came the summers and it would be my turn!! I selected books based upon places I longed to be: beaches, oceans, quaint towns, and pirate ships.
At times, I needed an adventure. I'd get on my spy gear and go some kind of NCIS crazy exploit.
Even now-a-days, I can't always stay in the same genre, even if I love it. I need to explore. I fly from one genre to another. I'm a beach bum, a sassy witch, a torn neglected wife. Yet, I'm more than that. I am the breezy wisps of salty air flowing through the Cape windows. I am the tempest storm pounding the beaten ship.
The biggest change came for me when I was battling an illness. My oncologist therapist warned me to stay away from negative books. She advised reading fun and carefree novels for they would help me to stay happy and uplifted. That was when I entered the realm of chick-lit. Truly, this arena supported me as an optimist. Ah, perfect fit. So perfect, it wouldn't wait for summer to come.
My last Read was The Light Between Oceans,by M.L. Stedman, one of those books that puts me smack dab on a lighthouse in the middle of nowhere, with characters I want to root for. At the same time, I was reading Ashes of Roses, by Mary Jane Auch, for my 8th grade class. This book follows a family from Cork, Ireland to America, through the hard immigration process, to unfair labor practices and into the belly of the horrid Triangle Shirt Factory Fire. Now, I am sliding into the scary Gone Girl ( Gillian Flynn). I am putting on my spy gear. It's all a cycle.
Next, I know I will be more than hungry for some Indie chick.
It's just too long of an answer for a middle schooler. Eyes would glaze over.
Do you know what you read? Have you ever thought about why you read what you read? It is an interesting look inside of your reading soul.
When I am deciding upon which book to read, I am thinking something even more. The decision is, "Which adventure am I going on next?"
When did they remember first loving to read? Who was the first person that they ever remember having read to them? What didn't their folks know about them and books? Where did they read? What did they read?
What did they read?
Those kids could run off genres and authors to me in a flash! How fortunate I was that never did a one of them flip me that same question. My reading diet was as odd as could be.
Most of the time, I was reading books based upon the grade I'm teaching. Since 1984, I've taught every one of them. Each grade had its own treasures.
Then, came the summers and it would be my turn!! I selected books based upon places I longed to be: beaches, oceans, quaint towns, and pirate ships.
At times, I needed an adventure. I'd get on my spy gear and go some kind of NCIS crazy exploit.
Even now-a-days, I can't always stay in the same genre, even if I love it. I need to explore. I fly from one genre to another. I'm a beach bum, a sassy witch, a torn neglected wife. Yet, I'm more than that. I am the breezy wisps of salty air flowing through the Cape windows. I am the tempest storm pounding the beaten ship.
The biggest change came for me when I was battling an illness. My oncologist therapist warned me to stay away from negative books. She advised reading fun and carefree novels for they would help me to stay happy and uplifted. That was when I entered the realm of chick-lit. Truly, this arena supported me as an optimist. Ah, perfect fit. So perfect, it wouldn't wait for summer to come.
My last Read was The Light Between Oceans,by M.L. Stedman, one of those books that puts me smack dab on a lighthouse in the middle of nowhere, with characters I want to root for. At the same time, I was reading Ashes of Roses, by Mary Jane Auch, for my 8th grade class. This book follows a family from Cork, Ireland to America, through the hard immigration process, to unfair labor practices and into the belly of the horrid Triangle Shirt Factory Fire. Now, I am sliding into the scary Gone Girl ( Gillian Flynn). I am putting on my spy gear. It's all a cycle.
Next, I know I will be more than hungry for some Indie chick.
It's just too long of an answer for a middle schooler. Eyes would glaze over.
Do you know what you read? Have you ever thought about why you read what you read? It is an interesting look inside of your reading soul.
When I am deciding upon which book to read, I am thinking something even more. The decision is, "Which adventure am I going on next?"
Teri Filkins is a Literacy Teacher at Moreau Elementary School and Oliver W. Winch School in South Glens Falls, New York. In addition, she serves on the Board of the Iroquois Reading Council, part of the New York State Reading Council and an affiliate of the International Reading Association.
