D&Z Chs. 1&2

            As I was reading the chapters in Daniels and Zemelman’s book (which, go figure, I enjoyed it), one particular excerpt stood out to me.  “Yes, there are a lot of obstacles to young people falling in love with math, science, history, language, and the arts.  But that doesn’t mean that our idealism is sentimental and misplaced, or that we should give up the dream that binds us to this profession” (p. 10). I have, on various occasions, been accused of being a sentimental dreamer.  Generally speaking, this type of comment does not negatively affect me—I don’t stop hoping.  There have been instances, though, which make me question myself and my dreams of becoming a teacher. 

            A woman who used to be very close to my family once asked me what I wanted to do with my life.  I replied with, “I want to teach English.”  This response caused her to wrinkle her nose and give me one of those knowing glances—the one that says, “Oh, bless your poor, little heart.”  This woman was one of the last people on earth I ever expected this reaction from because she was, in fact, an English teacher.  I was hoping to hear that I had my work cut out for me but the rewards far out-weighed the struggles (or something along those lines).  Instead, she suggested that I would have better luck working my way through the managerial track at a fast-food restaurant.  Her words caused me to question myself, and I had to readjust my worldview.  That being said, do I believe that my teaching career will change the lives of every student I encounter?  I can only hope.  Will movies be made about my life and the impact I have on my students?  Doubtful; I am a dreamer, not a lunatic.  I suppose the reason I appreciated the authors’ words so much is because they grant me permission to be a bit of a dreamer—I think we all need that in our lives. 

            Now that I am finished with my “sentimental” diatribe, I will briefly discuss the text.  I enjoyed the reading, and the writing style was smooth and simple to understand.  The introduction to the content discussed the things teachers need to do and understand when it comes to helping students learn how to read.  The second chapter dealt with the many strategies employed by good readers.  My favorite segment from chapter 2 discussed how reading is an active, constructive process of comprehending information.  The reader either clicks through a passage, or clunks through.  Our job, as future educators, is to help our students advance from clunking to clicking by teaching them the tools and strategies of good readers.