Vale Jim Trelease (March 23, 1941 – July 28, 2022)

I read yesterday that Jim Trelease was no longer here to champion the importance of reading to children which is such a shame as now more than ever I feel many of us are banging our heads against brick walls trying to convince parents and teachers of the importance of reading aloud, reading real books and sharing 'rich' literature with quality artwork.

Hopefully his books will remain in print and some other expert will update his lists as teachers and parents will continue to need them. The Science of Reading people and the curriculum committees who espouse their beliefs have created teachers who no longer read to their class and who are telling parents that children no longer need to worry about comprehension until they have mastered phonics. That may not be what their aim was, but from my viewpoint, what teachers do in their classrooms in the name of teaching reading has really changed and many students have no idea what the purpose of reading is and they are even more thirsty for books and being read to, than they have ever been.

Two things that happened this week that highlight my conundrum, are 

1. I was sent a copy of these bookmarks and told to use them to help readers. Yes, it is that simple! Not. As the parent of two children who struggled with reading (the barking at print), but who had superior comprehension when read to, this bookmark would not have helped me or them. I knew what to do and they struggled to keep all those things going at once and it made them angry that they had to do the same thing over and over again when everyone else didn't. Perhaps my children would have been more appreciative of these strategies ad nauseam if they had not been read to from birth. They know what real reading is! Their mother had done a Masters in Reading Education and Libraries.

2. I have been off school with Covid, and to be fair, so have a lot of other staff, but most of my lessons have not been covered. What message does this send? Library, books and being read to are not high priorities.

Everyone should read this article.  I am making sure that all my friends' grandchildren are being read to by gifting them books and they all comment on what a wonderful time they share when reading and how it leads to much bonding and talking. They have grandchildren who love books and reading, but what will happen when they arrive at school and the only reading is phonetic, decodable and not in a book?

Grandparents Day at our school is coming up. The grandparents love visiting the library and all comment on the abundance of books and seem pleased that the technology while there is not predominant. This article is something I also gift to friends who need convincing.

I'm sure I'll go back to school, see the children and feel much more positive again about my role.