... though when they can barely recognize the letters of the alphabet, I am hesitant to apply the word 'literate'. I know everyone has to start at the beginning, but by the time they are well into their pre-school year, most of them have been exposed to the shapes of the letters enough that they can tell you the names of each one, even if they cannot actually legibly reproduce them. Once again, when I asked the little guy to write his name on the inside cover of his newest book, he said: 'Let's do it together'. Which I thought was amazingly smart as well as shrewd, a great way to get me to hold the pencil with him and shape the letters of his name, without having to say: 'I can't do it myself.' So, in reality, even if he is struggling to learn the basics, he can certainly read me like a book!
Both of the students I am working with this session are boys. In the past I think they have pretty consistently been one of each as I have spent one day a week in eight week increments over several years, reading and talking about books, words, illustrations. One of the guys I saw today was not even remotely interested in sitting still long enough to read. He didn't even want to look at the pages and talk about the illustrations: lots of pictures of animals doing a variety of familiar tasks. He just could not sit still.
I believe my job as a volunteer is to read, talk about the books, encourage them to be engaged in the process, model literacy, holding the book and turning pages, discuss the activities of the characters, ask questions to encourage them to look, consider, ponder, and wonder. My job is not to enforce discipline, demand appropriate behavior. If they do not want to do the work sheet, we don't do it. If they do not care to write their names, they do not have to do it. If it's not interesting, engaging, something they do by choice, it will become a chore. Which is not at all what I believe reading is or should be.
When I got back to work, I told someone I thought that little guy must have had fishbait for breakfast. I laughed and said I had to think he had worms, as he was so wiggly. And also thought he must have had crickets too, as he seemed to be spring-loaded, so full of bounciness he was constantly getting out of the chair, unable to sit still.
He was so energetic, full of pep, he could not sit down long enough to help write his name. He was so busy looking around the lunch room and talking ninety-miles an hour I could not get a word in edgewise. He was just not inclined to sit, look, read, listen. So we didn't. He was ready to go back to the classroom, and trotting, at full tilt, like he was heading into a stiff wind. I literally could not keep up with him. So sweet, and amusing, you cannot get upset, but it is frustrating when he cannot sit down for ten minutes.
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