Reading

You know what drives me crazy? Reading in schools.
I mean, it's a great concept, and it's incredibly important that the kids in this world learn to read, and to read well, but if the only contact that I got with books was a classroom, I don't know if I would like it. I tutor in a middle school reading classroom, and it's like the teacher doesn't trust her kids to learn what they can from a book. They're only allowed to read books on a certain lexile (they put numbers on books, it makes me sad), and even then, they can only pick from a certain small sampling of books, and when they do read, we, as the teachers, are supposed to stop them every paragraph or so to pick the story apart. I don't know. Maybe that's the only way to make them understand the books.
But maybe a little mystery in the books is good - they can always go back and read them again later.
Maybe if they read the same words enough, they will figure out what they mean.
Maybe if we try to teach kids that reading is a fun thing,
If we gave them good books instead of easy books,
Or even books that are both
If we showed them that we love to read, and tried to share that love
Maybe, just maybe it would make them want to read something outside of class, something without a number, something fun.
It makes me want to become a teacher, just so I can break the rules.
But for now, all I can do is read with them, and try to get them through the paperwork so that they can pass.
But someday ... maybe ...