I Read it, But I Don't Get it

Chris Tovani's I Read It, But I Don't Get It is the piece of text that i've been waiting to read. The art of pretending to read or do classwork is sadly the reality of what students are learning how to do in school, rather than actually learning what we think we are teaching them.

It's crazy to think that even Tovani just about graduated from school not actually have ever read a book. How is it, that students would rather work just as hard to NOT read, than to just simply do the work they are assigned? What is the disconnect between what students want to do and what they are being asked to do? How is it that essential reading skills are not being taught at an early age?

I think the reading course that Tovani teaches would be a great addition to every freshman schedule. The whole time students are making their way through middle school, teachers tell them that the reason they are supposed to be learning certain skills is because they will be expected to know how to do these things in high school. if every freshman class had a class dedicated to reading and comprehension, i believe this would be a highly beneficial tool for all subjects. Reading isn't just for English anymore, and if we were to give students these tools at the beginning of their high school careers, perhaps they would be all around more successful readers. Then they would finally have the tools up front that they will need in order to be successful in high school.

The idea that we need to teach students these essential skills seems so simple, however, we aren't taught how to explicitly teach students how to comprehend what they read. Assuming your students know something is a dangerous habit for teachers. Successful teachers should always be gaining feedback from students and tailoring their lessons towards what students need to continue being successful in years to come.

Overall, I really enjoyed I Read it, But I Don't Get it. I think this book is extremely relevant and I am sure I will be referring to it as a teacher of English.