Summer Southerlin Blog Post 1: Miller. Setion 1, Not This

        For my first reading I chose Miller Section 1 Not This: Is There Enough Time? And is Time Enough to Support Independent Reading? I chose this as one of my chapters to read because during my first year of teaching we began to discuss implementing independent reading or some sort of reading workshop into the classroom. My first thought after beginning to discuss this idea was, how will we find the time? Between SRA, the basal, and other required programs, I did not see where we would be able to fit it into our busy schedule. By March of my first year of teaching it started to become clear that I would be completely on board with trying something new in reading. I wanted my students to choose their own books and know they were right for them, build stamina and enjoy it as they did, and most of all genuinely love reading. But, I did not know how to find time to guide them through this process with all the required programs we were already using.
       When the new school year came around and we decided to try something new, I could not have been more excited. I was eager to learn more about reading and writing workshop, as well as balanced literacy. The idea of the workshops and centers allowed for independent reading with guidance and support from the teacher. The idea of it sounded amazing to me but I was not sure how it would work or when we would find the time to implement it. When the decision was made to set aside SRA and use the basal as we saw fit, I realized we could easily fit in these workshops and centers. As I read section 1, I realized a lot of time is wasted doing things that is not necessary. For example the book discusses worksheets (packets of worksheets, which I unfortunately used last year), the basal reader, transitions and so forth. By simply changing some things, time could be made for a true reading block with independent reading and guidance.
      Now that I have time for independent reading workshops and balanced literacy I struggle with the most effective way to manage my time. I understand the concept of independent reading and what I, as a teacher should be doing during that time, but I am unsure of the most effective way of implementing the workshop. I am unsure of how much time to spend with each child, how I make sure the child is being responsible for the goal I set for them, and how I can see this child soon enough again to see if the goal was met or improvement was made. I have began creating charts to keep up with each student and their goals, and rubrics to guide me in what the student may struggle with as a reader. After creating these, I am still finding it hard to get back to the students in enough time to see if they have improved and many times they have forgotten their goal by the time I reach them. I hope to figure out a better system to conference with each child more often. In Section 1, a side note mentioned reading Section 3 in the book to see how to "structure independent reading time in a way that is effective for all children." I believe this will be something I read next to help me structure reading workshop in a more effective way.