Brooke Confer’s Blog Post #3 Section 3: But That?

After reading the last Section, from No More Independent Reading Without Support, all of the previous chapters started making more sense. I too was a skeptic at first with Reading Workshop up until I decided to try it with my new class this school year. I can tell you that it is not easy and that there are days where I feel overwhelmed in that block period of time, but I can see the difference already with this group of kids. The author makes valid points about cutting unnecessary time out so that a teacher can fulfill the time that is needed to spend on IR and Reading Workshop. I remember in the past wasting time with frivolous things like she mentioned with taking forever to line up, morning work and other activities that didn’t really have to be done.

          As I reflect on myself as a teacher of reading now compared to a few years ago, I can see the growth that I have had just from reading books on how to improve reading with ESOL students, books that I have read in school, and just watching other teachers who really had it together. I already do Reading and Writing Workshop with my students this year and I have to admit that there are times that I think to myself, “We are never going to get through this”. As we continue, we always seem to pull it together. The one thing that I do need to work on is finding out what exactly I need to teach during my mini-lessons that will actually benefit my students’ needs. The author gives plenty of examples on how to identify your students’ needs by conferring with them as much as possible. She also believes that we as teachers have to use our time during the Reading Workshop to identify those students who need that extra help in comprehension, main idea, Author’s Purpose and other reading strategies.

          I hope now as I have read more into this book and learned different ways to manage my classroom time that I can enforce this more in my classroom and help my students understand and read to their potential.