Robin's Journal Monday: Lindamichellebaron

Speaker Lindamichellebaron

Her best ideas:
A child will let you know who you are- honesty. A love of reading needs to spread like a virus. Students entering a library for the first time may feel like it’s a magical experience until they face the disappointment that they can’t read the books. They need scaffolding, modeling, and an infusion of love of the art form. Be passionate to fill the empty spaces in a child’s life. She loved reading aloud because in her 5th grade mind she was already a teacher. She taught her friends to read with expression. The lesson was passed down to her friend’s child. “When you teach for life, the test is easy.” Give them what they need- a love of literacy. Respect your creative urges. We have to be salespeople for literacy. Give children the perception of choices.
In action:
What energy! Loved the virus image accompanied by the sneezing out of the love of reading. On action:
The unresponsiveness of the audience caused her to model a great demonstration on getting the students involved. I loved her poems. They were easy to understand and were filled with unusual images. Other speakers also spoke of scaffolding and modeling. I will include more of both in my classes. Instead of just modeling reading with expression, I will coax my students to do it also like she did with her friends. Anita Frey also spoke of giving children choices. I try to do that.