The Need to Read

     In "Why Can't She Remember That?" by Terri Meier, Meier explains the need for children to be engaged in reading and not only memorizing the words to certain books but by being able to understand what is happening and why it is happening. She does this by introducing us to certain children such as Marisa, Lindsey, and Lem. And something all three of these children had in common is that they all used forms of vocalization and demonstrated "the ability to use language in powerful ways to negotiate relationships with other people and to accomplish his or her social purposes." However all three used different forms of language. For Marisa she changed her tone from being serious to being friendly or kidding, for Lindsey she quoted a book to get the rice cake she wanted, and for Lem he created a poem off the top of his head to prevent from getting in trouble. But what made all three of these children behave in different ways? Perhaps it was from their family backgrounds and the way they were socialized while growing up.
     In the reading Meier's explained the importance of class room readings, and how different students engage in the reading process. Where as some are amused by the easy-answered questions normally asked by elementary school teachers; children like Gabriella are all but amused with these simplistic questions. And instead of enjoying the book, become bored and uninterested.
     Now while reading this all I could remember was the time I helped out at my cousins school. Now with both of them being born deaf the idea of communication, via the spoken word let alone the written word was always difficult. Since they could not hear it was always harder to explain what certain words meant and it was always harder to engage them in reading. However one during sophomore year I was given the chance to go in and help out in their classroom, and in hopes of becoming an elementary school teacher some day I thought this would be an awesome idea. So as it came time for stories I began to wonder how this teacher is going to read to them let alone get them to understand. For many of them were not used to being read to. But as she began reading she had the children elaborately sign what was happening in the story. And in almost a theatrical way the kids acted out every part of the book. And with this I watched as even my own cousins who barely sat still for five minutes became infatuated with the book.
     And it was from this experience that I realized that reading and story time plays such a huge role in the development of children. Whether they are Black, White, hearing, or deaf, the idea of learning new words and creating a sense of verbal expression is so important in kid's lives. https://www.earlymoments.com/Promoting-Literacy-and-a-Love-of-Reading/Why-Reading-to-Children-is-Important/