Make It a Reward, Not a Threat

During the thirty-six years when I taught, I've often (and sadly) heard other teachers punish a child by putting them alone with a book. Or tell them they can't do such-and-such until they've read X number of pages. Or worse, test them on every book they read. The conditions may change, but the outcome is inevitable:

Children learn to hate to read.

We need to turn this around and reward children by letting them read. Better yet, if you're a parent or grandparent, let your child pick out a book they want at the local supermarket or book store. Or library! Make it a weekly jaunt, or a regular stopover when you run certain errands. 

If the child misbehaves, take away that wonderful privilege of reading. But don't ever use reading a book as a form of punishment.

Please.

The Debate Continues

We are currently using three different "methods" of teaching the basics to our students, but the one causing the most debate is handwriting. One says DON'T use dotted names. One says DON'T use pencils (instead use crayons to write with). One says teach ONLY capital letters (no lower case). One says DON'T use lined paper. The confusion goes on and on. Etc. Etc. Etc.

I've always used dotted names, and have always had success with that method. I basically switch strategies if the child is having difficulty with one method, because, as a teacher, I know that ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL. One method will never suit all the children. And all children do not learn the same way. Yet I'm still getting a lot of flack from the "experts" when they see me doing Y when I'm supposed to be using X. You get the drift.

I'd love to hear from other teachers what they use and find successful.